Tableware
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s American Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
2010s Italian Tableware
Porcelain
1960s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Vintage Tableware
Teak
1970s Italian Space Age Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
1980s Japanese Post-Modern Vintage Tableware
Aluminum
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Hardwood
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Danish Tableware
Metal
2010s American Tableware
Linen
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tableware
Silver
1940s Japanese Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Unknown Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Chinoiserie Tableware
Brass
Late 19th Century Swedish Rococo Antique Tableware
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Italian Tableware
Silver
20th Century Unknown Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Vintage Tableware
Teak
1950s French Vintage Tableware
Metal
19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American American Colonial Tableware
Brass
1970s English Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1980s Italian Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
2010s Italian Tableware
Silver
1890s Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Silver
Early 1900s American Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Tableware
Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
20th Century French Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century Tableware
Silver
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Tableware
Faience
Mid-20th Century American Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century French Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Italian Tableware
Silver
20th Century Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Tableware
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Tableware
Metal
2010s American Tableware
Linen
Early 1900s Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Lucite
20th Century Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Danish Tableware
Metal
1780s British George III Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1880s Russian Antique Tableware
Silver, Enamel
20th Century Danish Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
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.