Founder: Kathryn Duryea Wyndowe
Kathryn came up with the idea for Year & Day after moving back to her home town of San Francisco from New York City. When hosting a small dinner party, she discovered that some of her plates had broken during the move. Kathryn decided to shop for a new dinner set and in doing so became extremely frustrated with the experience. While there was an overwhelming number of choices, she felt disappointed by the available options. Kathryn was hard pressed to find stylish affordable products, so she did some more research on the industry and realized that her problem was, in fact, pervasive.
Year & Day sells high quality dishes, glasses, and flatware that are both aesthetically-pleasing and affordably priced. The products are designed for consumers' modern lifestyle, in which they are often simplifying and streamlining whenever possible. Kathryn noticed that while people once had multiple sets of tableware for different occasions, "today's home life is more casual and most people have neither the time nor the space for several sets". Kathryn makes her products for both everyday and more special occasions - simple yet stylish, and durable yet high quality. The pieces are designed in California and forged, fired, and hand-finished in Europe to achieve these attributes. Customers can buy Year & Day products directly online, but they can also be found in Soho House and The Wing.
"I believe that in our world today, it's easier than ever to get distracted and out of balance, and that building even small rituals at home helps us achieve a more balanced life. By surrounding ourselves with objects that bring intentionality and joy to those moments, we can better remind ourselves to get into that routine." - Kathryn
Sources: The Newsette, Forbes, Emma Hazlett, Year & Day website