How to Choose a Dinnerware Set: Sizes, Care and Our 11 Patterns
A dinnerware set is one of the few things in a kitchen you use every single day, so it is worth ten minutes of thought before you buy. This guide covers the questions we are asked most in the shop: what is actually in the box, how many place settings you need, and how porcelain holds up to a dishwasher and daily use. At the end you will find all eleven of our porcelain dinnerware sets.
What is in a 16-piece dinnerware set?
A 16-piece set is a complete service for four people. Ours include:
- 4 dinner plates (26.5 to 27.5 cm, depending on the pattern)
- 4 salad plates (20.5 to 21 cm)
- 4 cereal bowls (14 cm)
- 4 coffee mugs (300 to 350 mL)
The salad plate doubles as a side, dessert or breakfast plate, and the bowl is deep enough for soup, cereal or pasta for one.
Service for 4, 8 or 12: which size should you buy?
Every one of our sets comes in three sizes:
- Service for 4 (16 pieces), from $39.99. Right for one or two people, a first apartment, or a second set for the cottage.
- Service for 8 (32 pieces), from $74.99. The one we recommend for most households. A family of four runs out of clean plates surprisingly quickly with only four of each, and eight covers you when guests come.
- Service for 12 (48 pieces), from $109.99. For people who host holidays and large family dinners, and want everything on the table to match.
A useful rule: buy for the largest dinner you host a few times a year, not the number of people who live in the house. Patterns are discontinued over time, so matching pieces are easier to buy now than later.
Is porcelain dinnerware dishwasher safe?
Yes. All of our sets are dishwasher safe on a normal cycle. On the patterned sets the colours are fired into the glaze rather than printed over it, so they do not lift or fade with regular washing. Skip the intensive high-heat programme and use a standard detergent.
Can it go in the microwave or oven?
Keep any piece with a metallic trim out of the microwave, as metal and microwaves do not mix. None of the sets are meant for a conventional oven or for use under a grill. It is also worth letting a hot plate cool before it meets cold water, since sudden temperature changes are hard on any ceramic.
How chip resistant is porcelain?
Porcelain is fired at a higher temperature than earthenware or most stoneware, which makes it denser and less porous. That is why restaurants use it. No ceramic is chip proof, though, and almost all chips come from pieces knocking against each other rather than from use at the table. Load the dishwasher so plates are not touching, and stack bowls with a little care. If a piece does break, single replacements are available for our sets, so one accident does not cost you the whole service.
Our eleven dinnerware sets
Black and white
Almera is a crisp graphic print that sits as easily on a weeknight table as a laid one.
Anemone is a looser, painterly take on black and white. See both in black and white dinnerware sets.
Blue and white
Ripple Blue is the most classic pairing in tableware, and the one that goes with china you already own.
Grey and white
Ripple Grey is the safest choice in the range if you are buying a gift.
Green
Senorita Green has generous 27.5 cm dinner plates in our most popular pattern.
Green Wave carries a rolling wave motif in green on white.
Green Ribbon is white porcelain with a fine green rim, the quietest pattern we stock. See all three in green dinnerware sets.
Pink, yellow and orange
Senorita Pink is the Senorita pattern in soft pink.
Senorita Yellow is the same pattern in a warm yellow.
Majorelle Orange is named for the Majorelle garden, and is the warmest pattern in the range.
Plain
Neutral has no pattern at all, just the natural clay body with a slightly warm finish. Choose it if your serving pieces are the loud part of the table.
Where to buy
Every set ships from Toronto, with free shipping on orders over $100, which covers any service for 12. You can also see them in person at our Centerpoint Mall store. Shop all dinnerware sets.