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A few weeks ago we asked readers to share their best advice for buying a new set of dishes. From those responses we pulled 6 helpful shopping tips for anyone looking to invest in new dinnerware:
An Italian Polenta Supper Dinner Party
WHY WE LOVE IT
The classic style, flared rims and bright finish of our Coupe Dinnerware makes this an instant go-to collection for everyday meals and entertaining. Whether you pair these beautiful pieces made from Thai porcelain with colorful patterns or solid neutrals, you'll always set an inviting table with these new dining essentials. Plus, they're dishwasher and microwave safe and coordinate with our entire Coupe Dinnerware collection.
The classic style, bright white glossy finish and elegant simplicity of our Coupe Soup Bowls makes them instant go-to pieces for everyday meals and entertaining. Whether you pair them with colorful patterns or solid neutrals, you'll always set an inviting table with these new dining essentials.
- Crafted of porcelain
- Set of 4
- Part of our Coupe Dinnerware Collection
- Dishwasher and microwave safe
- Made in Thailand
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1. Get the right size dishes for your cupboards, shelves, and dishwasher.
You may love the look of those big, beautiful plates, but you won't love them so much when you can't close your cabinet doors! Consider your space and storage restrictions before buying anything.
Just make sure you get dinner plates that fit in normal cabinets (assuming you have them). I love our Pottery Barn dishes, and they're super durable, but the dinner plates are exactly 12" diameter. Most upper cabinets seem to be 12 inches deep, but that's from the front to the wall, not the inside of the cabinet space. Probably more of a hassle than necessary. - LikelyLaura
I had to return a set of Martha Stewart dishes because the dinner plates were too tall to fit in my standard dishwasher - the fan would smack the top of the plate! I found this out on the maiden run when I unpacked the new dishes and placed them in the washer. They ended up being repacked and returned that same day! I try to buy Made in America or Made in England for dishes as I'm afraid of the stories of lead and other chemicals in items from China. -Wendy A
A lot of today's plates are just HUGE! For those watching portion sizes, a smaller plate really helps. I also looked for plates with a rim (as opposed to a coupe shape), or a large plate with a smaller food area. [Also consider a] reasonable dishwasher footprint - when the mugs from our set need to be replaced, I'll be looking for something narrower. The mug area of our dishwasher fills up days before the rest of it is full. Same applies to cupboard space. - craftybeaver
I really like all white with little to no embellishment, but have a hard time finding things that aren't too big! We have a mini set from Williams-Sonoma and a lovely larger set from Crate and Barrel. - esausville
2. Look for open stock so you can customize to your needs.
You don't need to buy a 5-piece set if you know that you're mostly interested in dinner plates and soup bowls. Open stock options let you pick and choose exactly what you want, and even better, easily replace a piece if it gets broken.
We bought open-stock white from Crate & Barrel. I love it! It is basic and works with everything. Over time, I have added different serving pieces—also in white—from all sorts of brands and spots. It has created a unified table, and the white shows off the vintage when I mix and match. Also, at $6 a plate, when one chips it is no big deal. We own 20, due to lots of parties at our house, so buying a new plate is easy. -Shabbydiva
I look for... open stock so I can customize the number of bowls/side plates/dinner plates and ignore the cups and saucers; stackable on a shelf and in a dishwasher; and an attractive design that will look good even if covered with spaghetti sauce. -fabricwench
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3. White is classic, and bone china or porcelain will never let you down.
You can never go wrong with white dishes. They're beautiful, classic, and versatile. They make a great base set, and you can always accent with colorful bowls or mugs.
Just white. It's simple, and I do think food looks more elegant and appetizing on a white background. I know not all shades of white are equal, but it's much easier to buy more pieces that aren't part of your set. - gloriana232
