Good place to buy plates and cutlery?

[Anonymous]

Since my son came along, seems like a lot of our plates and dishes have been smashed! Now looking to replace those with some nice quality ones (not fine china, but good, solid plates etc) and cutlery - not sure where all the spoons and forks have gone but need more~ I have checked out the department stores but do not like their selections. Does anyone have any ideas on this?

[Anonymous]

What style do you like?

[Anonymous]

Ours are from Williams-Sonoma. Have broken one plate in 10 years (I slipped walking down the stairs and they landed on a tile floor). Nice thing is that they have carried our patterns for 25+ years. Can't say that about Crate and Barrel, unfortunately.

We discovered that our little one was throwing away spoons at the end of meals, as that is what they were taught to do at daycare, where they use plastic spoons. Luckily W-S has made spoons available separate from the full place settings, so we ordered a bunch of extra teaspoons.

You don't say how old your son is. Our DC didn't get to carry china from the table to the sink until about 4.5 years old. Snacks and breakfast are still on unbreakable plates and bowls (can't recall what the material is called).

[Anonymous]

Bed, Bath, and Beyond has a huge selection (and you can use the 20& off coupons). If price is a concern, you might also want to check out Marshalls, Ross, TJ Maxx.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the responses! I like simple modern - not a lot of color on the central part of the plate, not flowery. More simple and maybe with a little design around the outside of the plate. My son is 2.5 years old and something clicked when one of the responses said that spoons were thrown away in daycare - I will bet that is what has been happening here~! On the cutlery side I like plain, oriental style. Hope thsi makes sense!

[Anonymous]

I also have had food luck at the Fortessa Outlet in Sterling, VA. They supply dishes and stainless to caterers and restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Depending on how much you want to spend and how much you want to be able to replace pieces as they get broken, I'd suggest World Market. I doubt you'd be able to find the same pattern in a few years, but their stuff is cheap and it's held up well with three boys. We bought everything they had in plain white a few years ago for about a dollar a piece.

[Anonymous]

Crate and Barrel has wonderful flatware. I have the couture and LOVE it. It's the perfect weight (feels solid) but isn't too heavy and it has a good fit in the hand. They also make steak knives in this pattern which sealed the deal for us.
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=100&f=1514

I would look at something like this, if you like plain but with an Asian/Oriental theme. I love the look, however, I found the shafts (is that what they're called?) were too skinny to feel comfortable. But it's a popular style, so people must like it.
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=100&f=675

For dishes, we have Villeroy and Boch and have been SO happy with it. Our set is all white, but we have 1/2 our soup bowls and 1/2 our dinner plates with a thick colored rim. The colored ones were from another pattern, but the plate style (shape) was the same so we could mix and match. V&B is a pretty solid brand and is a good price point. They have both contemporary and more "country kitchen" styles.