Tableware
2010s Palestinian Modern Tableware
Blown Glass
20th Century German Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Guatemalan Tableware
Cotton
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Teak
Late 20th Century French Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
20th Century Spanish Victorian Tableware
Metal
Late 18th Century Antique Tableware
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
1870s Unknown Antique Tableware
Faience
1860s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century English Other Tableware
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
1870s English Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1970s Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
1870s Unknown Antique Tableware
Faience
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
1870s Unknown Antique Tableware
Faience
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Arts and Crafts Tableware
Murano Glass
1960s English Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Tableware
Porcelain
Late 20th Century British Georgian Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
1970s German Rococo Vintage Tableware
Gold Plate
1870s Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
1970s Italian Folk Art Vintage Tableware
Brass
Late 19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1990s French Napoleon III Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Dutch Modern Tableware
Travertine
1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Tableware
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Cotton
20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
20th Century German Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Dutch Modern Tableware
Travertine
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French Tableware
Crystal
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
1980s English Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
1910s English Edwardian Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Space Age Tableware
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Tableware
Wood
20th Century Tableware
Brass, Nickel
2010s Dutch Modern Tableware
Travertine
19th Century French Other Antique Tableware
Stone
1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Tableware
Brass, Steel
20th Century 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.