Embrace the Classic Style White Dishes Bring to Any Table

The color white, whether crisp and bright or softer ivory, is exceedingly versatile and pairs well with so many shades and patterns. With a white dish set in your collection, you can easily switch from a minimalist look for a casual dinner party to a more festive one for a holiday gathering. Use the white dishes as a foundation to layer with your more vibrant dinnerware and table linens. 

 

White dish sets never go out of style, either. Someday, your children may even appreciate inheriting the family set so they can recreate the beloved family dining traditions you started. This classic style always provides consistency to your table and highlights the main event: the food you’re serving.

 

The History of White Dish Sets

 

Appreciating the value of white dish sets is nothing new. Ancient civilizations, such as the Greeks and Romans, valued the beauty of painted pottery. For instance, their flasks, called Lagynos, often used dark-on-white color designs. In the Middle Ages, white dishes became more exclusive and generally just decorated the tables of the wealthy.

During the Renaissance, people loved to showcase white dishes with painted designs on their tables — Italian potters excelled at making maiolica — a type of earthenware available in an assortment of colors, including white {which got its pale hue from a glaze of tin oxide}. The Industrial Revolution introduced mass production, making white dish sets more affordable and accessible. Today, we still appreciate the simple and timeless aesthetic of white dishes. 

 

3 Reasons We Love White Dish Sets

 

White dinnerware has long been a favorite in our family. While we are all about bright hues and punchy patterns, we still maintain that every home needs a set of white dishes. They’re a true dining staple.

 

Much like a classic white tee is essential in every closet, white dish sets are a fundamental part of your dinnerware collection. Since they mix and match with every design type, you’ll also always have the perfect blank canvas to beautifully frame whatever vibrant culinary creation you serve. We love white dishes so much because of their utility and ability to make our recipes look so good!

1. White Dishes are Classic

 

The color white — whether you’re using it in your home décor, flowers, wardrobe, or, in this case, entertaining essentials — never goes out of style {and we mean never}. That means your white dinnerware purchase is a lasting investment. Its versatility makes it your go-to set for formal events and everyday dinners alike. 

2. White Dishes Pair With Everything

The simplicity of white dish sets also lends itself to their adaptability, complementing any style, from rustic to modern {and everything in between}. You can use white dishes to tone down a maximalist look packed with many colors, patterns, and textures or as the base of your overall theme, adding in different shades and designs to achieve your vision. 

Another option is to go with all-white dinnerware for a minimalist vibe. You can easily pair white table accessories, like our Signature White Ruffle Salt and Pepper Shaker Set, with any pattern.

3. White Dishes Enhance Food Presentation 

When designing your gathering, sometimes you want the recipes you’ve prepared to take center stage. In that case, forego the colorful platters and choose your white dish sets. The clean palette of white dishes provides a perfect backdrop for any meal, emphasizing the colors and textures of the food to make an impression on your guests. 

 

Whether a formal dinner party or a casual family meal, white dish sets effortlessly elevate the dining experience. One of our favorite American cooks and authors, Ina Garten, swears by this trick. We recommend using white serving platters, bowls, and trays to serve recipes that include a lot of vibrant colors and textures. 

Recipes that Look Incredible on White Dishes: 

• Vibrant Vegetable Tian Recipe 
• Broccoli & Cauliflower Gratin Recipe
• Smoked Salmon Carpaccio with Crispy Capers Recipe
• Head-On Shrimp Recipe
• Italian Chopped Salad Recipe

Our White Dish Collections

While you may think of all-white dishes when you hear the phrase “white dinnerware,” it also refers to dish sets with a white base with simple or minimal color details. These dishes offer the same appeal and advantages as pure white, with just a bit of flair. Here are a few of our original collections featuring designs that illustrate this idea:

 

Our Iconic Signature White Dishes

 

 

Our Signature White Dinnerware Collection offers the essential building blocks for everyday dining and entertaining. It was designed as a foundational set that can easily coordinate with your dinnerware, serveware, and home décor. The Signature White Collection features both ruffled and rimmed dishes.

The Signature White Ruffle dishes have a white palette with hand-painted brushstroke details that create an artisan look. The ruffled edge is a Coton Colors signature that adds an air of femininity. The Signature White Rimmed dishes have the same hand-painted designs and natural ceramic color as their ruffled counterparts but feature a wide, flat rim.

 

The Dynamic Deco Collection

 

 

Our Deco Collection has the same appeal of white dish sets with just a touch of glam. The collection is inspired by Art Deco styles, using the rich colors and geometric shapes common to 1920s designs. Coton Colors’ Deco Collection adds a modern twist to the traditional gold accents and vintage patterns.

The Empire pattern pairs a creamy white background with scalloped edges and metallic gold outlines in a bold take on classic white dishes. The Swiss Dot pattern playfully scatters gold dots, adding texture to the utensils and accessories. Both styles bring sophistication and dimension to your dishes, perfectly framing your food and elevating any tablescape.

 

The Contemporary Crew Collection

 

 

The Crew Collection features inspired black and white dishes using the same scallop shape as the Deco dinnerware but with a stronger contrast color to frame your food. The Moroccan-inspired designs featured in the Crew Collection look striking yet remain versatile. These black and white dishes will elevate your dining experiences with their eye-catching Arabesque edge.

These black and white dishes are a not-so-traditional option if you want standard white dinnerware with a modern twist, and they beautifully complement our other Coton Colors collections. Their classic color scheme also keeps them timeless, helping you create unforgettable tablescapes every time.

 

White Dishes are Perfect for Any Occasion

 

The true beauty of white dish sets is they can work for any celebration. You can set your table to emphasize the crispness of the neutral hue or layer in other shades to elevate a festive look. Either way, you’ll host a beautiful celebration that friends and family remember.

 

White Dish Sets for Enhancing Bridal Showers 

 

When Marcie, Courtney, Taylor, and Logan hosted a beautiful bridesmaids luncheon, they coordinated the perfect wedding look by basing the theme, Bright White and Blooming, on bridal white. The girls set the tone by opting for the clean, minimal look of our Signature White Rimmed dish sets, which were purposefully chosen to contrast the color-packed reception the bride, Mary Parker, had planned for her big day. The result was a modern and layered table with a feminine flair from the fresh floral centerpieces. 

 

Our Favorite Holidays For Setting a Table with White Dishes

 

You can use white dish sets for all your favorite seasons and holidays. This neutral base works wonderfully with all those festive accent dishes you’ve collected {and inherited from family members} throughout your celebrations. We adore holidays and curate memorable looks for our family gatherings like:

Easter: Our tradition is having a potluck-style Easter lunch — it’s casual and laid-back, but we still keep things special by using fresh florals and themed dinnerware and serveware.

Christmas: Ah, Christmas — it’s really the most wonderful time of the year. We enjoy gathering as a family on Christmas Eve. The dishes in our O Holy Night Collection look so beautiful in the flickering candlelight {Pro tip: this collection coordinates well with Deco dinnerware!}. Don’t forget to add cloth placemats and table linens {maybe red or green?} to elevate the celebratory feel. 

Halloween: All-white dishes or black-and-white dish sets are the perfect foundation for a festive Halloween spread. When Sara Kate held a ghoulish candle-lit dinner, she wanted to optimize the autumnal elements of the season by focusing on a dark green theme, using the Signature White 4-Piece Set so the rest of the tablescape could pop. 

3 Ways to Use White Dishes as Home Décor 

White dish sets are not just for dinner. You can use them as accent pieces for serveware and décor. Here are three things you can try:

1. Use a Personalized White Platter as Statement Décor  

 

A white platter provides the perfect palette for artistic customization. Coton Colors offers personalization, so you can add your family name, a bold single initial, or a block or classic monogram in 12 colors and ten fonts to suit your style. 

A plate stand will help you display your new decorative art — you can hang it on the wall or use it on a tabletop. {Pro-tip: Grab off the wall when you’re ready to serve.}

2. A White Serving Bowl Can Act as a Stylish Catch-All 

Use large bowls like our Signature White 13” Ruffle Best Bowl or Signature White 9” Ruffle Bowl on a coffee table or kitchen counter to store fruit, veggies, trinkets, remotes and other items. They match any décor style and will help you beautifully organize your life. They work well in the kitchen and bathroom, too!

3. Try a White Salad Plate as a Trinket Dish 

Our Signature White Ruffle Salad Plate makes excellent bedside storage for your phone, jewelry, watch, glasses, and more. You can also use it on the bathroom vanity for jewelry, self-care essentials, and hand soap. It even works in the entryway to corral keys, wallets, and mail. 

 

Choosing a Color Palette to Complement White Dish Sets

 

Sometimes, specific color combinations just work. They seem pleasing to the eye because the shades pair well together. For example, natural hues complement a variety of everyday and seasonal dishes and serveware. A few duos we like are:

• Black and white is a classic coupling that draws visual impact from the bold contrast of the two colors. Dish sets such as our Crew Collection offer a contemporary look to your table, providing a simple sophistication on its own or the potential to pair it with most other hues or patterns.
• Blue and white also make a lovely color combination, adding a sense of serenity to your table. Our Iris Blue Collection capitalizes on this pairing, offering a color palette that creates a classic look for your weeknight dinner or family gathering.
• Pink and white create a sweet, romantic look perfect for birthdays, weddings, and Valentine’s Day. Our Pink Happy Birthday Cake Melamine Dinner Plate and much of our Valentine’s Day Collection embody the natural joy of this couplet.

4 Coordinating Collections to Pair with White Dishes

 

You can create a stunning and harmonious table with white dish sets and Coton Colors dinnerware. Don’t hesitate to mix and match different styles — doing so makes for a more dynamic tablescape. We suggest using your white dishes as a base and adding the following collections as accents to create contrast and visual interest:

• Blush: The soft peach hues of the Blush Collection make a pretty pairing with white dishes. You’ll find it’s perfect for a feminine table setting like a bridal shower or a summer brunch. 
• Fundamentals: Mixing the hand-carved acacia wood dishes in our Fundamentals Collection with neutral dinnerware creates a warm, natural table setting that is sure to impress, whether you are hosting an impromptu backyard barbeque or an elevated dinner party. 
• Citrus: Seasonal collections such as Citrus add a pop of color to any table setting. The bright oranges and yellows in Citrus Collection dishes will start {or end} your day right and brighten up your summer season when paired with your favorite white dishes.
• Oyster: The fun Oyster Collection dishes add a nautical vibe to a table setting and enhance oyster roasts, seaside dinner parties, or coast-themed celebrations. The various blues stand out against a backdrop of white dinnerware.

With white dishes, it all comes down to basics. White dish sets are a valuable part of your collection because of their versatility. The neutral color allows you to customize many looks, swapping in different patterns, hues, and textures so you can set a table you love every time.

These classic white dish essentials remain timeless — creating the opportunity for you to pass these beautiful pieces to your children so they can continue your family’s dining traditions. By curating your collection of white dishes, you’re setting a foundation for your dinnerware and all your celebrations, which gives you the ability to make each one special.