Tableware
2010s Italian Modern Tableware
Blown Glass
1910s British Vintage Tableware
Gold, Enamel
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Tableware
Iron
Early 20th Century Italian Baroque Tableware
Silver
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Tableware
Brass
Early 2000s German Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Japanese Chinoiserie Tableware
Gold
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Tableware
Elm, Walnut, Cut Glass
Mid-20th Century German Rustic Tableware
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Tableware
Porcelain
1990s Japanese Tableware
Stainless Steel
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Tableware
Porcelain
2010s Palestinian Modern Tableware
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Tableware
Porcelain
1970s German Space Age Vintage Tableware
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Teak
1980s French French Provincial Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century Thai Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Bronze, Nickel
Late 20th Century German Tableware
Porcelain
Early 20th Century French Tableware
Copper
20th Century Spanish Victorian Tableware
Metal
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Tableware
Murano Glass
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
Early 20th Century British Victorian Tableware
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Tableware
Porcelain
Early 1900s Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Italian Post-Modern Tableware
Plastic
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Plastic
2010s American Modern Tableware
Blown Glass
2010s Tableware
Blown Glass
1990s Japanese Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century French Folk Art Tableware
Wood, Hardwood, Boxwood, Fruitwood
20th Century Luxembourgish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Tableware
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s British Antique Tableware
Gold, Enamel
20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century French Hollywood Regency Tableware
Porcelain
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
1870s Scottish Regency Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century English Victorian Tableware
Ceramic
Early 2000s French Tableware
Porcelain
2010s Italian Other Tableware
Silver
Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Crystal, Silver Plate, Brass
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Indian Tableware
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Tableware
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century English Georgian Tableware
Silver, 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.
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