Pajamas for Breakfast

The design process behind my first ever tabletop collection (!) with Valsa Home

If you’ve been here a while, you know how much I value the concept of leisure. I love planless mornings with nowhere to be, crisp pajama sets that make me feel like a character in a rom-com, and long lunches that accidentally take up an entire afternoon. I love ordering room service (a Diet Coke and fries, obviously) and eating it from the comfort of a hotel robe. I love Sundays—the first half of them, anyway—when all I have to do is make the difficult choice between walking to the bakery or eating my toast from a fancy plate at home. I love things that are made slowly, like a French omelette or a patchwork quilt, and by someone who puts care and effort into the process. And, as I’ve said many times before, I love sleep.

Last December, I put it out into the universe (well, social media) that I wanted to find ways to grow À La Carte into something you can experience in person. Dinner parties, group trips, product collaborations—I still dream of doing it all. That very same day, a note from Raquel Souza, the founder of Portugal-based ceramics brand Valsa Home, popped into my inbox, asking if I’d ever be open to collaborating with her on a collection of ceramics.

I’ll just skip to the good part: in one week from today, Ali LaBelle x Valsa Home will be out in the world.

ABOUT THE COLLECTION:

Our collection includes seven ceramic pieces perfect for breakfast, but really any time of day: two different dinner plates, two salad plates, a cereal bowl, a mug, and an egg cup. Each item in the collection is hand-painted by incredibly talented artisans in Portugal using traditional techniques that have been around for ages. The pieces are designed to be mixed and matched, whether you’re having a luxurious breakfast in bed or pounding down some coffee and toast before work.

BEHIND THE SCENES:

When we were brainstorming concepts for this tabletop collaboration, Raquel and I got really excited about making something meant to be enjoyed in your favorite pajamas. I imagined what it would be like to make my morning coffee and sneak back into bed with my mug in hand, or to stack a pile of pancakes on a beautiful plate, or to surprise my friends with some cute little egg cups when they pop by for breakfast.

Sources listed below!

I dug through my own pajama drawer to get inspired by the embarrassing number of poplin sets I’ve collected over the years, playing with colors and patterns until we landed on the perfect combination of stripes. We nodded to the piping you’d find on a pajama shirt by painting the edges of each piece in a contrast color, and we even made a co-branded monogram inspired by an embroidered monogram to stamp on the bottom. (I love that little detail.)

Raquel and I spent months sending references and ideas back and forth. While she worked on the samples, I planned for a photo shoot, and we got more and more excited with each day.

HOW TO BUY IT:

The collection launches on Sunday, September 7th on valsahome.com. Sign up for Valsa’s newsletter to be the first to know when it goes live. The plates and egg cups will be sold in sets of four, and the mugs and bowls will be sold in pairs. Valsa ships from distribution centers in both the US and Portugal, so whether you’re ordering from the US, UK, or Europe, you won’t have to worry about sneaky customs fees.

If you’re in LA on Sunday, September 7th, we’ll be hosting a pop-up at Botanica in Silver Lake, where you’ll be able to shop the collection in person and celebrate the launch with us. Botanica is making special Portuguese pastries for the occasion (pastel de nata!), Western Buttercup Florals will be selling custom bouquets, and I’ll be wearing my fanciest silk pajamas in public. The first 25 people to make a Valsa Home purchase at the event will receive a gift bag filled with items from some of my favorite brands (like Atelier Saucier cocktail napkins, which I use as coasters for my iced coffee every morning.)

I am so, SO excited to see these pieces make their way to your breakfasts in bed. I’ll see you on valsahome.com (or at Botanica, I hope!) on the 7th.

x

Ali

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Mood board sources: Morning Glory, Danielle McKinney, 2023; il Caffè a Palermo, Leandro Colantoni, 2024; challah at Elbow Ludlow in NYC; French shirt from the department store La Samaritaine, 1920s; granita and brioche at Pasticceria Savia Catania, Charlotte Forsyth Wastell; Between the Lines, Frances Featherstone, 2024; monogrammed shirts by @monogrammedbymegan; detail of Buffet, Anna Weyant, 2020; headboard in Colours of Arley fabric by Charlotte Moore with upholstery by Truffle Headboards; coffee image by Annika Kafcaloudis, 2023; editorial image from Sporty & Rich’s Wall Street drop; Gaeta and Cy Twombly’s palazzo apartment in Rome; Garden Bed Sleep Set from Dairy Boy; Toast Rack, Hukin & Heath, 1927; bathroom at the Hotel Bella Grande, Copenhagen; Stéphane Audran in Les Biches, 1968

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