Tableware
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Platinum
Late 19th Century German Baroque Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s American Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Leather, Wood
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Tableware
Wood
19th Century Indian Other Antique Tableware
Silver
1870s British Victorian Antique Tableware
Copper
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Mexican Modern Tableware
Resin
19th Century English Neoclassical Antique Tableware
Silver Plate, Copper
1890s Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century British Antique Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Ceramic
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal, Brass
Early 1900s English Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Tableware
Metal, Aluminum
1940s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French Adirondack Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Austrian Tableware
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Tableware
Pewter
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s American Tableware
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Rosewood
2010s American Modern Tableware
Linen
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Tableware
Ceramic, Paint
1880s British Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century British Tableware
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary North American Tableware
Paper
20th Century American American Classical Tableware
Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
Early 1900s Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
2010s Tableware
Copper, Enamel
1930s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century American Rococo Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Baroque Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
1860s British Antique Tableware
Metal
20th Century Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
1940s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
1970s Philippine Bohemian Vintage Tableware
Shell, Coconut
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
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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