Don’t get the Corelle, it can’t be dressed up. I like your choices. You can change it up by mixing it with some patterned or colors. Also linens in different styles will blend wonderfully.

What about Apilco Tuileries?

I have white Misaka sets & I LOVE them. We got them for our wedding 10 years ago & they are still going strong.

Apilco is quality stuff. Also check out Pillivuyt's Coupe at Williams Sonoma. It's elegant stuff and incredibly durable. I am a huge fan of Finnish porcelain. Iittala's Arabia 24h in white is lovely as is Teema and a few others. You will not regret quality porcelain. It is incredibly durable and beautiful.

I also love a white plate for its versatility. There are quite a few older posts about white dinnerware on this forum. I have white bone china which was discontinued quite a long while ago, but haven't had one chip or break. The tines in my Thermador DWs are spaced closely and these fit well, My dishes are Gorham but look similar to the Macy's Hotel Collection.

I don't see a soup bowl pictured. There is a cereal bowl and a soup plate. I have heard nothing but good things about the Aspen dishes from C&B. Personally, I have Apilco and Pilivuyt, and love the French porcelain. The lion's head soup bowls Apilco makes are very nice and seem pretty big to me (18 oz.), if you prefer a bowl to a plate.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/apilco-porcelain-lions-head-soup-bowl/

Another option to consider is restaurant quality. From bistro to high end. Very durable.

I've had mine for at least 20 years. I think 5 different plates and at least five bowl shapes from the large pasta bowls down to a small cup. Deep round serving and med&large oval serving. We use them as everyday and dress up easily. No idea how much I have anymore. Initially I had at least 2 cases each of the basic 4 piece place setting serving 72. (I've been giving away sets over the years to friends and family)----that was a rare 'only in NYC' sale at 10bucks a case for high end.

But still great prices can be found. I don't think you will ever regret having a basic good quality white or off white set. I've used the webstaurant store a few times. Made an appetizer for a friends wedding using one of their sake cups.

Nice that you can a-la-carte what you want then add on later. This one bistro style has lots of options. HERE

Thank you everyone!

@Michelle misses Sophie: I checked out Apilico Tuileries at my local Williams Sonoma. I loved the lines and the weight.

@marymd7: Yes, I liked the Pillivuyt as well. I like the hemstitch and basket weave pattern. I really like Perle.

Another question I have is that many stores come out with seasonal dinnerware. It seems excessive to get a full set of seasonal dinnerware. Rather than buying a full seasonal dinnerware set, what pieces would you purchase to use with a white porcelain set like Aspen (Crate and Barrel), Roulette (Crate and Barrel), Apilco Tuileries, Pillivuyt Perle or Pillivuyt Basket Weave?

I like having some fun salad plates- they work for dessert and appetizers and mix and match well with plain white.

Is Bridge kitchenware still around in NY? My mother bought a veritable boatload of Apilco from them for close to nothing.

I was going to suggest the same as Rita for seasonal pieces - salad plates can also work as luncheon plates. Charger plates can also be an option to dress up a holiday dinner table - maybe pick a color from the salad plate or a silver or gold metallic charger.

Crate and barrel whiteware sucks. Don’t waste your money

We have front of the house restaurant quality whiteware. It is hard-working, beautiful and tough. It comes in a variety of styles and everything can be mixed. I personally have the canvas and ellipse patterns. I’ve had it for 11 years and in my 75 or so pieces, have had one tiny chip.

@lbkeys could you elaborate why Crate and Barrel whiteware sucks? I'm unsure what brand you're recommending and why it's better than any others.

@Rita: I use the term soup bowl. Crate and Barrel uses the term low soup bowl in their Aspen collection. I think this is what you are calling a soup plate.

The dinner plate, soup bowl and cereal bowl would be the most used pieces. I never like mugs in most sets and will purchase the tea or coffee/espresso cups and saucers I prefer.

We have had Aspen for almost 10 years and love it. If a piece gets broken, we just pop in and get another.

I have Tin Can Alley by Lenox which I purchased on sale. It is white bone china and most of the pieces are still made in the USA. I use it daily and I have found it to be very durable, versatile, and many different serving pieces have been manufactured over the years. It also blends well with other modern tableware.

We have have pillivuyt dishes in our main home and Crate and Barrel in our weekend home. I like both. Yes the Pillivuyt is heavier and more substantial. I also like the lightness and smaller stack of Crate and Barrel. Both can be dressed up for any occasion. I mixed several Crate and Barrel dish styles they match well.

Totally agree with going with CB Aspen. We have had at least 10 years and still looks great. Only one dinner plate broken and it was dropped on a file floor. Doesn't chip and I often hit on the edge of the granite when loading dishwasher. When you go to buy make sure the plates are flat and bowls are truly round! Not high end dinnerware but so great for daily use. I've also added the rectangle salad p!ates. The Aspen small bowl is great for a bowl of soup or cereal we also have the coffee mugs that aren't Aspen but CB because they ho!d more!

Update... I have purchased the Pillivuyt Perle. The main reason I selected this was because of the paste plate/bowl. I got dinner plate, salads plate, bowl and pasta plates.

I tend to eat lots of soups. The Aspen low bowl just doesn't seem to hold enough.

If anyone is still following this thread I'd appreciate suggestions on what you might do to dress this up for holiday or formal dinners.

If you celebrate Christmas, you can use a red or green tablecloth and napkins. For Easter or spring, I have a beautiful soft green tablecloth. Add color with centerpieces, glassware, napkin rings, etc. You can probably do a search on Houzz and get ideas in the home decorating forum. No limit on ways to change a table with white dinnerware.

Table linens/placemats and chargers will hlep you set a festive and/or elegant table. Of course centerpieces, candles, greenery, flowers, fruits, pinecones will also support the mood you wish to achive. I love the dishes you chose. Williams Sonoma has great deals on serving pieces from Pillvuyt and Apilco close to the Holidays. You cannot go wrong with this classic and elegant service.

Thank you. Any thoughts about adding festive plates and how you might mix them?

i love the fun plates available for holidays. You could just buy the dinner plate in the festive pattern, everything works with your new service. Whatever is the first plate you will use at the table, buy that size, so that pattern sets the mood. So if you serve salad or a starter first, then buy a smaller plate instead of the dinner.

If you really, really want plates that are holiday-specific, I also would suggest salad/starter plates as the holiday accent. Set on top of the white dinner plate, they will be highlighted.

The idea of the table decor (and linens) in the holiday theme or colors with an all-white setting is classic and might be a lot more versatile than having sets of holiday-specific accent plates.

Less is more - a subtle nod to the holiday rather than lots of themed items will have a more pleasing look.

I have a beige set which I dress up seasonally with the same principle. I have a couple of options for salad bowls both formal and informal. Also serving bowls that match the plain colored plates but have a pattern with some seasonal colors to it. I have springy patterns and fall and winter type ones. Plain crystal is also a good match for everything that you want to glam up and this can be mixed with the less expensive pressed glass. Also linens, which is what I love, can be mixed and matched to give many looks. Silver and other grey metallic finishes would look great with your set too. You can pick up a lot of cute relatively inexpensive accent dishes at Goodwill and antique places. We've had some recent threads on "tablescaping" and the chief limiting factors are your imagination, taste and storage capacity!