Tableware
1960s Italian Space Age Vintage Tableware
Plastic
20th Century Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Tableware
Copper
2010s Italian Tableware
Gold
1950s French Vintage Tableware
Crystal
20th Century Czech Renaissance Tableware
Cut Glass
20th Century Danish Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Tableware
Blown Glass
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century German Tableware
Wood, Oak
1890s French French Provincial Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Portuguese Tableware
Earthenware
20th Century Danish Art Deco Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Blown Glass
2010s Tableware
Blown Glass
20th Century Japanese Minimalist Tableware
Wood
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1870s British Victorian Antique Tableware
Copper
1940s German Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century American Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic, Clay
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1940s Danish Art Nouveau Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Tableware
Beads
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century French Tableware
Crystal, Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Tableware
Resin
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Wood
Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Antique Tableware
Silver Plate, Pewter
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Tableware
Resin
1980s French Louis XVI Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century French Hollywood Regency Tableware
Porcelain
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Teak
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Tableware
Iron
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass, Wire
2010s Tunisian Art Deco Tableware
Linen
2010s Tunisian Art Deco Tableware
Linen
1960s English Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
1970s German Hollywood Regency Vintage Tableware
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
1990s French Renaissance Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Tableware
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Palestinian Modern Tableware
Blown Glass
1970s Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Korean Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Tableware
Cotton
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Colombian Tableware
Rattan
19th Century Antique Tableware
Silver
1940s Danish Art Nouveau Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Other Tableware
Silver
1960s German Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
1960s Italian Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Tableware
Stainless Steel
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Baroque 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.
Read More
Paul Revere Crafted This Silver Coffee Pot 250 Years Ago
Perhaps best known as a Revolutionary War hero, Revere was also an accomplished silversmith, and this pot is now available on 1stDibs.
From Arne Jacobsen to Zaha Hadid, Top Designers Tackle Tableware
Clever objects like these make feasting even more festive.