Tableware
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century French Tableware
Bamboo, Wood
20th Century French French Provincial Tableware
Porcelain
Late 20th Century French Tableware
Faience, Majolica
1930s Unknown Art Nouveau Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Quartz
Mid-20th Century Victorian Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century German Tableware
Metal, Silver Plate
19th Century American Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 1900s Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
1920s Japanese Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate, Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Marble, Brass
2010s Tableware
Ceramic
1980s German Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Organic Modern Tableware
Stoneware
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Organic Modern Tableware
Stoneware
1930s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Tableware
Wood
1930s Scandinavian Vintage Tableware
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Hollywood Regency Tableware
Porcelain
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
1970s North American Brutalist Vintage Tableware
Pewter
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
Mid-20th Century French Tableware
Pottery
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
1930s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
Mid-20th Century European Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Teak
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
1930s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver, Stainless Steel
1970s Indian Hollywood Regency Vintage Tableware
Brass
19th Century Dutch Antique Tableware
Crystal, Silver
1930s French Belle Époque Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1980s Polish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Glass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Tableware
Brass
Early 20th Century American Victorian Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Tableware
Silver Plate
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
1860s European Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver
2010s Tableware
Stainless Steel
1860s American Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Tableware
Brass
Late 20th Century Spanish Tableware
Silver
19th Century French Antique Tableware
Vermeil, Silver
1970s Danish Vintage Tableware
Iron
1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Pine
Late 20th Century Victorian Tableware
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Rustic Tableware
Brass, Iron
Mid-20th Century Modern 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.