apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My every day dishes are Homer Laughlin green stripe restaurantware. Sturdy, steady, dependable and an appropriate palate for serving my main fare: blue collar comfort food.

For non-everyday, I choose white pottery for entertaining as a base. Table linens, flatware, glasses. salad plates, dessert plates and other accoutrement work to change up the basic mood or seasonal vibe. In that respect, the white pottery is an ideal foundation for any table. It certainly doesn't compete with the food. Ultimately, I want my food to dominate the tablescape and the whiteware is the ideal frame.

Even though I love color and texture on a table, from a practical perspective, I think that white should be the basis of a dishware collection with special colored pieces mixed in. My go to set is Elements at Crate and Barrel (though I'm not crazy about the mugs.) It begins at $1.95 http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=4310&f=1666&q=elements&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1

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Personal reflections on sophisticated design for $1K or less: www.onegrandhome.com

C'mon, I collect vintage Fiesta, Riviera, and Harlequin. All white? Boring!

p.s. Love the Russell Wright picture. Is that American Modern?

Our everyday dishes are Fiesta--colbalt and white. I have obsessed over the cobalt since I was ten, but I added the white as my husband wanted white plates.

For our "fancy" china, they are all white (Madison from Crate & Barrel), but we included gorgeous pieces from other lines that we loved but didn't like the full pattern. To be honest, I think that the matchy-matchy china thing is so dated--to me, it's a little futzy. I'd rather have simple dishes that don't overwhelm the food that is resting on them.

I have a set of 8 of Wedgwood Queen's Ware, the plain, cream-colored style. I'd like to get some other plates and colored glassware to add accents. Goes with everything, though, and can be dressed up and dressed down.

Although I only own a couple of bowls (which I use for my dogs food and water), I think Fiestaware is fantastic.

Plain white, because I love how most of the foods I make look great on white, then I add color with salad or dessert plates - charger plates - linens - flowers. I have so many different salad/dessert plates that I'm afraid to count them all...

Most of my dishes are Wachtersbach red. I have a bright and lively base, and the style is basic enough, I can mix in accents of white or bright as the crush strikes me.

We kept everything white and decorate with placemats, centerpieces, napkins etc. I just think white is more versatile and allow me infinite creativity without buying a ton of different dishes. I do like the idea of mixing patterns or brightly colored solids with white dishes though.

I have a mini set of Russel Wright's white dishes that I use for holiday meals since the plates are the biggest I have. But for everyday use, I have Fiestaware in many colors.

Multi-colored Fiestaware...though the brightest (red, chartreuse) are hidden away because I have a housemate who's allergic to bright colors (also because we have too many dishes between the four of us).

My plates are cobalt blue, which actually looks great with all types of food.

White.....but I let myself collect salad/dessert plates in whatever color or pattern I want.

They're great for a cheerful small breakfast or dessert.

Chocolate cake is fun on a pink polka-dotted plate.

Pfaltzgraff Seychelles "Blue Lagoon". I think there was a post on kitchn that discussed food photography on blue plates and whether or not it was appetizing. I think it's lovely and makes me want to eat my food slowly, which is healthier!

i don't remember the brand but ours are from Macys. A combination of light green and white.

The plates are square with a rounded corner. White salad plates, green dinner plates, green bowls, and green mugs. Then white dipping bowls and some larger serving bowls. I had it all laid out in the store as if it was a table to find the most appealing combo.

Then after all that it went on sale for more off, and i brought the receipt in and adjusted it all. The woman helping me was really nice, since I ddi buy a ton of stuff. However, very worth it, i ended up buying some spares of certain things (helpful since my wife has broken a few plates and bowls now) and ended up saving around $150 on all of it. Worth 20 minutes to me...

I used to have all black stoneware- functional and chip-proof, but so boring. I've started collecting each type of dish from a different set. Now I've got blue, grey, and white and it works perfectly.

I can't decide!

I have a lot of white pieces- dinner plates, small bowls, appetizer plates, ramekins, and two smaller serving bowls and then I have muted teal coffee mugs, dessert plates, large serving bowls, and a platter.

Unless plain white is really high-quality, it has a first-year-out-of-school look. It's the futon of dinnerware.

Once upon a time, I had only mismatched everything, dishes, glasses, utensils, sheets, towels. I found the first time I bought a set of matching sheets that it was somehow calming, no having to make choices or judge if the patterns were working together every time I looked at them.

Nowadays, I've got some sets of things that match and some that are disparate...its good to have options, good to have a balance.

i like a mixture of similar/complementary colors and patterns. i don't mind mismatched stuff if there's a common design thread -- in fact, i prefer that to all matchy matchy.

For all you people who like Fiestaware, you should check out Bauer ware, the original. It's more expensive (vintage, collectible, esp in the CA area), but waaaay more interesting looking.
Our everyday dishes are Crate and Barrel Nuit - we picked them AFTER we'd put together a pretty big collection of handmade pottery of all types and colors, because it anchors the handmade stuff, goes with everything, and is easily replaceable. Also dishwasher safe, which the handmade stuff is not.
I'd like to put in a plug for all the potters out there - find out if your area has a guild, or potters' organization. In central NJ, the Potters' Guild of NJ has at least 2 sales a year, sometimes more. It's a great way to support local craftspeople and add some real character to your home.

All my dinner plates are from different places (IKEA, Habitat, my Mum) but they're all white with blue pattern on them. I didn't start off intending for this to happen, I just love the combination! Stacking isn't a problem as dinner plates are all roughly the same size. My smaller (cake/breakfast) plates are mismatched. I don't really care as long as I like each individual piece.

My everyday and "fancy" is the same - my grandmother's Crown Ducal transferware in Pink. It's a pretty exuberant toile pattern, and I love it. I added in some plain pink Fire King bowls because the shape of the Crown Ducal bowls wasn't great for pasta (which I make a lot of). No white for me!

Most of my dishes are all white and I like the clean crisp look of them.

poissondujour... we have all black Thai stoneware and have to disagree-- we LOVE it. It has a similar effect to white in terms of being a blank canvas and making food look great (vegetables pop particularly well) and we have such a variety of shapes that we don't get bored. it's all been collected from thrift stores over the years so it was cheap too! it looks fantastic against crisp white linens, as well as with colors.

that said... i also have a full set of mismatched blue & white vintage ironstone (blue willow, etc.), which tends to make an appearance at breakfast and in the summer. and a full dessert/luncheon set of mixed Coalport from the late 1800's in rose pink and gold... and a luncheon set on 1920s-60's marigold yellow & gold mixed bone china... both fun for being fancy, and also just beautiful to look at.

clearly, i have a dish addiction. on the bright side, i cook/entertain constantly! so they do get used. =)

I recently got rid of some dishes I'd grown tired of (basic blue/green stuff) and some square red dishes that were not all that practical (2 place settings) and replaced it w/ some Asian inspired red dinner ware from Gibson that I love. Red interiors w/ matte onyx on the outside. My flatware is the POEM from IKEA.

For collecting, Russel Wright's American Modern or Iriqouis or better yet, the Franciscan Starburst patter for fun, and w/ the RW stuff, I'd mix the colors w/ in the pattern so it's not all one color.

Harkerware makes a set I'd like, pastel interiors w/ light gray exteriors, don't know the pattern and I have a few serving pieces of that and would love the small sauce bowls to use as candle holders for liquid candles as a table centerpiece in several colors (pink, yellow and blue).

I find all white to be BORING

I find all white to be LOVELY. All of my dishes are white, and my cupboards look great. None of my dishes are from the same line, the dinner plates are white ones that I liked, the salad plates are a different shape/texture (but still white), The pasta dishes are different ... you get the picture.

The keys to making a monochromatic palette work, are shape and texture.

I have Colourglaze crockery, which is a 1950s/60s line released by Crown Lynn - a New Zealand pottery manufacturer. These are examples - some of my coffee cups. They're a lovely jumble of pretty colours, but the shape of the plates is very simple and streamlined so I enjoy the look. I've recently added a few vintage Poole plates to my collection, and they're a soft off-white but a very similar shape. I love the look of my cupboards, especially as they're a dark slate gray so the colours really pop.

I have vintage Stetson salad plate/bowls that have 4 MCM leaves painted on each one in 4 different colors (robin's egg blue, lime green, pale pink, and a gray/taupe color). I have very small bowl/plate items that match (for dessert/bread and butter/side dishes...I don't know).

To complement these colors I have vintage robin's egg blue plates with gray/taupe undersides, lime green ikea bowls, and vintage pink-stripes glasses. I love the way they all coordinate but don't match.

By the way, I can't post comments when I'm using safari, is there anything that can be done about this?

What's with the giant collection of egg cups in the first photo? And everything else, I guess, but I'm most impressed by the egg cups.

Oh, and we use white china with bright floral accents (C&B's anna's artistry, for what it matters). It looks lovely for everyday and for entertaining.

all white = incredibly boring

I actually don't own ANY white dishes. I love warm, bold colors so my dishes are goldenrod yellow, deep red, bright green, blue etc. Nothing matches, but they all go together gorgeously.

I also collect jadite and vintage pyrex so the more colors the better!

I have Denby Imperial Blue dishes. They're blue on the outside and rims, with a touch of brown at the edges of the rims, with white centers. So it's white where the food sits, but you have blue accents. I *love* them. Some of the serving pieces are all blue and some are like the dishes (blue exterior with white interior). They're casual enough for every day (and I do use them every day), but easy to dress up as well for something more fancy.

I also have my grandmother's china. It's more of an eggshell or off white color, with a lovely pastel floral pattern. Admittedly I don't use it much.

I am so bad when it comes to collecting china! It is EVERYWHERE in my house, but I love the flexibility to create a table that is unique every time--even for day-to-day use. I actually coordinate the food and the plates, although I am not sure my boyfriend has figured this out yet fully. I even do it for a simple lunch. Here are my additions, errr COLLECTIONS:

Blue Ridge: All yellow floral without a border; Chintz; Carol's Roses;Poinsettia (I have been collecting BR since I was a child...a favourite memory with my Mother.)
Paden City: Shenandoah Pastels, Burgundy, Chartreuse (which looks amazing all the time, but especially with Asian or Mexican foods.); Forrest Green (These last three work well with the BR Poinsettia at Christmas.)
Vernon Kilns: Native California
Misc: White square plates and platters from Target and Sur la Table; huge white mugs from Crate & Barrel; lots of red and red/orange Wachtersbach; some Fiesta in vintage green and yellow; some Russell Wright and old Finnish glass bowls from my Grandmother.

I recently held a little dinner party and used a bright pink and red check table cloth, vintage rose embroidered linen napkins with green stitching, white Target plates and only the mint green serving bowls and salad plates from my Vernon Kilns collection. It was modern and sleek, and at the same time had two splashes of vintage. (I also made the Chicken In Milk with Lemon raved about by Faith on here.) I love the creativity of having so many choices!

I'm just now clearing cupboards doing the Kitchn Cure, and I'm not happy with my dinnerware and flatware. However, I've never really given a thought to it, honestly. We have a very small kitchen with limited storage, so a set of everyday plus a set of fancy is out--I'm shooting for good mid-range stuff that goes happily in the dishwasher but looks/feels decent for a dinner party. We have a bright red table, so I was going for all-white, but it's all leaving me kind of cold. It's helpful to read all your opinions for the simple reason that for once in my life I have no opinion of my own! Dishes. Who cares? Oh yeah I guess I gotta decide on some dishes... And suddenly it matters.

1950s design classic Teema from Iittala. White except for the turquoise breakfast/apetizer plates and some striped cereal bowls from the coordinating series Origo, in a colour combination that has sadly been discontinued.

Teema
http://www.iittala.com/web/Iittalaweb.nsf/en/products_eating_dinnerware_teema

Origo
http://www.iittala.com/web/Iittalaweb.nsf/en/products_eating_dinnerware_origo

I'm a dishware whore, if you will. I scour thrift stores every two weeks or so to find beautiful plates, mugs, teacups...I love them all! I also have a set of Ikea dishes, but I've been pretty disappointed with them--they crack so easily!

Some of my best finds are:

-a set of 10 saucers and small mugs from Wellesley Royal USA - the pattern that I looked up for the dinner plates was pretty obnoxious, but the cups and saucers are just adorable! And when you have lots of dinner parties, they're perfect for coffee or hot chocolate ($10 for all)

-three 60s green goblets ($1.50)

-vintage Christmas plate for cookies ($1)

-beautiful swirly glass platter and dessert plates ($4)

None of them really match, but I'm trying to work out vingettes that work together to put into some sort of storage unit.

I tend to buy small sets (4 place settings each) of various patterns. I try to think about whether the pattern I want to pick up could be mixed attractively with any of my other sets if I needed additional place settings for a dinner party. This way I have something vaguely cohesive if needed, but don't feel stuck with one set or plain white.

i have new (not antique) fiestaware in every color. i do not have any of the new chocolate yet or the new green! can't wait to find some.

I have yellow Teema plates, and I love them. They look farmhouse-y to me, and food looks good on them. As a rule I don't like white crockery, although cream is ok.