The Art Of Dining: Elevating Meals With Elegant Plate Sets

Elegant plate sets are a great way to elevate your dining experience. Whether you're hosting a dinner party or simply enjoying a casual meal at home, the right dinnerware can set the perfect mood and showcase your creative dishes. From stoneware and porcelain to fine china and bone china, there are a variety of options to choose from, each offering a unique blend of durability, aesthetics, and functionality. Elegant plate sets often feature intricate designs, ornate details, and eye-catching patterns that make them stand out. They can be a great way to make a statement and impress your guests, while also being practical for everyday use. With a range of colours, shapes, and styles available, you can create a tablescape that reflects your personal taste and enhances the overall dining experience.

Salad bowls and plates

When it comes to salad plates, a mix-and-match approach can add a personal touch to your dinnerware set. Opting for plates in vivid hues and fun patterns from brands like Bernardaud, Haviland, Monique Lhullier Waterford, and Vera Wang can turn a simple tossed salad into a work of art. For a more sophisticated look, choose plates with lace accents and gilded rims, or add a bit of shine with platinum and gold dinnerware from Caskata and Lenox.

Salad bowls are also available in a variety of materials, colours, and designs. Porcelain and ceramic bowls are popular options, with brands like KooK, Mora Ceramic, and DOWAN offering elegant and functional pieces. Stoneware is another durable option, perfect for everyday use, with brands like American Atelier providing microwave and dishwasher-safe bowls.

When creating your elegant plate set, consider the overall aesthetic you want to achieve. You can opt for a cohesive look by choosing a single brand for both your salad plates and bowls, or mix and match different brands and designs to create a unique, personalised set.

Additionally, don't forget to consider the size and depth of your salad bowls and plates. Shallow bowl plates, for example, can provide a casual elegance while still allowing for generous servings. On the other hand, deeper bowls might be more suitable for brothy dishes or meals with lots of sauce.

Cereal and soup bowls

When it comes to elegant plate sets, cereal and soup bowls are a must-have. Here are some tips and recommendations to help you choose the perfect ones:

Materials

Shape and Size

Cereal bowls come in various shapes, including round and square. A standard-sized bowl is typically around 8 ounces, but if you're looking for something deeper, go for bowls with a capacity of 20 ounces or more. A deeper bowl will help prevent spills and give you more room for your favourite cereal and toppings. It's also a good idea to choose bowls with a narrow design to minimize the risk of milk sloshing over the sides.

Design and Colour

Elegant cereal and soup bowls often feature sophisticated designs that complement your table setting. You can opt for a simple, elegant look with white bowls or add a pop of colour with options in blush, mint, iris blue, or colourful retro designs. Some bowls also come with handles, making it easier to enjoy your favourite soup or chilli.

Functionality

When choosing cereal and soup bowls, consider their functionality. Are they microwave and dishwasher safe? Can they be used in the oven or freezer? Are they easy to stack and store? These factors are essential to consider, especially if you plan to use them regularly.

Recommendations

• Williams Sonoma Pantry Cereal/Soup Bowls: These porcelain bowls are versatile, functional, and stylish. They are safe for the dishwasher, freezer, oven, and microwave, making them ideal for various dishes.
• Le Creuset Cereal Bowls: If durability is a priority, these stoneware bowls from Le Creuset are an excellent choice. They are crafted with high-fired stoneware and finished with a durable enamel glaze, making them resistant to chips, scratches, and stains.
• Corelle Classic Winter Frost White Bowls: This utilitarian yet stylish option is made of attractive coated glass. These bowls are chip-resistant and safe for the dishwasher, oven, and microwave.
• Certified International Reactive Glaze Soup Crocks: These stoneware crocks come in six assorted glaze colours, adding a unique touch to your table. They are microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe, making them both elegant and practical.
• DOWAN Deep Soup and Cereal Bowls: These porcelain bowls are deeper than most, perfect for enjoying your favourite soup or cereal without spills. They are safe for the microwave, oven, refrigerator, and dishwasher, and their elegant bow design makes them comfortable to hold.

Remember, when choosing cereal and soup bowls, consider the material, shape, size, design, and functionality to ensure they meet your needs and complement your elegant plate set.

Everyday dinnerware

Porcelain is a popular choice for its durability and ease of cleaning. It is also often dishwasher, microwave, and oven-safe. For a set that is both practical and ornate, the Gibson Home Oslo 16-piece dinnerware set is a good option. This set includes four dinner plates, salad plates, dinner bowls, and cereal bowls. The porcelain material makes this set durable, and the contemporary design adds an extra touch of elegance.

Stoneware is another family-friendly option, known for its durability and glazed finish. If you're looking for a set that includes stoneware mugs and bowls, the Elama Gia 24-piece stoneware dinnerware set is a great choice.

For outdoor dining, melamine dinnerware is a fantastic choice as it is virtually indestructible, shatterproof, and chip-resistant.

Bone china is a strong and durable option, often featuring floral prints and patterns for a romantic look. The Astoria Grand SantaFe Bone China Dinnerware Set is a vibrant and affordable option.

With a range of materials, designs, and sets to choose from, you can find the perfect everyday dinnerware to elevate your dining experience.

Fine china

If you're looking for a set that offers both functionality and style, bone china is an excellent option. Known for its strength and durability, bone china is often adorned with floral prints and patterns, giving it a romantic and elegant look. This type of fine china is ideal for those who want to add a touch of luxury to their dining experience.

For those who appreciate intricate details, consider the Victoria Godinger 12-piece dinnerware set. This set features elegant and eye-catching floral patterns in cool blues, making it perfect for creating a welcoming spring table setting. The set includes dinner plates, salad plates, and cereal bowls, providing you with a complete and cohesive look for your dining experience.

Another option is the House of Hampton Hava Porcelain China Dinnerware Set. Inspired by classic European porcelain patterns of the early 19th century, this set features a lavish floral design in oriental blue hues. The microwave and dishwasher-safe qualities of this set make it suitable for both special occasions and everyday use.

Flatware

When it comes to flatware, there are a variety of options to choose from, depending on your style and preferences. Flatware is more than just functional—it can be fashionable and make a statement at your next dinner party.

For a minimalist, modern, or industrial aesthetic, black flatware sets are a sleek choice. If you want to add a unique twist, consider incorporating copper or ombre pieces. Gold and silver flatware can add a glamorous touch to your table setting. For a rustic look, opt for wooden utensils with handles.

When choosing flatware, it's essential to consider the size of the set and the number of people it serves. Sets can range from as few as 6 pieces to as many as 64 pieces. Larger sets may include a variety of utensils such as knives, salad forks, dessert spoons, and even chopsticks.

Well-known brands such as Oneida, Pfaltzgraff, Cambridge Silversmiths, IKEA, and Villeroy & Boch offer an array of flatware options to suit different tastes and budgets. With flatware, you can elevate your dining experience and make your meals more enjoyable and stylish.

Frequently asked questions