Briard Tray

Artist and designer Georges Briard (1917–2005) — a name that has for more than a century been a marker of spectacular and stylish vintage glassware, serveware and other household objects — was born Jascha Brojdo in Russian Ukraine.

Brojdo grew up in Poland and moved to the United States in the 1930s, studying art at the University of Chicago and the Art Institute of Chicago before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he began hand-painting metal serving trays while working for Max Wille of M. Wille Company, where Wille suggested changing his name to distinguish his commercial work from his fine art.

As Georges Briard, Brojdo created award-winning designs for items including glasses, trays, coffeepots and dishes in materials like glass, ceramics, metal and wood; he even created gold-plated serveware. His serveware was especially popular from the 1950s to ’70s. It was produced by companies including Culver, Pfaltzgraff and Mdina Glass and sold at high-end department stores like Neiman Marcus and Bonwit Teller. His designs have a signature opulence, evoking the mid-century modern aesthetic of his time as well as borrowing elements from Art Nouveau and Venetian styles, while the quirky, playful barware pieces he produced featured peacock feathers, skulls and tennis balls.

With colorful, intricate patterns and motifs such as butterflies, Christmas trees and Piet Mondrian-esque geometric abstractions, Georges Briard glasses and dishes were found in the homes of the most fashionable hosts of the mid-century. Today, they are highly prized by collectors.

Find a collection of Georges Briard vintage bar glasses, serving trays and other goods on 1stDibs.

Your dining room table is a place where stories are shared and personalities shine — why not treat yourself and your guests to the finest antique and vintage glass, silver, ceramics and serveware for your meals?

Just like the people who sit around your table, your serveware has its own stories and will help you create new memories with your friends and loved ones. From ceramic pottery to glass vases, set your table with serving pieces that add even more personality, color and texture to your dining experience.

Invite serveware from around the world to join your table settings. For special occasions, dress up your plates with a striking Imari charger from 19th-century Japan or incorporate Richard Ginori’s Italian porcelain plates into your dining experience. Celebrate the English ritual of afternoon tea with a Japanese tea set and an antique Victorian kettle. No matter how big or small your dining area is, there is room for the stories of many cultures and varied histories, and there are plenty of ways to add pizzazz to your meals.

Add different textures and colors to your table with dinner plates and pitchers of ceramic and silver or a porcelain lidded tureen, a serving dish with side handles that is often used for soups. Although porcelain and ceramic are both made in a kiln, porcelain is made with more refined clay and is more durable than ceramic because it is denser. The latter is ideal for statement pieces — your tall mid-century modern ceramic vase is a guaranteed conversation starter. And while your earthenware or stoneware is maybe better suited to everyday lunches as opposed to the fine bone china you’ve reserved for a holiday meal, handcrafted studio pottery coffee mugs can still be a rich expression of your personal style.

“My motto is ‘Have fun with it,’” says author and celebrated hostess Stephanie Booth Shafran. “It’s yin and yang, high and low, Crate & Barrel with Christofle silver. I like to mix it up — sometimes in the dining room, sometimes on the kitchen banquette, sometimes in the loggia. It transports your guests and makes them feel more comfortable and relaxed.”

Introduce elegance at supper with silver, such as a platter from celebrated Massachusetts silversmith manufacturer Reed and Barton or a regal copper-finish flatware set designed by International Silver Company, another New England company that was incorporated in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1898. By then, Meriden had already earned the nickname “Silver City” for its position as a major hub of silver manufacturing.

At the bar, try a vintage wine cooler to keep bottles cool before serving or an Art Deco decanter and whiskey set for after-dinner drinks — there are many possibilities and no wrong answers for tableware, barware and serveware. Explore an expansive collection of antique and vintage glass, ceramics, silver and serveware today on 1stDibs.