Knives Set
Vintage 1940s American Dinnerware and Flatware Sets
Silver, Steel
Mid-20th Century English Tableware
Brass, Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Sheffield and Silverplate
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver Plate, Brass
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Sterling Silver
Silver
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver, Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century English Victorian Sheffield and Silverplate
Silver Plate
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Serving Pieces
Metal, Stainless Steel
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Tableware
Stainless Steel
Antique 19th Century Sterling Silver
Silver
Antique 19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Tableware
Silver Plate, Sterling Silver
Antique 19th Century Dinnerware and Flatware Sets
Sterling Silver
Antique Late 19th Century Aesthetic Movement Dinnerware and Flatware Sets
Silver
1990s British Modern Dinnerware and Flatware Sets
Sterling Silver
2010s British Contemporary Dinnerware and Flatware Sets
Bronze, Steel
2010s British Contemporary Dinnerware and Flatware Sets
Bronze, Steel
Antique 19th Century French Tableware
Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century Edwardian Knife Boxes
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Edwardian Sterling Silver
Silver
2010s English Tableware
Bronze, Stainless Steel
Vintage 1940s German Art Deco Desk Sets
Brass
Early 20th Century French Provincial Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century French Modern Serving Pieces
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Wood
Mid-20th Century European French Provincial Sheffield and Silverplate
Silver Plate
Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Japanese Barware
Stainless Steel
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Knife Boxes
Bakelite
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Antique 1890s French Belle Époque Tableware
Silver
20th Century Danish Art Deco Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver, Stainless Steel
Vintage 1930s Danish Art Deco Sterling Silver
Stainless Steel, Sterling Silver
Antique Late 19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Sheffield and Silve...
Silver Plate
Antique Mid-19th Century Arms, Armor and Weapons
Paper
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Antique Late 19th Century German Black Forest Serving Pieces
Metal
Antique 19th Century European Knife Boxes
Steel
Vintage 1930s French Serving Pieces
Metal
Antique Mid-19th Century British Dinnerware and Flatware Sets
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Knife Boxes
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s American Dinnerware and Flatware Sets
Sterling Silver
Antique Late 19th Century English International Style Tableware
Silver Plate, Stainless Steel
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Dinnerware and Flatware Sets
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Sheffield and Silverplate
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Sheffield and Silverplate
Metal, Silver Plate
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Knife Boxes
Steel
Vintage 1920s English Edwardian Tableware
Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century French Knife Boxes
Silver
Vintage 1930s Danish Tableware
Silver
Antique 1820s English George IV Sterling Silver
Silver
Antique Early 1900s English Edwardian Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Tea Sets
Metal
Vintage 1930s English Art Deco Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Sheffield and Silverplate
Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver
Antique Early 1900s American Aesthetic Movement Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
20th Century Indian Modern Serving Pieces
Agate
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Knives Set For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Knives Set?
Finding the Right tableware for You
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.
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