The Ultimate Guide To Complete Designer Dinnerware Sets: Elevating Your Dining Experience

A complete designer dinnerware set is a great way to elevate your dining experience and express your personal style. Whether you're looking for something timeless or trendy, classic or quirky, there's a set to match your taste and budget. From stoneware to porcelain, bone china to melamine, each material offers unique benefits, such as durability, elegance, or shatter resistance.

Dinnerware sets typically include essential items like dinner plates, salad/dessert plates, and cereal bowls, with some also featuring mugs, teacups, and saucers. You can choose from a variety of colours, ranging from crisp whites to vibrant hues, and patterns to create a tablescape that's perfect for everyday meals or special occasions.

When shopping for designer dinnerware sets, consider factors like size, weight, shape, and maintenance. Look for dishwasher-safe, microwave-safe, and chip-resistant options for added convenience and durability.

You can find designer dinnerware sets at various retailers, including Amazon, Bloomingdales, Crate & Barrel, Macy's, Target, and more. With a wide range of styles and price points available, you're sure to find a set that suits your needs and elevates your dining experience.

Stoneware

West Elm Kanto Stoneware Dinnerware

This set is our top pick for its simple, rustic design. Designed in Portugal, the dinnerware has a handmade feel with uneven edges, a textured exterior, and subtle speckling. Each set includes four small bowls, four pasta bowls, four dinner plates, and four salad plates. The pieces are generously sized, with a nice weight and depth, giving them a durable and sturdy feel. The reactive glazes used on this design will speckle and crack differently every time, ensuring that your dinnerware is truly one of a kind. You can choose from a selection of better-than-neutral reactive glazes, including classic white, moody blue, dusty black, and rich cardamom. The pieces are both dishwasher- and microwave-safe.

Gibson Round Stoneware 16-piece Dinnerware Set

This is a massive seller from Gibson, a family-owned company that has been open for over 40 years. The stoneware dinnerware has a smooth flat finish with a matte glaze and comes in various colourways, but we love the white with faux metallic trim along the rim. This dinnerware set looks fancy enough for a dinner party but is actually quite durable and sufficient for raucous family dinners. You can also put them in the microwave and dishwasher, and you can't beat the price for what you get. The 16-piece Dinnerware Set serves four people, including four dinner plates, four dessert plates, four bowls, and four mugs.

Stone Lain Lauren Stoneware 16-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 4

Sometimes a simple whisper of colour can make all the difference on your dinner table. This nearly-sage green set and its ribbed texture will accommodate all of your last-minute dinner guests with full dinnerware setups for four people (16 pieces total). Plus, they’re dishwasher-safe and attractive enough to work as serving pieces.

East Fork 7-Piece You're-All-Set Set

We love everything East Fork Pottery makes, and this set is no exception. The dishwasher- and microwave-safe pottery is handmade in Asheville, North Carolina, using 100% regional lead-free materials. One setting is everything one person could ever need, featuring many of East Fork's bestsellers, including the "Bitty bowl" and the wildly popular East Fork mug. Sure, you won't be using every single item during one meal, but it would be interesting to try. Offered in seven core colours like Morel, Blue Ridge, and Panna Cotta, each piece has a speckled finish emphasising how artisan this pottery is.

Leeway Home The Full Way

Leeway Home offers several packages that will set you up for any mealtime situation. The 44-piece Full Way includes four settings with the full stackable monty: flatware, mugs, dinner and salad plates, bowls, and—perhaps most importantly—elegant stemmed wine glasses. The stoneware dishes are available in solid earth tones or, for a fun twist, with colourful striped rims.

Porcelain

Design and Aesthetics:

Dining and Entertaining with Porcelain:

Whether you're hosting an intimate dinner party or a large gathering, porcelain dinnerware sets the stage for a memorable meal. Its durability ensures that it can withstand the demands of daily use and special occasions. Porcelain dinnerware is typically sold in sets or individual pieces, allowing you to customise your collection. You can mix and match different designs or colours to create a unique tablescape. Porcelain is also versatile in terms of food presentation, accommodating various cuisines and dishes.

Popular Porcelain Dinnerware Options:

When it comes to porcelain dinnerware, there are numerous options available in the market. Some popular choices include the Lenox Butterfly Meadow collection, which offers a classic white porcelain set with a delicate butterfly design. Another well-known brand is Dansk, with its Cafe Blanc Dinnerware set featuring a simple yet elegant porcelain design with thin blue lines. For a more rustic look, you can consider the Jars Cantine Collection, which has a stoneware aesthetic with soft, muted colours and a glossy glaze.

Caring for Your Porcelain Dinnerware:

To maintain the beauty and longevity of your porcelain dinnerware, proper care is essential. Most porcelain is dishwasher-safe, but gentle detergents and avoiding harsh scrubbing are recommended. For more intricate or decorative pieces, hand washing may be preferable. It's also important to avoid stacking porcelain dishes with heavy items to prevent chipping or scratching. Storing them in a safe place, such as a china cabinet, can help protect them from accidental breakage.

Melamine

There is a wide range of melamine dinnerware sets available, with options to suit various design aesthetics and functional needs. For example, Walmart offers a variety of melamine dinnerware sets, including the Sofia Home 12-Piece Melamine Dinnerware Set in Isla De Baru by Sofia Vergara, which features a colourful floral design. For a more elegant option, VIETRI offers Italian melamine dinnerware in a sleek white colour with a 12-piece place setting.

If you're looking for a more comprehensive set, Amazon has a variety of options, such as the Gibson Home Almira Melamine Dinnerware Set, which includes 12 pieces and serves four people. This set is also available in a variety of colours and patterns, including a multicoloured option and a white option with a conventional design. For those who frequently entertain, Amazon also offers larger sets, such as the TP 18-Piece Dinnerware Set, which includes dinner plates, bowls, and salad plates, serving six people.

Additionally, for those who want to add a pop of colour to their table setting, Bed Bath & Beyond offers the Gibson Home Indigo Frost 12-Piece Melamine Dinnerware Set in blue, while Pfaltzgraff provides the Lemons Outdoor 12-Piece Melamine Dinnerware Set, which features a cheerful lemon design.

Fine China

• Wedgwood Renaissance Gold 5-Piece Place Setting
• Royal Albert Old Country Roses 12-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 4
• Noritake Charlotta Gold 60-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 12
• Vera Wang Wedgwood Dinnerware, Lace Gold 12-Piece Set
• Villeroy & Boch Manufacture Rock 12-Piece Dinnerware Set
• Bernardaud Constance Dinner Collection
• Royal Copenhagen Blue Fluted Plain

Bone China

The first development of bone china was made by Thomas Frye at his Bow Porcelain Factory in East London in 1748. However, it was further developed by Josiah Spode of Stoke-on-Trent between 1789 and 1793, introducing his 'Stoke China' in 1796. Spode's formulation remains the basis for all bone china, and his company was producing bone china until 2009 when it went into receivership.

• Wash dishes straight away to remove any acidic or sticky food residue.
• When handwashing, wash each dish individually using a mild liquid detergent and a non-abrasive cloth.
• If using a dishwasher, take care not to overload the rack and keep metal items away from the bone china.
• Soak pieces in white vinegar for three minutes before rinsing and towel drying to remove hard water spots.
• Remove coffee stains from mugs by rubbing a paste of baking soda and water over the tableware before rinsing and drying.
• To prevent scratching and chipping, put bone china in a fabric storage case or place segments of fabric, tissue paper, or napkins between each piece when stacking.

Some popular brands that sell bone china include Wedgwood, Lenox, Mikasa, and Spode.

Frequently asked questions