As the dreary months of lockdown finally came to an end, households up and down the country dusted off their best crockery which had been regaled to the back of the cupboard as they welcomed friends and family back into their homes. And there is certainly now a change in the styling of tables today. In all honesty, no one wants a plain white plate anymore, rather a pretty patterned example, with a chip in the corner, looking as if it has been handed down by granny is far more fashionable. These patterned dinner services really fell out of favour in the 90s as the trend was for the gastropub-esque oversized plain white plates, with many being cast aside to the attic or to the local charity shop. However, as trends in interiors have been veering towards colour and maximalism for some time now, patterned dinner services are finding their way back into auction houses across the UK.

A Limoges Delvaux part dinner service, sold for £80 at Cheffins May Interiors Sale 

The desire for pattern throughout our homes has undoubtedly been pushed along by some of the biggest names in interior design, such as Lulu Lytle or Matilda Goad, and whilst this trend might previously have been reserved for wallpaper or soft furnishings, it is has trickled down to tableware and now regional auction houses throughout the country are seeing the sales of the prettiest examples absolutely rocket. A couple of years ago, a smart Spode service might have only sold for around £50, however we are now seeing that values have over tripled with the best examples now selling for well into the hundreds or even the thousands.

Buyers include both interior design types working on a job for a client or private collectors, often in younger age groups, who are following the cottage-core or granny-chic trends which have been flooding social media feeds of late. A few years ago, a consignment of a box of a mismatched table service would have struggled to have sold at auction, meaning that charity shops were flooded with Wedgwood, Davenport or Nymphenburg patterned sets, however these are now being quickly snapped up by the design conscious.

A Mason's Ironstone imari dinner service sold for £3,000 at Cheffins Fine Sale in April 

For those looking to make a start on buying antique tableware at auction, some of the best names to look out for would be Spode, Nymphenberg, Davenport, Copeland and Garrett, Minton or Wedgwood. Masons Imari-ware is another top design alongside Spode which is growing in popularity and getting more expensive as a result. With its intense blues, oranges and pinks and intricate designs, Masons patterns are usually easy to spot, and we recently sold a Mason’s Ironstone Imari dinner service, comprising of over 70 pieces for £3,000, however this was an unusually high price due to its sheer scale and immaculate condition. If you are on the hunt for some lovely cheerful patterned tableware but not keen to break the bank, a good place to start is Willow pattern. This was mass produced in the late 18th century and is instantly recognisable by its traditional chinoiserie-style design, usually in blue and white. Large boxes of Willow pattern can still be bought at auction for well under £100, however I expect that prices for this will also rise as the trend for patterned tableware continues. Willow pattern and other Victorian dinner services can be enormous, with up to 100 – 150 pieces included in a set, but they can also be found in place settings for 12. Equally, anyone looking for something beautiful but who is not particularly driven by the brand, there are boxes and boxes of unmarked patterned tableware being sold across the country for incredibly cheap prices.

A Victorian English porcelain dessert service painted with flowers sold for £1,000 at Cheffins May Interiors Sale

If you are buying a dinner service at auction, the key thing to look out for is obvious damage and chips and cracks and check the base of all of the pieces for a makers’ stamp. If the pieces are being offered in a box, if you are attending the auction, you will be able to take all of these out and inspect them individually, however if you can’t go along, you can ask the auctioneer for a condition report which will detail any damage on each item. 

Don't forget to take a look at our next interiors sale on 17th June for similar examples.