Disappointed to see this piece feature such a generically-branded company with no connection to their product, when there are so many ceramics companies out there that have been making pottery for a long, long time - not to mention, made sustainably in America. How boring. Would have loved to see mention of a company like East Fork Pottery.
13
The ceramics featured in this piece are boring and bland. It all looks like it was purchased at Target-no offense to Target.
6
My mother is a serious ‘collector’ (borderline hoarder) of dishes and so I know there are many many unwanted great used china sets out there. But she turned me on to Fiestaware by Homer Laughlin. Made in America, practically indestructible and in so many beautiful colors, sizes and designs. I’m doing multi rainbow colors myself because bright colors will never go out of style for me. But I have pink for my girls and girlie occasions and a stack of vintage orange plates for certain holidays. And did I say I love them because they can be both vintage and new? And Made in America!!!
7
I saw that these dishes are made of Portuguese ceramic which is so soft you can chip it with the tines of a fork. These dishes will soon be in a landfill, unlike English or French porcelain or bone china which are extremely durable; this is why they can be passed down from one generation to another.
Their website also makes a sneer how you don't need a gravy boat which I found to be funny as just this weekend I made a meal for friends (no Vietnamese take-out) that needed both of my 2 gravy boats, for the 2 ice cream sauces I made for our dessert.
Finally, these dishes seem to be a knock-off of a French company called Muriel Grateau that for over 20 years has been making exquisite, simple, and rock-hard porcelain plates, plus flatware, glasses and table linens. It's as if Year&Day copied the Grateau aesthetic minus its quality, something that happens all too often in this time of millennial "disruption" where we lose what is long-lasting only to be replaced with a disposable fast-fashion equivalency.
I have three sets of English china I slowly collected over several years from Ebay. I use them daily -- both for holidays and pizza -- and I love to think about the generations of families before mine that shared meals on them. It's how you use what you have that defines its value, not if it's been featured on Instagram.
18
This all brings to mind a long running discussion that I have been having with "young folks" and being the dreaded older person giving "good for you advice". This advice consists of pointing out that at some point they and their partner will become tired of being children and want to behave as adults at home. This includes having friends to dinner with real food served on nice pieces around a table that is its own destination, not an adjunct to watching videos.
If one has scornfully rejected the serving pieces of friends and relatives because it is too much trouble to be responsible there is, of course, nothing there to fulfill the new awareness. So one has to really start anew and pretend a legacy.
This campaign has predictably has only very small success.
8
But meantime, while having dinner alone they can microwave with these plates and not with the fine dining plates. In my 20s/30s/40s and unmarried I had Pfaltzgraff dishes from their outlet store. I still have some, well the ones my husband didn't accidentally drop. I use these dishes still to microwave our dinners and for pasta. I found their website and ordered new ones, only to discover when I opened the box that they were now made in China and they would not take returns. Those dished went to the GoodWill for someone else.
So bottom line, these Year and Day plates look great, are not made in China, are from a local company, and I can microwave with them. Ordered today on their web site and can't wait to have some microwave dishes that aren't chipped.
1
I've had a "dishes addiction" now for decades. I LOVE my many sets/partial sets of lovely china, many of them handpainted. Most gets used once yearly - there are the plates I use at Thanksgiving, the ones I use at Christmas, the ones for Easter, and the ones for Mother's Day. I think there might be 11 different sets/partial sets. All are at least 50 years old - some far older. And I love them all.
It's very sad that young people today think if a table is set with lovely linen/china/sterling/crystal that the meal with be "stuffy". I always remind my grandchildren that only GUESTS can be boring and stuffy, not the lovely things on the table. And they'll still be boring and stuffy with all these boring dishes!
Gracious living has gone the way of the dodo bird. I mourn the loss.
16
@ India midwest
Applause and salute! All your distinct sets may be used each on one of the religious and national holidays of different faiths and countries, respectively. You might also consider a dress code for your undoubtedly elegant dinners.
1
Too bad American craftspeople are not featured by these retailers. There are countless ceramic artists in the US making gorgeous tableware. By hand. One delicious bowl at a time.
I mean no harm to the overseas makers, but wouldn't it be worthwhile for influential companies like these upscale sellers and designers to support brilliant local talent whose wares sell at at honest American prices?
17
My grandmother's Wedgwood pairs nicely with my aunt's floral pattern or with our budget ceramic everyday dishes my other half received in college. The only downside is the china is not dishwasher safe. Flatware is everyday, not silver, but it has the look of silver without the heft and works for us no matter the dishes. The connection to the past and present suits us just fine.
7
Oh my, I had better consult my architect about my toilet paper choices, what a sec, I don't have a architect.
18
Classic white. It goes with everything!
7
Wonderful so many opinions, newly married in my late 50’s... our collections are all over the board. Memories from both our pasts. All works together, square pottery from St. Bart’s for Asian nights, plates from Siena for Italian nights, etc. While in Italy last week my tugboat husband polished all the heavy true silver flatware we use every meal. It makes me smile every time I set the table.
12
Elegance and sophistication will never go out of style. I call this new bland boring style the lazy minimalist look. Elegant china from France or Italy like Bernardaud are stunning with beautiful designs. Setting an elegant table with matching pieces can never compare to the “one size fits all” of plain pottery/ceramic thick heavy boring dinnerware. It all looks like pottery barn or a Costco Ser. Bloomingdales on 59 st has a stunning home decir floor. And BTW fine porcelain china is made to be used daily. I use my Bernardaud sets for breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, and anytime I need a plate.
22
As a fan of fine china, I enjoyed this article tremendously. Why? More to love on the secondhand market, that's why! See you at dinner.
13
So boring. Just expensive pottery barn or crate and barrel junk. Hint: to be cool, hip, funky, and fun go to garage sales, yard sales, junk shops, antique shops to get your dishes. You will find treasures. Buy used all the time. Never buy new, ever.
17
I love the antique, vintage and folk pieces I have found in thrift stores and when traveling -- but better be safe and check for lead before using it.
6
I’ll stick to my old American Moderns and Iroquois Casuals, thanks. Russell Wright promoted concepts of casual living decades ago, selling the idea that one could eliminate formality without eliminating good taste. Seems this writer never heard of him, or is promoting a designer who counts on an ignorant consumer market. No new concepts are mentioned in this article.
15
Continue to use Heath purchased in the 60's. Mid-century but timeless, choice of F.L. Wright for Zimmerman house in Manchester.
9
those photos look like boring one size fits all. to make an interesting table mix up pates of color, shapes, textures, even papkins. otherwise set an elegant china set with a flower arrangement and the flatware in the correct order.
7
Geez. I thank God for Corelle. But I will admit I was thrilled to find a Franciscan Pottery Tree of Life plate recently in my local thrift shop. It's on my dresser, holding barrettes.
I finally took out a few teaspoons from my mother's wooden silver crate to use for my chai, and I have my favorite stainless dinner spoon, again from mom. Otherwise I'm not really a hand washing kind of gal and I'm really grateful for modern conveniences, even as a household of one.
You can precious yourself into absurdity.
7
I just looked at the Canvas Home website, its ridiculous; a $500 "earthenware" (clay) bowl from Portugal, $17 for an "Imported" (aka, Chinese) tin plate, $22 for a glass made in Mexico. Seriously? As another commenter also observed (regarding Citizenry), this is, by and large, stuff made in countries with low-payed labor that is then repackaged, "reinterpreted" and prettily photographed by "Disrupters" (Capitalist Hipsters - which is probably redundant) and sold at outlandish prices to another generation of young people who, like their parents before them, "aren't like their parents". NYT, this is Advertising not Editorial.
38
Interesting article, but I’m finding that today’s brides are more often involving their husbands in the tableware decisions and they’re choosing unusual and bespoke assortments for personal use and entertaining. ( ie. Marie Daage, Astier de Villate and Gucci’s re-vamped Richard Ginori)
Granted I cater to a relatively affluent customer base in DC and Florida, but I’ve definitely noticed a new direction than in recent years. Generally there are two incomes and they are seeking tableware as more of a decorative accessory.
Enjoyed your article,
Adam Mahr
A Mano
6
I mix and match vintage tableware found for a song in thrift stores - Buffalo, Homer Laughlin, Franciscan, railroad and airline plates, roadside diner dishes, stray hand-thrown pottery, unique utensils, etc.
14
I love to buy tableware (even small pieces when travelling), with the result that over the years I have collected so much that I could almost open a store. I am glad to read, that some of the products presented in this article are “Made in Portugal” and I can honestly say, that for me these have the best “price/quality” ratio that can be found.
4
We've purchased sets of what's called fine china over the years, taking great satisfaction in the final result of a consciously designed, set table. Our pleasure in this area has not diminished and when a chip occurs, a replacement is purchased. Aesthetics trumps mere functionality here, and it was with interest I read about one manufacturer's consideration of how dishes might appear when stacked in an open shelf.
3
A lot of us grew up with the idea that a mark of middle class status was the set of fancy dishes and glassware that sat on display and were maybe used for holidays, and the front living room that nobody was allowed to sit in. It’s too nice for family use, and too fragile for children but look, we have it!
Can’t say I miss it one bit.
6
That's very interesting about the living room being off limits. Every room in our house was used and we even used the outside as an extra one, eating out when the weather was nice. Was the room just for company?
Yes, company and Christmas, the tree was in there and we opened presents there, that was pretty much it.
1
I have never had matching dishes--instead a slightly coordinated (because of the colors I like not because I got them at the same time) bunch of blues, oranges and patterns. My mother had these white plates with a gold rim and I hated them, especially with rice, potatoes, cauliflower etc on them....
3
Still using the M.A. Hadley stuff I grew up with, although no-one else in my family cares. I love them..
http://hadleypottery.com/history.html
4
Yes! I have Hadley too, and we frequently get new ones on yearly trips to Louisville. They are wonderful, aren't they?
4
It still keeps my mother up at night that we have no interest in her wedding china. Or her mother's, which she still has, and both the bulky cabinets that display them. As a childless couple, I tell her they'll wind up in an estate auction one day anyway so I don't feel the obligation to lug that stuff around for one more generation just to put off the inevitable.
When we registered, it was for simple Fiesta ware. What cracks me up is that my wife treats it like our china, digging it out for special occasions, while we eat every day from the hideous plates she grew up with because of their sentimental value!
4
My kids age 41 and 39, have zero interest in my beautiful sets (plural) of china, and I'm about to move. What do I do with them? I understand your mother. It keeps me up at night too.
4
I realized a few years ago, and not just about plates, that my one child, my daughter, is going to take what she likes and leave the rest, family relics of not. Some I will find good homes if I can, and some will wind up in an estate sale or a thrift shop. Maybe someone will find a treasure, even without the family history.
2
Speaking of the Bay area, I’m perplexed that this article didn’t mention Heath Ceramics, which are even manufactured there! They’ve been around since 1948 - my parents bought some when they were married in the early 60s, along with modernist Georg Jensen silverware and a McIntosh stereo......
22
I have been using my family's hand- me- down tableware since I moved into my own house 3 years ago. These plate have been used for over 30 years, the very same plates I used when I was just a kid, they are not pricey tableware but they are practical and make for great memories.
8
It's sad that people have lost all interest in beautiful china and, really, all nice household goods. In this age of boring white plates, with younger people dumping their parents' treasured china and table linens as soon as they get the chance, I've been able to collect entire sets of old transferware in all the main colors (blue, pink, brown and black). It's becoming rarer in the thrift stores, though, so there must be at least a few other people like me snapping it up.
I have only sons with no prospect of daughers-in-law, and I know the boys won't be interested. I don't really mind the idea of my transferware going to a stranger who might love it the way I do, but I really, really don't want to think it will be dumped in the alley with the trash. So many generations of beauty, pleasure and family celebrations lost.
26
Give it to a thrift store--someone will appreciate it.
5
Give it to a church or other institution that feeds people off of real dishes (not paper). The people who come to a soup kitchen will be most appreciative of the extra elegance.
5
Shopped in a dusty department store the other day for a pop of blush for my rough-hued kitchen. Frustrated by the lack of viable easy care breakfast dishes that could go from oven to Yom Kippur break fast, I looked on line for the dishes described in this article, but they are all sold out until I develop a better sense of style.
Now I’m forced to use my Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica to serve Dominos cheesy breads when Harry and Megan come over for brunch. Makes me feel old.
14
East Fork Pottery makes a lovely blush glaze; great for cheesy breads :)
My husband and I married 30 years ago - we were offered a special gift by his parents, and chose a hand-made set of porcelain dinner ware by the wonderful Chicago ceramic artist Eric Jensen. We have used it every day of our marriage, and it is still bringing us (and our loved ones and friends) pleasure at meal time.
http://www.ericjensenceramic.com/
10
I have a "set" by him too! It's black porcelain and I love it. The hand-made plates are sort of square as are the salad bowls. We found ours in the 1998 in a Seattle art gallery that carried his work. I use it with my Royal Danish sterling and never tire of it. I've yet to part with my mother's delicate Bavarian china rimmed with tiny pastel flowers, but as you can tell, it's a far cry from my taste and, sadly, will end up in a thrift store.
1
History is the most charming thing of all, in terms of dishware and home goods. This is exactly why I love my silver and porcelain that must be hand washed. Handed down to me by my mother, grandmother, and several 2nd cousins, I have a collection of dishes that speak of history and tradition. I'll take that any day over this kind of thing. The only exception to this is hand-made-- plates and bowls made by potter-friends feature happily on the same table with heirlooms. A happy pairing, that guests also appreciate.
22
The best place to find a wonderful assortment of dishes, from plain to fancy to old, new, and homemade? Goodwill.
It'll save you a bundle, too. New tableware is often absurdly overpriced, even if its being sold to you as reasonable by a young "influencer" who has a house in Pacific Heights. Pacific Heights!
54
I completely agree, but I am taken with the silverware shown here. Properly weighted silverware is a pleasure to use.
However, Goodwill is a lovely and surprisingly fun place to shop for dishes too!
14
Yes! I enjoying baking and giving gifts of cookies. I have found many Wedgewood, Spode, Mikasa, Johnson Brothers, Noritake, and other absolutely beautiful plates at Goodwill, usually for $2 or less. I bring them home, wash them thoroughly, then fill them with cookies and give them away. Makes a lovely presentation, is better for environment and cheaper than plastic Tupperware containers. And supporting Goodwill is a very good cause!
59
This article is adorable, and reminiscent of the 1970s. Today is our 39th wedding anniversary, and at that time, it was all stoneware and stainless, which seemed so refreshing. But since then, we have invested in, and use every single day, china and silver, because they are just that much nicer and more festive.
36
My late mother stopped hauling out her fancy dishes shortly after she acquired her first dishwasher and noticed that the gold trim was disappearing and cups got chipped.
I'll take practical over trendy any day of the week.
13
"The Citizenry teams up with artisans in a dozen countries, including weavers in Morocco and glass blowers in Mexico... the site offers a “story” section for each of its products to describe where and how it was made. "
So does Cost Plus Imports and Trader Joes ,although I doubt any these "taste-setters" would be willing to be found dead at one. (Send the maid instead?)
20
While I can afford to redo my bedroom in grey, I can’t afford a gut renovation, so please help me: “If I have a 1950s pink tile bathroom, is it OK to place millennial pink dishes on the open shelves in my avocado green kitchen? Will it “work” with the 80’s SouthWest peach walls in my dining room?”
Color is great, slavish devotion to color trends gets old real fast.
Outdated color is yet another reason things will end up being tossed, donated or stored in a few years.
Develop your own taste and ignore the rest of this nonsense.
73
And then there is Corelle that can to used to cook, serve, or eat from and it doesn't break and is inexpensive compared to the instantly out of day fashion ware in this article. Corning needs some designers who are not aiming for the bottom of the barrel or women who wear flowery dresses to work. Another story. . . .
Someone should have mentioned dishwashing machines that are not nice to all the queen's China. If today's women are too lazy to lug home a set with $100 in dishes in their brand new, grossly oversized SUV, the God help them wash a dish with or without help from a husband who might be a total loser, but brings home a check.
15
That's funny true confessions: I have a few plain white Corelle plates and "soup dishes " - probably from the era when they were still actually made in Corning, not China - and find I use them all the time. They came, I think ,from development of a material for the nose cones of rockets. Light, and ideal for everyday use. (My other set is stonewear -- which weighs a ton )
9
I'm using a lovely set of corelle, 'shadow iris' I think. It's great every day. Regular corningware is also great, although it isn't made any more. I bought a set on ebay for my daughter, she picked the pattern and I started collecting the pieces. Took me awhile, but they looked brand new. I'm in the process of doing this again for my new daughter-in-law.
1
I use Corelle for every day, and fine China when we have more than 8 people for dinner (whether Thanksgiving turkey or grilled burgers, and then we put it in the dishwasher). I must admit your disdain for women in flowery dresses, women in suvs, women who have husbands, and women who wash dishes seems a little out of left field in a discussion about plates, but I do agree with you that Corelle is great.
6
I was hoping for photos of handmade stoneware pottery from local artisans. This kind of original work is exciting to me on my table, especially when my friends or I have made it with our own hands.
34
I have 3 sets of Lenox china, none of which I wanted (but everyone wanted to give it to me and I wasn’t forceful enough to say no) and I was married back in the very early 90s. My 20s daughters don’t like it either, but I told them hey, it’s free, and if it breaks, so what. Use it like IKEA dishes and not like some precious thing. Why buy new when your taste will change and even these “rough hewed” (ugh-poor grammar) dishes will be tiresome soon enough.
15
If your taste changes without any technological improve ments it just means you don't understand good design. Check out Paul Revere's silverware. It's still no. 1 after close to 250 years. No it is not badly tarnished silver as black whatever is in vogue today. Replicas in stainless also have no bitter taste and don't need care.
6
Try lifting a stack of handmade or stoneware dinner plates. They weigh a ton. China is much lighter (Corningware lighter still), and doesn't have to be bone China.
13
No mention of Heath ceramics? Well, that’s cray (or I skimmed past it ;-)
22
The plateware, and this startup, appear to be a ripoff of Heath's look and feel.
11
A dinner party menu of Vietnamese takeout, berries and a "communal chocolate bar" - oh to be so young!
21
Is this piece missing information or just another episode of consumer "disposibility?"
The article didn't say what many of its favorite artisan ceramics are made of. Stoneware is lovely on the shelf but chips badly in everyday use. White porcelain may be out of date, but porcelain is harder and lasts through long use.
I've never owned the standard, department store, formal set my generation usually has, but I'm as picky as everyone else. A set of dishes costs money and takes up space. It better serve its purpose and last.
27
As somebody who survived a 6.9 earthquake and now lives a few miles from Ms. Duryea, I have a single storyline when it comes to dishes, much as I enjoy them: faultine.
7
I like the old American-made restaurant plates and mugs that were used in diners or in the dining cars on the railroad. They used to be easy to buy at thrift stores or garage sales, but now they're getting harder to find. They tell a great story.
21
If you mean the heavy, off-white dishes, you might be able to find them at the Dollar Tower junk store in Upper Manhattan on West 207th Street just east of Broadway. At least you could two years ago when I bought a set there. They also had similar stuff at Fishs Eddy, Broadway at 19th.
4
"Fine porcelain china used to be the ultimate status symbol for American hosts and hostesses, but now rough-hewed materials and unexpected places of origin are also prized."
Can we please go back to "rough-hewn"?
71
Enjoyed the sarcasm creep as the article went on--right to the vapid conversation, the mastering of the weight of a knife, and the earnest desire to have people "caring about their plates again."
Not quite up there with the Armisen/Brownstein chicken skit, but pretty close.
64
Good luck polishing all those brass cabinet handles. And those trendy dishes are going to look dated in two years.
53
Like my old avocado colored Melmac dishes?
15
It is sad when table accessories or accoutrements, generally valued aesthetically for a very long time, are suddenly demoted by interior "designasters" and whose trend is imitated by those who believe that the "designasters'" words are engraved in stone.
36
Yes, there is a place for the decorative arts. This article tells the story of the fashion of the moment. I'm appalled that they are making this big a fuss to serve take out. Plain white porcelain dishes from Ikea or Cost Plus or nice plain Corelle (my picnic service) are about right for take out. For a proper dinner party, learn to cook and get out the fine china. It will show your guests that you think that they are special and that you care. Everyone will pick up on it and they will sparkle.
9
I think “proper dinner parties” are lovely, but realistically, today many people also enjoy less formal get togethers with friends, perhaps after work on a weeknight, and there is so much delicious takeout easily available, it would be a shame to forgo time with frie nds because one doesn’t have the time or the inclination to cook.
I think this has been a big thing in Australia for years with Mud ceramics and Dinosaur designs. I haven’t seen a traditional China set on a wedding registry for about 20 years!
8
Probably made in the same factories as the dishes sold at Crate & Barrel. And there's nothing wrong with that, but there's plenty of lovely handmade ceramic produced here in the US that's more affordable than this stuff, it's just not advertised as aggressively by influencers on Pinterest and Instagram.
65
I appreciate this article recognizing this trend. My wife and I received a full set of china for our wedding, and it mostly sits and gathers dust. I wish we could turn back the clock and ask for some Heath Ceramics, which are made locally, or some other better looking serving dishes. My younger relatives who have been getting married are no longer requesting china--that's refreshing.
10
Unfortunately this article neithers speaks about nor shows any examples of dishes made by hand. There are potters across the country who make unique hand made dishes, why not support them?
All of the dishes in our home are hand made by me and each one is unique.
76
Great idea!
Been a potter for 50 years.
12
Millennials and younger don't want their parents' dishes and silver. Check out the prices being offered by websites that sell pieces as replacements for broken ones. They offer so little for even the finest bone china that you might as well use it for target practice.
26
In our extended family, the boomers were not into china, so currently it is the silent generation that is trying to dump their silver trays, silver tea and coffee services, and china on to the milennials. No one wants it.
9
I recently took home a large collection of Herend Rothschild Bird patterned china. It's beautiful, but I doubt we'll ever use it. Ultimately, we'll probably try to sell it, but I have little hope. Who's buying?
I figured I could take it off my grandmother's hands just so she doesn't have to worry about it anymore. She even gave me her blessing to sell it and not worry about it. But I think she really does not understand that there is practically zero market for fine china.
11
I inherited my parents' Herend, in the Victoria pattern. It's a fond symbol of family and heritage -- and it gets occasional use. "Artisanal", "rough-hewn" bowls that appear (and may, in fact, have been) mass-produced are merely the latest manifestation of social media-driven, short-attention-span trendiness that, in fact, reinforces a culture of disposable goods.
3