Tableware
2010s American Modern Tableware
Linen
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Glass
2010s German Tableware
Other
2010s American Modern Tableware
Linen
2010s German Tableware
Other
2010s American Modern Tableware
Linen
1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
1930s French Belle Époque Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Marble
2010s Tableware
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Tableware
Carrara Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Leather, Wood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Glass
2010s American Tableware
Textile
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Metal
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
2010s Spanish Brutalist Tableware
Aluminum, Brass
1930s Arts and Crafts Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver, Enamel
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Alpaca
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Art Glass
2010s Italian Tableware
Glass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Metal, Chrome
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Marble
2010s German Tableware
Other
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Italian Tableware
Marble
2010s Ukrainian Tableware
Stoneware
2010s American Modern Tableware
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Tableware
Leather
2010s Italian Tableware
Marble
2010s Italian Tableware
Quartz, Silver Plate
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Tableware
Limestone, Sandstone
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Italian Tableware
Gold Plate
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
2010s Italian Other Tableware
Porcelain
2010s Italian Other Tableware
Porcelain
2010s Singaporean Modern Tableware
Quartz
1930s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Porcelain
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.