Choosing the right dinnerware set for your home - Singapore
The importance of a dinnerware set for your home
In Singapore, the term, “dinnerware” or “tableware” is hardly ever used and yet, it is an important aspect of our culture. You see, as multiracial as Singapore is, all of us have been brought up in a culture where celebrations revolve around having meals with one another. Chinese New Year, Christmas, Birthdays, just to name a few. The importance of celebratory meals have been deeply ingrained into us and a good dinnerware set can aid in elevating the experience of a meal. If there was a question toward the importance of a dinnerware set, try breaking one of those beautifully patterned dinner ceramic plates that your mom probably has. You know, the one she brings out only on special occasions. Her reaction will tell you more than you probably need to know about its importance.
A dinnerware set goes way past creating a better dining experience, but it also makes your food taste better. Weird, you might say. But try having a steak on a paper plate vs. a beautiful glazed ceramic pearled edge dinner plate. Perhaps you’ll find that there is no difference in taste, but did it feel better eating on a beautiful dinner plate? With hordes of culinary experts saying that presentation sets the standard of a meal, why not give it a try? You might find that eating at home can be as much of an enjoyable experience as dining in a restaurant.
Related post: are ceramic wares microwaveable?
No one size fits all solution
It would be hard to recommend a dinner set to everyone just based off of a short chat, and what we recommend may end up not being what you want. It’s best to go with your gut when deciding on dinner sets for your home, things you should consider are: the style of your home, color preferences, preferred aesthetics.
You might be asking yourself, what does the style of my home and its aesthetics have anything to do with dinnerware sets ? They’re just dinner plates, right? No, it is so much more than that, especially so if you’re a believer of Feng Shui, or you simply just want to create that feel good vibe within your household. I mean, you spent on the design and décor of your home, why would you go for random dinner plates that look out of place in it?
We have some tips for you based on the top five design choices for Singapore households.
Based on Squarerooms – The top 5 design styles for Singapore households in order are: Industrial, Scandinavian, Eclectic, Minimalist, and lastly, Modern Resorts.
Industrial Households
The emphasis on the portrayal of an urbanized city, with all of its metallic and gritty finish allows homeowners to feel like they are living in a home that is modern, hip, and trendy. There are two main things to avoid when choosing dinnerware for a home designed in this style.
Bone china ceramics – this style of porcelain introduces an organic element to your household and often has a distinct look, choosing this will most definitely downgrade the look of your home.
Bright colors (Especially yellow and green) – These colors are too bright and will more than definitely stand out from the aesthetics of your home (In a bad way)
What you should look for in a dinnerware set are simple designs with mellow, dull colors. Personally, I have always loved the idea of marbled ceramic dinnerware paired with an industrial interior designed backdrop.
Check out our Industrial themed dinnerware here.
Scandinavian Households
Homes designed with this style in mind aim to keep the interior clutter free and present a deeper focus on neutral colors. You’ll usually find decorations in the range of small house plants and simple textiles. Due to the popularity of Scandinavian styled households, many dinnerware designers have infused Scandinavian designs into their ceramic pieces, their features usually include thin rims, a fully flat base and are available in a slew of different materials. Common materials include, stoneware, earthenware, and sometimes, even metal. Melamine substitutes, while certainly more affordable, tend to lack the look and feel of the more orthodox materials and as such, tend to take away from the Scandinavian’s, down to earth and simple design.
Something that you should definitely do is, play around with different color schemes and design styles when purchasing dinnerware for your Scandinavian home. My personal choice would be to introduce Japanese style ceramics to create a nice, east meets west twist in your home.
Eclectic Households
This style of home is for the eccentric that like to mix different influences. Homes in this style are individualistic and may not be easily appreciated by others. Commonplace decorations include bright and seemingly out of place ornaments that clash with each other in terms of design bring out the uniqueness of this interior design. If you have a house in this style, people may not appreciate your design choices, but you know that in this chaos, there is beauty.
For the Eclectic fanatics, there isn’t really a wrong answer here when thinking about dinnerware sets. Go crazy with your selections as nothing will look out of place in your otherworldly home. Get some gold rimmed glassware to match your bright yellow table, maybe some flat plates with swirls of marble for your purple themed kitchen. While there aren’t any hard set limits on how you should pair your dinnerware (or decorations for that matter), always avoid getting things that are similar in color and texture as they tend to bland the wild array of colors in your home.
Minimalistic Households
Minimalism is a modern theme that emerged in the early 1950s in New York and continued through the 60s and 70s. This simple design brings the focus on the nature of furniture and its uses, this clean look also builds productivity and makes a messy place look neat. As you know (or might not), minimalism was an art movement that started its origin in Japan, and to this day continues to be a popular choice in home design across the world. If you’re not sure what exactly it is, just head down to Muji and you’ll find most of your displays and themes. With light toned pastel and white being the most common colors used, try matching glazed ceramic wares with your home to give your dinnerware the attention it deserves. I personally love the idea of silver rimmed ceramics with a simple black body, give it a shot!
Modern Resort Households
Ever wanted to feel like you were working at a resort in Bali all without leaving the country? Well, with this design, you could definitely mimic those vibes right from your own home, minus the room service, massage therapy, spas, and cheap shopping of course. Complement your resort inspired home with some nice printed ceramic dinnerware of your liking, incorporate some exotic designs to really bring out that feeling of being in an actual resort. You could even bring in some cute and whimsy printed plates if you want, the world is your oyster, embrace it!
Table sizes and place mats
When choosing dinnerware, the standard rule is to always have plates that match the size of your table. Which is why all of the plates here at &glazed come with measurements! In addition to the design and shape of your dinnerware, the design, size and shape of your place mat is equally important. A general rule of thumb to follow is that you should never clash differing shapes together as they do not complement each other. Imagine being seated on a long rectangular table with small circular place mats, doesn’t sound like a very comfortable dining experience to me. Additionally, pick place mats that draw attention to your dinnerware, not the other way around. Doing the reverse would place focus on the mat itself and does nothing to elevate your dining experience.
Material and texture
There are a slew of different materials that your dinnerware can be made out of, some common ones include: ceramic, earthenware, stoneware, glass, melamine, bone china and metal. Each material has its own unique feel and weight to it, there are certain materials that go better with certain styles, and if you’ve read this far already, you’ll probably have a good idea of what material would suit the design of your home. Additionally, with the differing characteristics from one material to the next, some will be better suited to you than others. For example, if you find that you often reheat your food in the microwave, materials like ceramic, stoneware, glass and melamine are microwave friendly. We say that, but please always check before putting them into the microwave!
For each and every item that we sell here at &glazed, we’ll provide these important bits of information on the product page. Additionally, upon the delivery of your order, you’ll find a nice card with the unique properties of our dinnerware. Always take note of it and take care of your dinner sets if you want them to last as long as they can!
How to care for your dinner set
Firstly, dropping your $26 correlle plate is probably a bad idea. You’ll have a mess to clean up and you won’t have pretty plates anymore for your food. If you do drop it, there’s really nothing we can do unless you somehow manage to stick it back together and have it looking like the day you bought it. Well then kudos to you! What we can do is offer you a discount code to use on your next purchase.
All jokes aside, here are some tips to make sure your dinnerware looks as good as the day you bought it.
If using a dishwasher, check if your dinnerware is dishwasher friendly
If soft metals (gold, silver, etc) are a part of the design, lay a towel on the bottom of your sink, this will prevent scratching when the accidental bump or clang occurs. Also, wash with a soft sponge, abrasive sponges may scratch or even take off some material when you’re scrubbing.
As a side note, should you find yourself purchasing melamine dinnerware, fading over time is normal and is no reason for alarm. A good washing detergent with a low PH value can slow down this process, but know that fading is inevitable.
Common questions we’ve been receiving about materials
Is porcelain or ceramic better for dishes?
Both are very durable materials that make for good dishes. The methods of preparation and firing procedures are very different. As a result, these materials will be able to hold certain designs better than the other. In general, porcelain is able to incorporate and retain, thin, translucent designs while ceramic is incapable of doing this.
What is the best color for dinner plates?
Go for a color you like that also suits your theme. If you’re not the type to spend hours looking for the perfect dinnerware, we recommend white plates as they are the most versatile. Also, check out our article on Feng Shui if you believe in it and need some help choosing.
Are round or square plates better?
Traditionally, they serve different functions in a dinner set. Round plates are usually used for main dishes and square plates are used when serving roasted delights because of the cuts of meat. For those chasing good vibes, or the believers of Feng Shui, check out our article to find out how the shape of your plate can affect the mood and ambience at the dining table.
Can you recommend a durable ceramic dinner set?
Of course we can! If durability is your goal, you can’t go wrong with dinnerware made out of bone china. Its animal bone and porcelain construction produces a material that is light and thin, yet, extremely durable. This isn’t to say that you can drop it and assume that it won’t break. If you do decide to test it out for yourself, please send us videos or pictures.