I think you might have better luck asking on the home decorating forum.

If you entertain a lot, then you need a 12 person set. If not, then the 8 should be fine.

How often do you run your dishwasher? If daily then service for 8 might suffice. If you really like the flatware then go ahead and get service for 12 - it's not going to take up any more room in your drawer than the 8 person set. You may even want to consider purchasing additional spoons - especially if you have coffee or tea drinkers. Have you considered adding serving pieces?

Long ago I got a second 8 pc set. Now 30 years later, I probably have full settings for 8 or 9, what with pieces that have disappeared over the years. But if I am having 8 people for dinner, I'll have to dig out the silver, or handwash some items because I also use flatwear for cooking. And adding extra spoons is a good idea. Buy a pattern that continues to be produced after many years, and you can buy replacement pieces 30 years from now.

I would go with a minimum of 12 place settings. I have 16 settings..... not that I need them all the time, but some get lost (or in my case a moment of absentmindedness...blended with my smoothie), I will often use some pieces while cooking and it's nice not to have to wash pieces mid dinner when we are entertaining.

I bought service for 16 with 8 extra spoons. I've never run out (have come close on knives, dinner forks, and spoons a few times). We'll use this set for at least 30 years.

If you like your pattern and intend to use the pattern for many years to come, then I would get a minimum of 16 place settings with another 8 teaspoons! 20 place settings + 16 teaspoons would be even better along with at least 6 of each serving utensil (slotted spoon, solid spoon, serving fork, ladle).

If you don't need them all, then put some away.

(Teaspoons always seem to "disappear" for some reason! That's why I recommend extras of those.)

Why? Patterns come and go in almost all manufacturers. Even Oneida, which used to boast about their "patterns for a lifetime" - meaning they would never discontinue the patterns so labeled - have stopped advertising such and, indeed, appear to be phasing out many of the patterns originally part of the "patterns for a lifetime" program. (I have one such pattern and when I noticed the serving utensils and individual items started disappearing, I quickly stocked up. Hopefully, I now have enough of all items to last the rest of my life!)

Twelve for sure; more if you can afford it.

That's so funny about the comments on spoons. For us, it's forks. We never lose the spoons but always seem to be lacking forks. I recently bought 20 forks just so we can have forks at all times.

The same pattern shows in our use of the disposable utensils. Forks, forks, forks.

we always lose knives. We chose flatware from C&B when we got married 15 years ago. Registered and received 12 sets. About 8 years later we were down to something like 9 knives. Bought 5 more sets, and i think we're down to 12 knives again! I don't know where they go!

Why did I read this? I'm burning money in my remodel, now searching flatware on Amazon. You guys are killing me ;)

Caligirl, you are allowed to continue using your pre-reno flatware. :)

I have a set for 24 ... plus a dozen extra teaspoons ... plus round soup spoons ... plus matching steak knives ... plus loads of serving pieces.

I acquired this large set when my oldest got her first college apartment. I had some modest silverware that I had from my wedding ... but, as others have pointed out, silverware had been lost and the newer model was a little different. I split my old silverware between my kids, and I bought a huge set of new stuff for me! I don't intend ever to buy silverware again.

I only have settings for 8 and it's really not enough, even though we're only a household of 2. We don't run the dishwasher daily, though - usually only every 2-3 days, by which time I am ALWAYS out of forks. I need to go pick up an additional four settings.

I have two complete sets of 12 I had registered for wedding years ago. Both sets have all the extra serve ware. One set for daily use to go with 12 set daily dishes and one set for 12 set China for occasional use. The China and flatware that goes with it never gets used :( Sad I think I'm gonna get that box of flatware out when my kitchen is done and get using it! My mom and grandmother always had the "extra nice" set in a velvet lined box too and I followed suit. I assumed everyone else did the same. Lol.

I am curious as to how silverware gets lost. Mangled in the disposal on occasion, but ours never leaves the house.

(We have always counted the good silver after use just to make sure.)

But my parents had the same bottle opener, can puncturer, corkscrew that they got as a shower present in 1955 when the house was sold a few years ago. It was lost for most of a day once around 2007 or so and the entire house was on lockdown until it was found. So things were rarely allowed to get lost.

As to the original question I would say 12 and double teaspoons.

Pal- I've caught a helpful guest accidentally dump a fork into the garbage along with the leftovers. Last year one of my two pairing knives (which I have had for all 23 years of my marriage) went missing and I am pretty sure it wound up in the garbage courtesy of one of my boys.

Patterns do eventually become discontinued :-( It's worth investing in your sterling, but there's no rush. Aim for 12, then over time go for whatever seems reasonable based on your usage.

I inherited mine, Oneida Silver Rose, in a set of 24 with a lot of teaspoons and dessert forks. It occasionally comes up for sale from estate auction houses. It's beautiful, but I have yet to use the entire service, so I won't be adding to it any time soon.

I am curious as to how silverware gets lost. Mangled in the disposal on occasion, but ours never leaves the house.

They hang out with the lost socks.

We "lose" a lot of silverware. Normally it is the spoons that accidentally get thrown away along with the yogurt cups - and I forget to double check the trash. Other times we have lost flatware after parties when the guests "help" and clean up - at least they think they are helping and many times end up inadvertently throwing the plastic cake plates away with a fork or two in there as well :( Before kids and parties we never "lost" any silverware.

Oh I know adults that carry around their home silverware to work with their lunch and leave it lying around. One of these is a woman who was at my parents' house when the official kitchen bottle opener was temporarily lost and everyone was looking for it before my dad had a stroke, and she said "This is ridiculous. I am going to Walmart and buying a bottle opener. I am buying Six bottle openers!"

I said "Wait a minute. How many bottle openers do you have?" and she said "I don't know, five...ten" and I said "And if we went in your kitchen how many of those would be in the drawer where you could lay your hands on one immediately?" She thought one or two. And then I said "So where are the other three to eight bottle openers? Do you look for the missing ones when you are down to half? Down to two or one? Or when you can't find Any of them. Or do you just get in the car and buy another one?"---"We have One bottle opener that belongs in the kitchen. It goes in the same spot and its the same one that's been in a kitchen somewhere since my parents got married. Who do you think normally knows where a bottle opener is at all times? You, or my parents?".

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If we have guests and are using the sterling silver, guests are not allowed to help clean up. Generally they are diverted from cleaning up anyway. We don't use disposable plates.

I have 18 five piece settings of sterling (Francis 1st), plus 12 of lesser used items, iced tea spoons, steak knives, etc, and for some odd reason 24 butter knives. After years of using rarely when entertaining, I have decided that when we move it's going to be my everyday flatware. At 62, it just seems like such a waste not to use it. Same for Chrystal and China (although I probably will use a dishwasher safe pattern most of the time and save the others for special occasions). I do wash all my silver, but knives in the DW.

Pal- I grew up in a household exactly like yours with respect to caring for one's things and keeping everything in an orderly fashion. I have not strayed too much from the straight and narrow. We only use sterling - International Silver Minuet- the set was an engagement present for my husband's grandparents around 1930- it has been used every day since then. The teaspoons are quite thin- you absolutely notice the difference between the originals (they are monogrammed) and new ones acquired via eBay- the pattern was discontinued decades ago. Our dressy silver is Marly, which we received as a wedding present from my family.

PS The fork that accidentally made its way to the garbage was scraped into the trash with a mound of leftover food- not dumped with the paper plate :-)

"And the dish ran away with the spoon . . ." (sorry-couldn't resist)

I am curious as to how silverware gets lost. Mangled in the disposal on occasion, but ours never leaves the house.

Pretty sure most of my missing teaspoons were courtesy of children scraping food from plates/bowls after meals.