It awful cheap stuff, stay away.

@Design Interiors South - At first, I had the mismatched WS set, but then when they came out with the bamboo, I had to have that. Sold the mismatched set and got the bamboo. I LOVE it.

ShadyWillowFarm, how is the weight of Cambria? I’ve been concerned that stoneware might feel “heavy”, especially carrying a stack of plates to the table? Truthfully, I’m also feeling a bit betrayed by Pottery Barn that they discontinued PB Classic...I thought I’d have it forever....

Design Interior South When I first bought the embossed milk glass, I was working second shift for the phone company and dishes could set overnight. I had no dishwasher (other than myself) at the time. Melted cheeses getting stuck between the embossed areas if my husband didn't remember/choose to rinse the plate or put the plate in the sink to soak is the culprit I most remember.

DesignGirl, how is the W&S bamboo pattern in terms of chipping and not showing knife scrapes?

@Design Girl I have the French dinner plates for years but they have chipped and crazed and well its time! I was eyeing the mixed set then saw the bamboo! Do you have the whole set or just the dinner plates? Are they heavy? I am not a fan of an overly heavy plate.

For me personally I would not care for the corral as a sit down dinner entertaining plate. I may totally be in the minority here and thats okay. I still cant get past the cookware and dish sets they had in the 70's and can totally picture them in my g-mas kitchen.

@Nancy Howell, @ Design Interior South - I have the whole set going on 3 years. I have had NO chips and do not see any knife marks yet. They do not seem heavy to me, but have held up very well. I have yet to break one even when I thought I would. I liked the mixed set, but this one I liked a lot better. It is used daily.

Suzebell oh gosh melted cheese is bad on anything once it gets hard!!!!

Well now you've done done it @Design Girl my husband may just divorce me because im convinced I must have the bamboo!

@ Design Interior South - Haha, I thought the same thing. My sister convinced me to just go for it. (I usually don't need convincing) - I actually got them at the WS Outlet and they were first quality and they had a great sale going on. I got everything, Dinner and Salad plates, rimmed soup, cereal bowl, mugs, everything. It was about $700, and I sold the mixed set on my local Facebook group for $600. Now that was a WIN.

DesignGirl, thanks so much! That’s a great endorsement. I really appreciate it

Plain solid (snow) white plates (or even the clear plates) with clear drinking glasses and bowls -- any brand/style to suit your budget and how formal you choose to have for dining -- could end up working well for any occasion dining.

For Christmas dinner, you could make it festive rather than formal and choose holiday serving dishes -- color and/or pattern. In my (albeit limited) entertaining experience, people prefer festive to formal -- even the lawyers I worked for.

Red coffee mugs could add a December holiday vibe and work for Valentine's day or Independence day -- with no need for them to match the plates. Green mugs could work for St. Pat's day; Harvest colors could work for October/November entertaining. Yet you could still use all those mugs year round, too.

I was only planning on getting the dinner plates but I am so tempted.......

To Suzebelles point I always had sets of holiday Salad plates I could sit on my solid white dinner plates. I have the plaid ones for Christmas. I have the majolica Bunny plates for Easter. I have some Woodland Spode for Thanksgiving . I actually sold them all two years ago when we downsized but am kicking myself!

I really like the idea of contrasting salad plates to add personality and festivity. It’s just the challenge of finding the right ones that work with our decor. I’m thinking Marne buy the whole set in bamboo and then have extra salad/lunch/dessert plates for flexibility.

So where are the WS outlets? Sounds like a great way to buy the set. Or does WS have sales at set times throughout the year??

Or, you perhaps you could choose one Bamboo serving tray and compromise w/husband on the dinner plates? (If that keeps the peace.)

I have an outlet about an hour away from me in CT - My sister has one in FL - I don't know where they all are, but you can certainly google it. What I got was all open stock - I just bought everything, but not the same quantities. I got 16 dinner plates and salad plates, 8 cereal bowls, 12 rimmed soup which we use for pasta, etc. and some bread and butter plates and about 8 mugs. I really do love them. They are simple, but not boring. The bamboo adds just the right amount of interest (for me).

That’s what I would like to do as well. I really want open stock since we have tile floors and dishes break easily if dropped. We don’t use mugs at all but go through a lot of plates and bowls. I just found the one in Florida in Vero Beach so looks like a road trip will be in order!

I have had Apilco Tradition from W&S for about 6 years and I love its simple elegance. We use it every day and it's been in the dishwasher and microwave without any problems at all. I've also used it for fancier dinners with charger plate or placemats underneath. https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/apilco-tradition-porcelain-dinner-plate/?pkey=ctabletop-apilco%7Capilco-tradition&isx=0.0.718

We have and love the Noritake Colorwave, which comes in a white option. The mix of matte and glossy gives it a bit of interest, and they have so many coordinating pieces, which is nice to mix things in.

https://noritakechina.com/colorwave-white-1404

I have white bone china form Lenox, it’s called Tin Can Alley. It’s simple and versatile.

Having had everything over the years in abundance, I would get porcelain for the durability and versatility.

I've had a now discontinued Dansk pattern (Bayberry) for about 25 years and used them as my every-day dishes. I purchased them after moving into a newly built home where I'd previously had a Mikasa pattern. I pretty much wiped out the Mikasa set within a year, chipping every dish on the granite and I was thrilled that the Dansk was so much more durable. I would buy Dansk again, except it seems like it is now a very different company since it was sold. Now, after 25 years, the Dansk has some crazing and I am considering replacing. I've yet to bite the bullet, but I am considering WS Apilco Tradition. It is a classic, but leans just a bit contemporary. I've researched this online and it seems everyone is very satisfied with this dinnerware.

I have the Apilco Hemstitch from W&S, we've owned it for about 7 years. Love it! We have had to replace 1 mug and 1 salad plate since we first purchased. But that is nothing compared to my old C&B set, which cracked, chipped and incurred veining / crazing.

Definitely recommend porcelain over stoneware. And if you do purchase at W&S, wait for their 25% off sale.

I like the weight of the Cambria - it does not feel fragile, but it’s also not heavy or bulky. I’ve only had mine about 6 months, but so far, so good. I think it’s porcelain, not stoneware.

Nope, it’s stoneware, but graceful stoneware, not heavy or unwieldy.

Google does show bone china as stronger and less likely to break than porcelain.

Either way, I would have some cheap everyday dishes for when you need a plate while cooking or snacking and vitrelle corelle can't be beat for not breaking.

My husband loved them because they were thin like paper plates!

My husband does all of the dishes in our house (We bargained for that prior to marriage), but he is very clumsy and breaks a lot of stuff. He has even managed to break metal mixing bowls. The best value vs. durability that we have found are the open stock white porcelain dishes from World Market.

I always use white dinnerware. Currently, I use Crate and Barrel but have also had Pottery Barn and BBB. The problem I always have is the it forms gray streaks on the plates. The sides of the mugs also have marks on them. The rim on the backside of the plate becomes black. I regularly use a dishwasher but from time to time have to clean these marks with Bar Keepers Friend. Anyone with the same experience?

Localeater, how has the Lenox held up in terms of chipping and scratching? Lenox is one of the names I’ve held in high regard from the past....

Smit2380 - I hadn’t thought about World Market! Do you know how long their pattern has been out or how likely it is to change? I’ve felt like they frequently get new merchandise (yeah!!) but that’s not what I want with my dinnerware. Since Pottery Barn discontinues Pan Classic, I’m a overly-worried about choosing a pattern only to have them discontinue it again. May not be an issue at all with World Market, but was just wondering if you have any insight or how long you’ve had yours....

Laurenjay, I have some grey streaks in the center of my PB plates but I assumed those were knife marks created when cutting meat. I haven’t had the streaks anywhere else though, so maybe we aren’t talking about the same streaks?

Oops, my discontinued dishes are PB white, not PB Classic....

When I chose the WS bamboo pattern I was also looking at some others. The Apilco dishes are very similar in price and durability I would not hesitate to purchase that brand. The Wedgewood/Lenox I found were made in China. For me, that was a deal breaker. I believe the World Market dishes are also made in China These WS dishes are made in France.

Crate and Barrel “Aspen” is open stock. And does not get the black streak marks that other plates can get. (Or at least mine haven’t!)

Tired of my everyday stoneware, I started to accumulate Fitz and Floyd Neveah white bone china exclusive to Bed Bath and Beyond. I mix the White Rim dinner, the Soft Square salad for lunch, and the Hard Square soup bowl for dinner salads and pasta. There is a Coupe style, Grand Rim, and a few with metallic trim and metallic lattice - gold and platinum. Many serving pieces. I considered French porcelain but found it too hard to commit to a line given the investment. This BBB collection is about half the price, $10 per White Rim dinner plate (less BBB coupons!). The feel of the dinnerware is lovely - hard to describe - almost soft compared to porcelain. Very durable so far, not delicate. I chose most items in the store because not everything is perfect. Of course, it's a retail risk regarding discontinuance. You have to poke around to find all the pieces online, searching for individual things like "soup bowl'.

neveah white rim

Nevaeh White by Fitz and Floyd

Nevaeh White® by Fitz and Floyd® 8.25-Inch Hard Square Soup Bowl

Regarding the Cost Plus World Market sets, I have a set of those I use as extras when we have parties. They are fine but are thinner than the Apilco and I am not sure they would stand up to heavy daily wear as well as the Apilco.

I've had good luck with Apilco plain white dinnerware. Another one you might check is Maison from Crate and Barrel. I don't own any myself but know people who do and like it.

My mother-in-law had a business for years that sold china and crystal. Goodness knows we have more Lenox and Waterford than anyone could need. I just don't use it that much and prefer my plain white dinnerware. Love the simple, clean lines and versatility. Easy to go formal or casual. Also, food just looks better on white dishware IMO.

Over the years I've picked up several plain white serving bowls and platters at HomeGoods. Great to have on hand.

I have had a Williams Sonoma set (now discontinued) for about 15 years called their "Everyday Dinnerware". I really like the simplicity of them. I recently decided that I wanted to add a few more items and used this site to find some used replacements that are in great condition. I think I returned one item that was blemished but all others are great. It looks like they offer discontinued Pottery Barn dishes as well if you wanted to just add some more to your set.

https://www.replacements.com/search/?query=pottery+barn

Otherwise, I would highly recommend a Williams Sonoma set again. And if I ever need to replace mine, I will be looking there first. They have several white sets that look pretty classic to me.

Thanks - great to hear such positive comments about Williams Sonoma pieces and the loyalty many of you have. I’ve used Replacements before but, at this point, I’m missing enough pieces that it’s more cost effective to start over

macy's has a Hotel line. i like it.

I had wondered about Macy’s Hotel line. I’ve got their sheets and like them. Can you please share how long you’ve had them and how they are doing with chipping and knife marks? Thanks!

FWIW, I used my Corelle set for more than a decade with young children who got their own dishes out of their own drawer in the kitchen. Even with that, few dishes were broken and none chipped.

I have Crate and Barrel Court. They’re square. Love them!!

Another vote here for Williams Sonoma dinnerware. I’ve been using the Pillivuyt Perle dishes for 8 months now and no chipping or black marks from flatware. The dishes are beautiful but heavy compared to Corelle, which I used for 20+ years. I got tired of the black marks on the Corelle and decided to upgrade. Williams Sonoma dinnerware is not inexpensive but they do have sales. I bought mine in the store. One piece was not completely glazed and I brought it back to the store to exchange it without a problem. They sell it as individual pieces in the store and you can mix and match dishes if you like.

I’ll toss in HF Coors. Found them while researching dinnerware made in the US (lead-free). I’ve had the couped ceramic set in matte white for two years of daily use. No chips or cracking. Available as open stock and microwave, dishwasher, oven, broiler, and freezer safe.

Something to consider if you're on a budget: Buy a dozen or so clear glass bowls from the Dollar Tree (especially but not only for the kids) for daily use -- cereal, ice cream, soups, etc. -- and you'll have a larger budget for the dinner plates you really want and/or any bowls that match the dinner plates you really want to use for more formal occasions.

I love west elm. Looks handmade can be dresses up or down