Tableware
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Organic Modern Tableware
Jute, Cotton
2010s Modern Tableware
Crystal
1890s French Belle Époque Antique Tableware
Silver
Early 20th Century Japanese Tableware
Copper, Enamel
1970s French Space Age Vintage Tableware
Plastic
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
1920s British Vintage Tableware
Gold, Enamel
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century French Antique Tableware
Silver
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
1920s English Arts and Crafts Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Glass, Art Glass
Early 20th Century German Arts and Crafts Tableware
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tableware
Resin
1950s German Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Metal, Silver Plate
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century French Other Tableware
Stainless Steel, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Slovenian Hollywood Regency Tableware
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Tableware
Iron
1970s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
1960s Italian Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Majolica, Pottery, Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Danish Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver, Stainless Steel
Early 1900s French Belle Époque Antique Tableware
Gold
Early 19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Antique Tableware
Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Ceramic
1920s Vintage Tableware
Silver
1930s American Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century American American Classical Tableware
Damask
Early 20th Century German Tableware
Silver
20th Century American Post-Modern Tableware
Aluminum
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century American Tableware
Pewter
2010s Colombian Tableware
Rattan
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Tableware
Metal
1910s Polish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Glass
1960s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Tableware
Ceramic
Early 20th Century French American Classical Tableware
Ceramic, Porcelain, Paint
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
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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