Tableware
1970s Italian Space Age Vintage Tableware
Steel
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stoneware
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal, Brass, Enamel, Chrome
19th Century English Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Enamel
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Dutch Tableware
Silver
1880s Belle Époque Antique Tableware
Silver
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1960s Finnish Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Alpaca
1950s German Black Forest Vintage Tableware
Metal
1950s Industrial Vintage Tableware
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century German Art Deco Tableware
Cut Glass
Early 20th Century Asian Tableware
Wood
Late 19th Century British Late Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Metal, Chrome
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Tableware
Steel
Early 1900s Austrian Jugendstil Antique Tableware
Brass
1890s Russian Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Silver
1870s British Regency Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Tableware
Copper, Enamel
1910s Danish Art Nouveau Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Tableware
Ceramic, Majolica
Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Crystal, Silver Plate, Brass
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1920s Louis XIV Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Tableware
Silver Plate
1930s Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Glass
1990s Japanese Modern Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century German Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Tableware
Metal, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century Seychellois Antique Tableware
Coconut
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century Japanese Showa Tableware
Wood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Crystal, Silver Plate, Pewter
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century German Tableware
Gold, Gold Plate
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Tableware
Metal, Aluminum
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal, Brass
1940s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French Hollywood Regency Tableware
Porcelain
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Modern Tableware
Crystal
Early 20th Century British Tableware
Silver Plate
Antique and Vintage Tableware
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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