Lauffer Flatware
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s German Modern Platters and Serveware
Stainless Steel
20th Century Tableware
Stainless Steel
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Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Credenzas
Hardwood
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Nickel, Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Tables
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Post-Modern Side Chairs
Leather, Walnut
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Chairs
Plastic
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Barware
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s Japanese Serving Pieces
Gold
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Shelves
Mahogany
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel, Other
Vintage 1950s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Glass
Art Glass, Blown Glass
Vintage 1940s American Rococo Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century German Tableware
Silver Plate
Antique 1890s Japanese Japonisme Metalwork
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1970s German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century Japanese Art Deco Serving Pieces
Porcelain
Recent Sales
Vintage 1960s Japanese Scandinavian Modern Platters and Serveware
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1970s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1970s Japanese Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s German Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
20th Century Norwegian Serving Pieces
Dutch Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1960s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
20th Century Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1950s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1970s Italian Space Age Tableware
Stainless Steel
20th Century More Dining and Entertaining
Stainless Steel
20th Century Serving Bowls
Enamel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1970s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Tableware
Stainless Steel
Lauffer Flatware For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Lauffer Flatware?
Finding the Right tableware for You
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.