Some of the dishes are tolerable, the glassware is often quite nice, and the flatware is cheap and cheezy as can be, IMHO.

I don't know about flatware, but the Corelle dishes from Walmart fit your criteria to a T, and come in many designs!!

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Oh, also Ikea doesn't exactly have 'lines' of dinnerware. Some popular styles hang around a while, but mostly that stuff comes and goes: it you like something buy it now and buy as much as you need, because 6 months from now it may be replaced by something totally different.

Target has some nicer options in low-end dinnerware.

We just got back from a vacation rental in the UK, where the dinnerware was the white Ikea stuff. It was good, and what struck me most was that it's very flat, so fits into the DW REALLY well - no having to leave a space between each plate or any of that nonsense you have to do with hefty plates.

Worth it, just for that. I'm pretty sure their plain white stuff has been in their line for years.

But they were really nice to handle, and no-one would have known they were Ikea unless they turned them over. Perfectly acceptable chinaware.

I have some lovely Swedish crystal glasses which came from Ikea and were quite expensive. Style no longer available, but I think they still offer crystal as well as the cheap and cheerful stuff. We have their dirt cheap champagne glasses, for when we need to celebrate with lots of people!

I have a set of IKEA dinnerware. We have had it for about 4 years and it all looks like new. We have one plate with a chip, but I have two teenage boys, and they are VERY hard on dishes. Says they are designed in Sweden and manufactured in Bangladesh. I don't think you can get them anymore, but they fit in the cupboard and dishwasher nicely. My only complaint about them is they have a lip around the edge that curls under, so that when pulling out of the dishwasher, water can collect in the lip on the back. Just have to remember to unload with a dishtowel handy. Otherwise we have been very happy with them.

When I invited way too many people for Christmas dinner, to supplement my dinnerware I bought IKEA 365 dinnerware in lieu of plastic plates. It was that cheap. They sell it open stock but had starter sets of service for 6 (3 piece place settings - dinner plate, luncheon/dessert plate, deep soup bowl) for $20. I bought 2 boxes. It looked good. I haven't used it much so I couldn't say how it holds up but at that price it's pretty easy to replace. When I was there a couple of months ago I saw the starter sets and I think they have them online.

We also have IKEA 365 plates, though we're about to retire them. I like them a lot, though---actually prefer the shape to the schmancy new ones!---but they don't seem to make our particular style anymore. (Ours are very similar to the wide rim colorful plates they have now, but are a slightly different shape from 5-6 years ago, made in Portugal.) Only one has chipped, and it got dropped on a ceramic tile floor, so it seems unfair to cast that against it! They also sell some nice glasses; generally the European-made ones are lighter weight glass (which I like, but that's probably a personal thing). They aren't much cheaper than our Duralex glasses, though (whereas you can buy an entire set of dinnerware for the cost of our new plates!)

I was not impressed with their flatware, though. We need new flatware and every time I'm there I think maybe I should look at it again. I shouldn't. :) Crate and Barrel has good simple modern flatware for not too much (at least at the Outlet, but you can get Outlet stuff online if there isn't one near you). They also sell cheap dinnerware, but honestly I think some of Ikea's stuff is better quality---C&B's cheaper dinnerware is all made in China and very heavy/clunky. Their nicer stuff is a lot more expensive, though.

Their flatware is too light. Flatware needs to have a certain heft when you hold them in your hand to feel "good" to eat with. It is hard to that without using enough metal in them, thus the cost goes up. You have to feel the flatware before buying them, IMHO.

I think there are some cheaper flatware at Target and Walmart, K-Mart and such that feel better and do not cost much money.

Crate and Barrell has nicer stuff.

Charmig has "acetal" plastic for handles. Smooth and strong. Being hefty in the operating end and light in the handle, your utensils stay in the bowl or plate instead of falling off. Handy when you carry things back to the kitchen. But I just like the feel of strong smooth high tech handles that balance the steel at the other end.

Thanks everyone for your great advice. Since my OP, I also saw online the Pottery Barn "Great White Traditional" dinnerware. Seems like it would be pretty. Though reasonably priced for PB, it's more expensive than Ikea, so Ikea is still the front-runner. If anyone has the PB dinnerware, I'd welcome your comments. As to flatware, since it seems that Ikea flatware isn't a good choice, does anyone know any other flatware they like? I guess I will check out Target and Crate and Barrel for flatware.

I have some IKEA white plates and bowls and intend to buy more when the reno is done and we use our new open shelves. The dinner plates are the perfect size, not to big and not too small. They also curl up slightly, so if you serve something with sauce, it does not spill on the way to the table.

I use IKEA glasses and I love them. They stack so you can fit more in your space and are pretty and inexpensive, and also have a nice heft to them. The stacking glasses they have now are also available in several different subtle color tints, I love the light blue. In fact, I am going to buy a bunch of extra because they change patterns every so often and I really like this particular version. Also, I would echo the poster above and consider Corelle plates. We have them for everyday. I got 12 plates as a wedding shower gift 17 years ago and they still look new. Since then I have added matching bowls, etc. in my pattern which are still available. You can break Corelle, but it is extremely hard to do. I think we have only lost two dinner plates in all the years we have had them. (One last week when my son knocked a plate off the fireplace mantel and it hit the slate underneath. Don't ask me what a dinner plate was doing on the mantel in the first place...lol) They have lots of patterns now. If you have a Corningware/Corelle outlet near you, you can get them for practically nothing and I get sale coupons all the time.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I think when we visit Ikea we are also going to look at the "Pokal" glasses in the various sizes.

As to Corelle, I know people love them, but I don't think the new ones are made the way the old ones were. I was at a friend's recently who has new Corelle dishes. She dropped one, and it shattered in a million tiny shards. Seriously razor-sharp shards. Much worse than if you dropped porcelain dishes and had the porcelain shatter. The experience turned me off to Corelle. I also have friends who have the 15-year-old Corelles, and they're great. But I don't want to have to go to eBay for something like that. I want brand-new.

You are right...when they do break the pieces are awful, worse than porcelain. But I've found that they're much, much harder to break. Good luck with whatever you choose!

I am impressed by the low-cost sets of stainless flatware for sale at Sears, Kohl's, Penney's, Marshall's, etc. For $50-$200 you can have a really good time and get something that will probably last until your kids graduate from high school or even longer. Be sure to buy sufficient quantity so that you don't have to wash dishes/run dishwasher in order to set the table. Unfortunately, most have the pieces lashed into the display box so you can't handle them. (I dislike non-rounded edges on spoons and forks.) There's usually something for everyone in the styles, but don't expect the store to stock them for the next twenty years. Styles and brands change frequently.

if you live near a muji store (there are three in nyc!) you could take a look at their dishes. I think they have 3 different styles and they are very lovely. Their flatware is nice too (though I think small for us standards). The us version of their website isn't selling it yet but I found a link to their european site. I have seen the dishes in the nyc store, they are very nice and not expensive.

Here is a link that might be useful: muji porcelain

Muji is only in NY in the U.S., but thanks for the suggestion.

Didn't get to Ikea this weekend, but will next weekend. In the meantime I did go to Pottery Barn to see their white porcelain dinnerware, and I really liked it. I also liked that there is a wide variety of accessory dishes or serveware that go with it. But, even though it's reasonably priced for Pottery Barn, it's still about double the Ikea dinneware. I need to see the Ikea 365+ porcelain in person to see if it's worth it to spend so much more on the PB plates. Perhaps I'll mix and match.

I'm with Jaybird on the Corelle - I have some of my Mom's pieces from when I was little and they still look brand new with the exception of some etches in the bottom of the coffee cups (35+ years). Go for stainless flatware marked 18/10. If it is not marked, it is probably not 18/10. You may find alot of pieces marked 18/8; it will be lighter, bend easier and lose luster quickly. All my 18/10 pieces are marked as such and look just as good as new. I do NOT use lemon dishwasher powder.

My Ikea dinnerware breaks my heart, I purchased the Arv line, a pretty ceramic set of dishes with a slightly fancy edge. I absolutely LOVE the look, but it CHIPS if you look at is cross eyed! I am not a rough person and I like to take care of my things but there is no stopping this stuff from chipping! Some of my plates have as many as 6 chips in them and they just keep happening. I am a potter, and my best guess is Ikea uses a very low quality clay that fires at a low temperature therefore never gets hard enough to withstand every day use. I wish correll would create a set that looks as good as this one. Come on correll get with the times!

Ikea has dinnerware of differing quality.

Ikea 365 is feldspar porcelain, we haven't any chips after a dozen or so years. The "line" keeps its name, but shapes change. As its all white, I like to add new designs. I can't ever seem to have enough simple white dishes. It doesn't craze, and doesn't develop greyish staining like stoneware often does. Love it.

I also combine it with some of their "Oftast" series. Ikea's version of Corelle, but the Oftast has a nicer look imho.

Stockholm is quite a bit more expensive, and is bone china. It has round dishes and square, it's quite elegant.

Most of the colorful and some of their white dishes are stoneware. Stoneware easily chips.

Some of the dinnerware can look quite elegant, however... I'd steer clear of the flatware.

I've had great luck with their glasses, but IME the stoneware chips easily.

In contrast my stoneware from crate and barrel has one chip on one plate after nearly twenty years.

Personally I love Mikasa dinnerware. I get it from QVC and on sale at Macy's. I use targets threshold brand in blue with scalloped edges for my cats. It's super pretty.

I'll find more options

QVC American Atelier Bianca
QVC Oneida Naturally White

QVC TableTops

Macys Mikasa Antique White

Macys The Cellar Whiteware Rim

Macys The Cellar Whiteware Coupe

This is a super deal for this kind of set and nice quality dishes . And you can get a 20% off coupon on the website .

They also have a good quality flatware for very reasonable .
Gibson-amalfa 37piece set

Just noting that the Gibson in ravencajun's link is on closeout, so you might want to move fast if it appeals to you.

If you have a restaurant supply store near you that sells to the public, I highly recommend checking them out. I bought cases of plates and saucers for much less money than 8 pieces of pottery barn or William Sonoma dishes several years ago. Very sturdy and dirt cheap.

Yes that incredible deal on the Gibson is closeout and the reviews are excellent.

You did not mention glasses but they have a very good price for this set of Libbey-crisa-boston-18-piece-glassware-set , I own this set it's very good quality and good weight. I have had it for a few years and not a single chip.

https://m.bedbathandbeyond.com/m/product/libbey-reg-crisa-boston-18-piece-glassware-set/1013579571

Here's a nice set from JCPenney, service for 8

http://www.jcpenney.com/jcpenney-home-porcelain-whiteware-32-pc-round-dinnerware-set-service-for-8/prod.jump?ppId=pp5003570734&catId=cat100240018&deptId=dept20000011&urlState=/g/dinnerware-sets-dinnerware-sets-white/N-bwo3vD1nohoyZ131Z1z141op

We had white Ikea 365 dishes, and I had no issues with them. I got rid of them when I bought some dishes that matched our kitchen. Now we are redoing the kitchen, and I will be replacing those dishes since our dishes will now be on open shelves and the kitchen is not the same color. Potentially buying the same dishes I used to own!