Describing his charmingly retro, black and white porcelain Face Plates, the dinnerware designer Christopher Jagmin says, “The characters on these plates are simply made to make you smile.” And it’s true—we defy you to look down at your plate and not grin when one of these characters is gazing back at you. You could be served liver surprise and still feel pretty chuffed.

Developed from the characters he’s been doodling for years and named for four of his siblings—“I’m from a large Polish Catholic family”—the plates reflect Jagmin’s conviction that “a dinner table should be fun, interesting and never boring.” Nor should it be too common, which is why only 500 of each style are available.

Each plate has its own personality: Janine, the flirty girl with the Cupid’s bow mouth, is the sweet and sexy one; goateed, single earring wearing Gregory is the intellectual of the group; Jeffrey, the moustachio-ed, sideburned 70s-looking dude, has a bit of an attitude; and Kelly Ann, who wears a barrette in her hair, is the carefree, spontaneous one who likes to have dessert before dinner.

Though these are fun on their own—and they make fabulous wall hangings—we love how Jagmin suggests using them: mixed in with family heirlooms or flea market finds. “It’s much more interesting to be at a table where each setting is special and unique,” he says.