Tableware
Mid-20th Century Italian Other Tableware
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
2010s Tableware
Blown Glass
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
1920s English Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Plastic, Bakelite
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Iron
2010s French Tableware
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Iron
19th Century American Adirondack Antique Tableware
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Iron
2010s Korean Organic Modern Tableware
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Tableware
Marble
1960s French Romantic Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Iron
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century French Other Tableware
Metal, Stainless Steel
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Mother-of-Pearl
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Teak
2010s English Modern Tableware
Other
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Iron
2010s Turkish Minimalist Tableware
Wood, Oak
2010s Turkish Modern Tableware
Wood, Oak
20th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Tableware
Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Grand Tour Tableware
Iron
2010s English Modern Tableware
Other
2010s English Modern Tableware
Wood, Plywood
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Teak
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Iron
2010s American Tableware
Brass
2010s American Modern Tableware
Brass
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Teak
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Tableware
Brass, Copper
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Tableware
Copper, Iron
2010s Argentine Modern Tableware
Steel
20th Century American American Classical Tableware
Metal
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Resin, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Tableware
Porcelain
2010s French Minimalist Tableware
Wood, Maple
2010s Italian Tableware
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Chrome
Early 1900s American Art Deco Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Wood
1890s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1950s French Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century German Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
1620s Indonesian Antique Tableware
Teak
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Wood
1890s Belgian High Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
2010s French Minimalist Tableware
Wood, Chestnut
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.