Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » modern flatware guide

d*s reader sarah sent a sweet email requesting a flatware guide this month. and because i’ve spent the last few months trying to find the perfect replacement set for our flatware (we have a knack for losing spoons), i thought the timing was perfect. so whether you’re looking for something traditional, organic, or uber-modern this roundup has got you covered. have a favorite i missed? feel free to leave your suggestions in the comment section below. bon appetit! (need something to eat with your new flatware? click here for recent recipes from our favorite designers)

[image above, clockwise from top left: meret flatware $42.95, twig flatware $48, ferran adria flatware $138, pott flatware (5 piece set) $1050, deluxe plastic 4-piece setting $120]

[image above, clockwise from top left: arne jacobsen set $115, certo flatware $250, busig cutlery $12.99, pantry cutlery $77.55, magnussen 5-piece setting $762]

[image above, left to right: cutipol goa flatware set (my favorite!) $85, luna flatware $45+ (we own this and love it)]

[image above, clockwise from top left: zaha hadid 5-piece place setting $250, noguchi flatware $220, bettina 6-place setting $352, nero flatware $75, duna place setting $69, low 98 place setting $60.50, mono clip 20pc. flatware set (for 4) $356, bettina 6-place setting $352, teak flatware $49]

[image above, left to right: frond flatware $55, sambonet place setting $84, ]

[image above, clockwise from top left: katharine flatware $40+, mezzo flatware $55, whisper by nambe place setting $55]

[image above, clockwise from top left: kyoto flatware $36.95, sundance cutlery $59, citterio matte 98 collection $10-$17 per piece, twig flatware $82.50, lotus stem flatware $40]

One thing to note for anyone who just can’t find those missing spoons for their already-owned favorite (but discontinued) pattern: I’ve used http://www.replacements.com for my Oneida flatware set that I absolutely love, and I’ve been very satisfied so far. I even added a few serving pieces to my set.

It never dawned on me to replace the starter set of flatware we purchased at IKEA. After the first glance of the photos above, I was trying to get my husband to agree on which set we needed.

And I’d like to note that some sets are striking to look at, but can you imagine what some of them must feel like putting in your mouth? Form & function must be balanced!

oh i was just thinking the other day how much i missed your round ups! i love this – especially as i start to entertain the idea of investing in a flatware set that isn’t cobbled together with hand-me-downs.

I love looking at flatware design. I shopped and shopped before choosing the set I bought from cb2. I can’t recall its number (their flatware doesn’t have names, just numbers), and sadly they no longer carry it. I did buy a set that had to be returned – the handles were a lot like pencils, so they rolled in the hand. I had to grip tightly and concentrate to get the food to stay on the fork or spoon! I agree with R. Robyn – form + function = good design. You shouldn’t have to think about your fork while eating!

I love the look of some of these modern flatware sets. The only thing I’ve noticed is that lots of newer silverware sets are impossible to stack. Many of them have round handles and it makes a messy silverware drawer. I wonder if they could make something that would look like the round-handled pieces but stacks better?

I consider two things when purchasing flatware.I always imagine what the spoon it will feel like in my mouth when eating vanilla ice cream. The depth of the bowl of the spoon is so important. It can’t be too deep that your mouth doesn’t properly fit around it and it can’t be too shallow that it does not hold broth. I also consider how well the knife will spread peanut butter. The width and roundness of the tip of the blade are important design elements to examine when searching for a perfectly made peanut butter spreading knife. The rounder and wider, the better. Eating is a sensorial event and carefully chosen flatware will only add to the experience.

I love the Katharine Flatware set. I have something very similar; it goes with my ultra-modern plates as well as the antiques of my mother. And I agree with R. Robyn and Green Key: form + function !!

The Christofle model I own and love is inspired from the french Louis-Philippe style. It was kinda funny to find it’s twin.

Anyway, love this round-up !

Lovely settings! I have long coveted PB’s Maxfield place setting. They’re designed to look like an odd assortment of antique silver! http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p4754/index.cfm?pkey=cplace%2Dsettings

First…can I just wail *noooooooooo* because my husband and I *just* bit the bullet and finally purchased flatware last weekend after a year of procrastinating and the assorted mix and match hand-me-down embarrassment!

Then, can I say yey, we actually like what we bought, even though we didn’t have the help and inspiration from this post (only a few days later, sheesh)

I found in our decision making process that (besides that we were spending a C&B gift card so were at C&B) – while some flatware looks fantastic to the eye, and is ultra fancy or ultra chic or ultra design-y…ultimately, this is what you’ll be using to negotiate food between your hands and your mouth, so…in the end it must feel right in both places :)

It also depends on body size as some of the coolest looking flatware is either super gigantic or super tiny!

(in the end we chose C&B Stanton in satin finish and I’m loving it from salad fork to soup spoon!)

I have to use this forum to gush about my Villeroy and Boch flatware. I got it at an outlet in Germany a few years ago for about 1/2 price and it feels absolutely yummy in your hands– very smooth and perfectly balanced. It is worth the investment if you want classic style that will last forever. It looks something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CELXG

Ok, so I love the idea of funky flatware, however, I hate when it interferes with some practical considerations, like how it feels in your hand and mouth.

I’m not a fan of skinny handles — they’re difficult to use. Besides that, I select my flatware based on weight and how I think the spoon would feel in my mouth.

Is it just me, or is does anyone else think 3-pronged forks are just kinda wrong?

ah…a lovely post Grace. We grew up with the Arne Jacobsen set in our house. It probably took 2 hours to eat our carrots with that tiny fork. Form over function for sure, but that set makes me smile.

I would like to add my favourite by the swedish designer Folke Arström. They called Focus de luxe and i have them and i just LOVE them.. They are so well designed, from how they look, the weight and how they feel in our mouth.. Eating soup with the spoon is a dream..

I loooove the fancy plastic set — in green, no less! — but I don’t think I could ever see paying $120 for a four-person setting of it. We actually had something similar — though not green, sadly — at my wedding, and it cost a whole lot less.

I’m still partial to the Arne Jacobsen flatware, but the choices you’ve pulled together are astounding! I’ve definitely found some new designs to covet that are just as simple and elegant as my favorite!

My favorite is what my husband and I received from our registry, the Stanton Satin set from Crate and Barrel.

~Natalie: I love that replacements.com link, I had never heard of it until now!

~Melanie: Villeroy and Boch has amazing designs for not only flatware but their dinnerware is to die for! Especially the Flow and Urban Nature collections.

Hooray! Thank you so much for the round up! I knew you’d do an amazing job and of course, at first glance, my favorite is the $700 a place setting pattern, but I can’t wait to look at every single set and pick out something we love and can afford.
I’m so thrilled you mentioned my name too, I feel like a d*s celebrity in a teeny way :-)

Gorgeous! The twig flatware is amazing, especially because the fork is three-pronged (why do we need four prongs when three gets the job done and is more aesthetically pleasing?

Personally, I love to mix and match my flatware, so I’d take 1 of everything! I frequent flea markets, antique shops, and even the salvation army in search of unique table ware… it’s kind of nice when everyone gets their own set at dinner.

love the twig handles, but i can’t help but thinking that some of the really round spoons might be awkward to eat out of. my work just bought new silverware and the spoons are too deep to eat soup out of easily, so it’s something i’m noticing in this round up too.

Oh Grace, sorry, didn’t check back sooner, it was the Magnussen listed at $762 for a 5 piece setting (magnussen 5-piece setting $762, in the 2nd group from the top). I know I usually have expensive taste, but man, that be a pricey set :-)
Either way, great work again, its a beautiful selection.

I saw a set 10+ years ago at a Z Gallerie store. Have searched for them ever since, but they may not exist anymore. They were in pretty poor taste, but I loved them.

They resembled the twig design silverware, but instead of twigs, the design was bones. Appropriate for Halloween and cannibal guests.

Has anyone ever seen these?

Beautiful and unique flatware does not have to cost $700.00 (yike) I work for Gourmet Settings – a flatware design and manufacturing company. Check us out – at http://www.gourmetsettings.com – i think you’ll be happily surprised. Take a look a our Handmade lines a they are in keeping with some of these patterns – but totally afordable. You use your flatware 3 x’s a day – 365 days a year – shouldn’t they bring a little dash of Joy?

This is a completely tardy addition to this thread, but I wanted to include my favorite — Clark flatware from Crate & Barrel. ADORE. Clean lines, lovely brushed finish that doesn’t show spots, nice heft (how it feels is important to me; I can’t stand flatware that’s not balanced or is too light). When I was growing up, we had lovely Danish-inspired simple brushed-finish flatware, and this set reminds me of those.

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=108&f=14307

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