$250 / set
H 0.01 in W 12 in D 11 in
Vintage English Battenberg Lace Dinner Napkins in Blue and White, Set 4
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A set of four cloth and battenberg lace table napkins in blue and white. This set is in fabulous
Fabric
Belgian Battenberg Lace Tablecloth
Located in Sharon, CT
A beautiful large 116x58" Cotton Lace 'Battenberg' Tablecloth.
Cotton
Antique Hand Made Cream Battenberg Tape Lace Table Runner Tablecloth
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A beautiful handmade lace cream table runner. Created from linen, the piece is framed by hand-made
Fabric, Thread
Oversize Antique Hand Made Crisp White Battenberg Lace Tablecloth
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A beautiful handmade battenberg lace tablecloth in crisp white. Created from linen, and cotton
Fabric
Large Lace Tablecloth, Exquisite European Battenberg
Located in Houston, TX
Exquisite large and beautiful with no stains or tears.
Cotton
$75
H 0.01 in W 39.25 in D 14.5 in
Long Vintage Chintz Embroidered Blue Floral Appliqué Tablecloth Runner
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A stunning long appliqué tablecloth with a floral motif. This vintage tablecloth gives us a grand millennial feel. (And reminds us of Schumacher's Pyne Hollyhock pattern.) The rectan...
Fabric
Natural Lavender/ Purple Coral
Located in Houston, TX
Natural Lavender/Purple Coral. Offered is a naturally colored lavender/purple coral. This lovely piece of coral is great as a stand alone piece or could be grouped with other coral o...
Coral
$1,850
H 12.25 in W 8.75 in D 1.63 in
Salvador Dali Art Recipe Book, Les Diners de Gala, 1971 France, First Edition
Located in New York, NY
A rare, collectable, first edition, Salvador Dali art and recipe cookbook, 'Les Diners de Gala', 1971, Paris, France. (Copy/text is in English language.) A great piece to add to a co...
Paper
Antique Jerusalem Rosary Cross – 19th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Exquisite 19th-century rosary cross from Jerusalem, crafted from olive wood and adorned with engraved mother-of-pearl plaques. The cross and beads are made of authentic olive wood, a...
Fruitwood
French Louis XV Style Carved-Wood & Upholstered Settee
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Louis XV style sofa from the mid-19th century. This antique settee from France upholstered features a gently arched top rail at back, carved acanthus leaves decorated the sk...
Upholstery, Wood
$1,509
H 14.5 in W 17.5 in D 6 in
Early 1900 Large Black Forest Fine Carved Burling Stag / Deer Sculpture Statue
Located in Lisse, NL
Good size and beautifully carved, wooden Black Forest stag sculpture. From the posture it is obvious that this impressive stag, with his head turned up, is attempting to attract and...
Wood
Framed 15th Century Illuminated Book of Hours Manuscript
Located in Houston, TX
Framed 15th century illuminated Book of Hours manuscript circa 1450, France. Gouache, ink gold wash and gold burnishing on vellum. Framed within large decorative matt. In very good a...
Glass, Wood, Parchment Paper
Great Architecture of the World Hardcover Book
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Great Architecture of the World. This book is an illustrated history from Stonehenge to the Twentieth Century. The book is edited by John Julius Norwich. It was first published in 19...
Paper
$5,500
H 31.89 in W 25.01 in D 27.56 in
Rope Armchair by Adrien Audoux and Frida Minet for Vibo Vesoul, France ca 1950s
By Vibo, Adrien Audoux and Frida Minnet
Located in Utrecht, NL
This armchair is a compelling embodiment of the French design duo Adrien Audoux and Frida Minet. Their design philosophy was centered around a commitment to accessible furnishing mad...
Rope, Wood
French Louis XVI Period Walnut Lit en Bibliotheque, ca. 1780
Located in Atlanta, GA
constructed of light walnut in the late 18th century this remarkable "murphy bed" disguised as a bookcase cabinet complete with antique book spines and wire mesh, the top two of thre...
Leather, Walnut
18th Century Italian Gilded Boiserie Fragment
Located in Round Top, TX
A stunning 18th century boiseries fragment from the Veneto region of Italy. Beautifully crafted from carved wood, polychromed and gilded. the motif is of a delightful Putto or Angel ...
Wood
Correct Woodwork for the Colonial Home (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
A very useful and interesting pamphlet dating from 1930 which was produced by the Morgan Woodwork Organization to show the designs for Colonial style of Woodwork and how it should be...
Paper
$520Sale Price|20% Off
H 4 in W 6 in D 0.75 in
BrittleStar Fossil Specimen, 443 to 485 Million Years Old, Ordovician Period
Located in Warrenton, OR
BrittleStar Fossil Specimen, 443 to 485 Million Years Old, Ordovician Period This is a stunning starfish fossil specimen that will make a very nice display. The brittlestar is clearl...
Shell, Organic Material
$150 / set
H 0.01 in W 15 in D 15 in
Mid Century Hand Embroidered Linen Table Napkins with Pink Flowers, Set of 7
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A set of crisp white dinner or cocktail napkins with hand-embroidered pink flowers. A wonderful set of seven napkins. Each is square and features an applique ombre pink, peach, and y...
Fabric
Art and the Machine Book by Sheldon and Martha Cheney
By (after) Raymond Loewy
Located in New York, NY
Seminal early consideration of Machine Age design and architecture in America, tracking the rise of the industrial design profession, written by Sheldon and Martha Cheney and publish...
Paper
Robert Kime by Alistair Langlands (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
A stunning collection of twelve definitive Robert Kime projects, ranging from Bloomsbury to the Bahamas, from the Irish countryside to la France profonde. Magnificent, specially-comm...
Paper
While it isn’t always top of mind for some, antique and vintage tableware can enhance even the most informal meal. It has been an intimate part of how we’ve interacted with our food for millennia.
Tableware has played a basic but important role in everyday life. Ancient Egyptians used spoons (which are classified as flatware) made of ivory and wood, while Greeks and Romans, who gathered for banquets involving big meals and entertainment, ate with forks and knives. At the beginning of the 17th century, however, forks were still uncommon in American homes. Over time, tableware has thankfully evolved and today includes increasingly valuable implements.
Tableware refers to the tools people use to set the table, including serving pieces, dinner plates and more. It encompasses everything from the intricate and elaborate to the austere and functional, yet are all what industrial product designer Jasper Morrison might call “Super Normal” — anonymous objects that are too useful to be considered banal.
There are four general categories of tableware — serveware, dinnerware, drinkware and, lastly, flatware, which is commonly referred to as silverware or cutlery. Serveware includes serving bowls, platters, gravy boats, casserole pans and ladles. Most tableware is practical, but it can also be decorative. And decorative objects count as tableware too. Even though they don’t fit squarely into one of the four categories, vases, statues and floral arrangements are traditional centerpieces.
Drinkware appropriately refers to the vessels we use for our beverages — mugs, cups and glasses. There is a good deal of variety that falls under this broad term. For example, your cheerful home bar or mid-century modern bar cart might be outfitted with a full range of vintage barware, which might include pilsner glasses and tumblers. Specialty cocktails are often served in these custom glasses, but they’re still a type of drinkware.
Every meal should be special — even if you’re using earthenware or stoneware for a casual lunch — but perhaps you’re hosting a dinner party to mark a specific event. The right high-quality tableware can bring a touch of luxury to your cuisine. Young couples, for example, traditionally add “fine china,” or porcelain, to their wedding registry as a commemoration of their union and likely wouldn’t turn down exquisite silver made by Tiffany & Co. or Georg Jensen.
It’s important to remember, however, that when you’re setting the dining room table to have fun with it. Just as you might mix and match your dining chairs, don’t be afraid to mix new and old or high and low with your tableware. On 1stDibs, find an extraordinary range of vintage and antique tableware to help elevate your meal as well as the mood and atmosphere of your entire dining room.