Your dinner sets are not merely a vessel for your dishes. They also serve to complement your food creations, add to the ambiance of your event, and reflect your personal style. Used everyday for casual weekday dining or styled up for special events, your dinner set is certainly an important element at mealtimes. Whether you love contemporary styles or prefer extravagant, luxurious designs for your home, choosing the perfect dinner set is crucial. The right dinner set will enhance food presentation, set the tone for your event, and make any special occasion feel extra special.
What to consider when selecting a dinner set for my home?
Dinner sets come in a wide variety of materials, styles, designs, and colours. With so many elements to consider, the process of purchasing the right dinner set may seem confusing. In this blog, we break down the factors to take into account and provide a hand-picked list of our top 8 dinnerware brands in Australia and their star products.
Dinner Set Materials
Dinner sets come in a variety of different materials including stoneware, bone china, porcelain, fine bone china, melamine and more. However, the most popular dinner set materials are porcelain, bone china, and fine bone china. These dinner sets are durable, easy to clean, and great for entertaining, making them the ideal choice for many households and restaurants.
Dinner Set Styles
When it comes to dinner set styles, it really depends on the type of event and your personal taste. Hand painted and patterned dinnerware comes in a variety of colours and themes, perfect to add charm and personality to your table. If you want your food creations to shine, opt for solid colours or banded dinner sets to highlight your dishes in style. Prefer a more versatile dinner set? Neutral toned dinner sets can easily fit both formal and casual events; dress them up with the addition of naperies, cutlery and other accessories, or dress them down with just the basic cutlery and a napkin.
Dinner Set Types
Formal dinner events usually call for a dinner set that includes dinner plates, bread plates, salad plates, soup bowls, and teacups with saucers. For a more casual setting, you may choose a traditional set that usually comprises dinner plates, side plates, salad plates, and a teacup with saucer. Depending on the number of people in your party, you may want to purchase a dinner set with the corresponding number of place settings.
Top 8 Dinner Set Brands in Australia
1. Maxwell & Williams
Maxwell & Williams is an Australian brand that has been producing quality and timeless tableware, teaware, and cutlery since the 1990s. Whether you love casual styles or prefer the elegance of formal dinner sets, you’ll find something to suit your tastes at Maxwell & Williams. Fashion-forward yet affordable, the brand prides itself on bringing style and flair to Australian homes without compromising on quality.
The Staple Dinner Set: Maxwell & Williams White Basics European Rim Dinner Set 12 Piece
This clean, crisp all white 12-Piece Dinner Set from the White Basics collection is a classic staple for contemporary homes. Each piece is made from porcelain with a subtle European rim design to showcase food creations perfectly. Featuring 4 place settings consisting of dinner plates (27.5cm), bowls (20cm), and side plates (19cm), this set is ideal for enjoying an intimate dinner with your loved ones. Freezer, microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe, this set offers optimal convenience for your home. This simple and elegant set is sure to add sophistication to your dining table while being perfect for entertaining guests.
Timeless, Coupe-style Tableware for Everyday Use: Maxwell & Williams Cashmere Resort Coupe Dinner Set of 18 Piece
Enhance your dining experience with the Cashmere Resort Coupe 18-Piece Dinner Set. Made from fine bone china, these coupe style dinnerware with a crisp white finish will make everyday dining a little more luxurious. Complete with 4 dinner plates (27.5cm), bowls (20cm), and side plates (19cm), this set is perfect for enjoying a lovely dinner with 4 of your closest loved ones. Freezer, microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe, this gift boxed dinner set also makes the ideal present for friends and family.
2. Ecology
Designed in Australia, Ecology Homewares deliver dinner sets with earthy tones and natural shapes to tables around the country, transforming your home into an oasis. From practising sustainable forestry to using recycled or reusable packaging, Ecology aims to set the benchmark in environmentally friendly homeware pieces that are also stylish and timeless, perfect for your home or kitchen, and designed to last.
Rustic Dinner Set with Organic Shapes and Textures: Ecology Speckle Oatmeal 12 Piece Dinner Set
The Speckle Oatmeal Dinner Set by Ecology is beautiful with organic shapes and a dimpled textural finish, perfect for any contemporary home. Beautifully designed in Australia and crafted from quality stoneware, this dinner set features a stunning speckle pattern on a natural tone background for an earthy finish. Comprising 4 dinner plates (27cm), 4 side plates (20cm), and 4 bowls (18cm), this dinner set is perfect for a party of 4. This lovely dinner set is also microwave and dishwasher safe, making it an easy choice for any home.
Earthy and Rustic Tableware: Ecology Ottawa Orchid Dinner Set of 12
Create a calming and relaxing dining experience with this Ottawa Dinner Set. This handcrafted stoneware set is designed in Australia and features gentle ridging and rustic edges in an earthy tone, perfect to inspire a sense of zen at the dinner table. Complete with 4 dinner plates (27.5cm), 4 side plates (21cm), and 4 noodle bowls (15.5cm), this set is ideal for enjoying a delicious meal with your dearest ones. This dinner set is also safe to use in the microwave and dishwasher safe.
3. Noritake
Noritake is a household name in Australia for their high quality dinner sets that are ideal both for elegant and casual dining. For well over 100 years, the Japanese brand has been producing beautiful Western-influenced tableware with exceptional craftsmanship, artistry, and quality. From their wide range of wonderful designs, you are bound to find one that you will really love and will complement your dining table.
Classic and Elegant Tableware: Noritake Charlotta Gold 12 Piece Dinner Set
The Charlotta Gold 12-Piece Dinner Set exudes elegance, perfect for entertaining and ideal for any occasion. Made from quality fine white porcelain complete with a band of embossed gold at the rim, this set is all about simplicity and charm. Comprising dinner plates (27cm), entrée plates (21cm), and coupe bowls (14.5cm) for 4 people, this dinner set is perfect for an enjoyable evening with your loved ones. Durable, dishwasher safe and resistant to chipping, you'll also be happy to know that the embossed gold rim is even safe to be placed in the microwave oven.
Timeless Tableware for Entertaining: Noritake Marc Newson 12 Piece Dinner Set
This classic Marc Newson Dinner Set named after the brand's world-renowned designer Marc Newson is perfect for entertaining guests in style. The brilliant white tone highlights the intricacies of your dish beautifully, making it great for everyday use or special events. Crafted from quality fine bone china with a glossy finish, rest assured that each piece in this set is durable and made to last for years to come with proper care. This 12-piece set complete with dinner plates (27cm), entrée plates (21cm), and bowls (14.5cm) is just right for a family of 4 people. Microwave and dishwasher safe, this dinner set is also gift boxed and ready for gifting your loved ones.
4. Royal Doulton
Royal Doulton has been making some of the finest dinnerware and serveware in England since the early 19th century. Today, the brand continues to be a market leader by seeking new ways to embrace urban culture and producing stylish English-influenced tableware with premium quality. Royal Doulton carries an extensive range of stunning dinnerware including collections created for world-class chefs Gordon Ramsay and Donna Hay.
Stylish, Elegant Tableware: Royal Doulton Gordon Ramsay Maze Dinner Set 16 Piece Blue
Created in collaboration with world-renowned celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, this Gordon Ramsay Maze 16-piece stoneware dinner set features simple concentric circular lines for an elegant and stylish finish around the dining table. Complete with plates (28cm), plates (22cm), bowls (18cm), and mugs (450ml capacity) for a party of 4, this dinner set is perfect for enjoying a delicious Sunday night roast around the dining table with the whole family. This set is dishwasher safe for easy care and gift boxed, making it perfect as a housewarming or engagement gift.
Artisanal Tableware Inspired by History: Royal Doulton 1815 16 Piece Set White
The artisanal 1815 Dinner Set takes inspiration from the year the Royal Doulton brand was founded. Each piece is made from porcelain and beautifully hand-dipped in a gorgeous white glaze as a nod to Royal Doulton's heritage of hand-dipping techniques. As a result, every piece in the set boasts a unique finish that is stylish yet simple and elegant to deliver tableware that will surely look good on any table. Comprising 4 dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, and mugs, this set is perfect for a dinner party of 4. Microwave and dishwasher safe, this dinner set brings a timeless elegance perfect for any home.
5. Wedgwood
Established in England in 1759, Wedgwood has been producing affordable luxury tableware for over 250 years, with collections being used at tables of British Monarchs to the Vatican, the Kremlin, and the White House. Whether you are looking for casual dinner sets featuring beautiful embossed patterns, or more bold geometric patterns with gold detailing, you are sure to find a suitable style to match your table setting with Wedgwood's quality china that will last many years to come.
Contemporary Meets Neo-Classical Tableware: Wedgwood Intaglio Dinner 16 Piece Set
Contemporary meets classical with the Intaglio Dinner Set where embossed textures popular during the Georgian era is merged with a clean, white glaze finish that is unmistakably modern. Crafted from fine bone china and embossed with patterns inspired by knurling and engine turning, the final result is an aesthetically delightful, tactile finish. This dinner set includes dinner plates (27cm), side plates (20cm), bowls (15cm), and 300ml capacity mugs for a party of 4, making it perfect for everyday dining or an intimate double date. Dishwasher and microwave safe, this gift boxed dinner set also makes the perfect housewarming gift for friends and family.
Timeless Elegance to Elevate Mealtimes: Wedgwood Jasper Conran Strata Dinner 16pc set
As this exquisite Jasper Conran Strata 16-Piece Dinner Set by British designer Jasper Conran has characterised, elegance is simplicity. Beautifully crafted from white fine bone china featuring a dramatic sculpted swirl pattern, this set epitomises the style and inspiration of Jasper Conran. Complete with dinner plates (27cm), salad plates (20cm), cereal bowls (17cm), and 400ml capacity mugs for 4 persons, this stunning dinner set is suitable for any occasion no matter how sophisticated or informal. Conveniently safe to use in the microwave and dishwasher, this dinner set is also gift boxed, ready for gifting your loved ones.
6. Salt & Pepper
Salt&Pepper, also known as S&P, is an Australian-owned brand with a passion to turn houses into homes using beautiful, wholesome tableware. The brand offers a wide selection of beautiful and affordable homeware, dinner sets, glasses and tableware made using quality and durable material, perfect for entertaining and everyday use.
Beautiful Rustic Stoneware Tableware: Salt & Pepper Relic Dinner 12 Piece Set Blue
Simple yet beautifully striking, the Relic Dinner Set takes diners down a lovely trek through memory lane. This dinner set is beautifully crafted from stoneware finished by hand with a lovely glaze that makes each piece uniquely represented. Comprising dinner plates (27cm), side plates (20cm), and soup bowls (18cm) for 4 diners, this set is perfect for intimate dinner parties with your closest loved ones. This microwave and dishwasher safe dinner set also makes cleaning and reheating food a breeze.
Earthy Toned Tableware with Textural Finish: Salt & Pepper Hue Dinner 12 Piece Set Sky
Make your dinner sessions at home a fun one while highlighting the intricacies of your dishes with this Hue 12-Piece Dinner Set. This lovely sky toned set is beautifully crafted from stoneware and finished with a subtle reactive glaze for a solid colour with a textural look. Complete with dinner plates (27cm), side plates (20cm), and soup bowls (20.5cm) for 4, this set is ideal for a small gathering of friends and family. Microwave and dishwasher safe, this dinner set is perfect for busy lifestyles.
7. Villeroy & Boch
Villeroy & Boch is loved for their elegant and innovative designs with superb quality. With a passion for developing timeless tableware designed for the enjoyment of food, the German brand has created dinnerware, cutlery, drinkware and more that has shaped lifestyles since 1748. Add a touch of luxury and style to your home with their beautiful, durable and innovative collections that are perfect for any occasion.
Premium Porcelain for Any Occasion: Villeroy & Boch For Me 4 Person Starter Set
Timeless, elegant and endlessly versatile, this For Me starter pack will complement any home aesthetics. Made from premium porcelain, this simple yet beautiful set will let your food creations take centre stage and make it look extra tempting. Perfect for any table setting, easily mix and match with other dinner sets to create your own unique table setting. Complete with dinner plates (27cm), breakfast plates (21.5cm), muesli bowls (750ml), and cups (340ml) for a party of 4, this set includes everything a new homeowner will need. The microwave and dishwasher safe set also makes this a convenient selection for all homes.
Sophisticated Yet Versatile: Villeroy & Boch Artesano Original Starter 8 Piece Set
The Artesano Original starter pack is rustic yet understated, perfect for contemporary home interiors. Crafted from premium porcelain, this set is sure to make mealtimes feel extra luxurious. Enjoy meals with your special someone with this starter set featuring 2 dinner plates (27cm), 2 breakfast plates (21.5cm), 2 muesli bowls (750ml), and 2 cups (340ml). This microwave and dishwasher safe set also makes cleaning and reheating leftovers effortless.
8. Robert Gordon
One of Australia's most renowned pottery and ceramic makers, Robert Gordon has been producing classic dinnerware, ceramics, and chinaware with excellent style and quality for more than 40 years. The family-run company creates magnificent hand-crafted pottery that is twice fired to deliver pieces that are strong enough to last a lifetime. Their beautiful collection of dinner sets are sure to complement your contemporary home and add charm to your table.
Stackable, High Fired Stoneware with a Rustic Charm: Robert Gordon Platform Collection
The Platform collection is beautifully crafted with the purpose of highlighting your dishes while bringing a classic, earthy touch to your table setting. Each piece is carefully constructed from high fired stoneware, showcasing a unique cream clay base with oatmeal flecks. Its stackable design saves on storage space, making it ideal for smaller homes. Mix and match the collection with entree plates, side plates, bowls, dinner plates, and more available for purchase separately.
Next Read: The Best Cast Iron Skillets in Australia