While some may argue that a true sign of adulthood is having a dedicated condiment shelf in the fridge, we think it’s owning a matching cutlery set.
Students bask in the youthful glory of crow-like behaviour, in which random utensils are collected and piled in various impractical kitchen drawers like a strange hoard of pirate treasure. Rather than following any kind of aesthetic theme, it’s merely a game of ‘how many different kinds of cutlery can I collect, for as little money as possible?’.
Yet there comes a time when potluck dinner parties no longer consist of paper plates and cheap bottles of wine, and instead become an extravagant affair which requires an entire weekend’s worth of cooking. We appreciate the value of sharing a brilliant meal with friends and actually find ourselves enjoying all the hard work necessary for crafting delicious food.
As such, it’s only fitting that dishes curated with love, care and attention should be served on appropriate dinnerware, with the appropriate cutlery. But where to start?
From value-for-money and aesthetically pleasing utensil sets to incredibly luxurious options fit for royalty, there are countless brands which specialise in designing and manufacturing brilliant dinnerware. As such, we’ve curated a selection of the best cutlery brands known for producing unique and practical utensil designs.
Whether you’re looking for sleek and sophisticated silverware, or utensils which offer a wonderful pop of colour to brighten up your cutlery drawer – we’ve got you covered. Keep scrolling for the best cutlery brands for all your utensil needs.
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Sophie Conran
Sophie Conran is known by many for her award-winning Portmeirion dinnerware, with its perfectly irregular curves and ridged edges. But the designer’s brand also produces a range of delicate yet hardwearing silverware. This 52-piece collaboration with iconic British dinnerware label Arthur Price is particularly wonderful, with its sophisticated mirrored finish and finest grade 18/10 stainless steel composition.
Buy now £149.00, Debenhams
Matilda Goad & Co
Dopamine-boosting style has skyrocketed in recent years, with kaleidoscopic colour palettes becoming the norm within both the fashion and interior spaces. Matilda Goad & Co certainly got the memo with this brilliant stainless steel and acrylic cutlery set. Available in curated colourways as well as mix-and-matchable options, your cutlery drawer is set to be the most stylish space in your home.
Buy now £110.00, Matilda Goad & Co
Villeroy & Boch
The centuries-old result of a successful collaboration between ceramicist François Boch and stoneware manufacturer Nicolas Villeroy established in 1748, German dinnerware specialist Villeroy & Boch is known for high-quality, contemporary lifestyle pieces ranging from the infamous sphere by Helen Von Boch to luxury cutlery sets.
The Piemont 30-piece set is crafted from 100 per cent stainless steel and is realised in a sleek, sophisticated and wonderfully classic silhouette. However, if you’re a fan of the hammered silver look, we recommend going for the Blacksmith collection.
Buy now £359.00, Selfridges
Georg Jensen
One of Georg Jensen’s most recognisable dinnerware collections is the Cobra. Designed by Constantin Wortmann and inspired by his belief that design should never be taken too seriously, this stainless-steel cutlery set is wonderfully wavy and fluid. Suited towards households with a modernist sensibility, this set is dishwasher safe, though Georg Jensen recommends handwashing to retain that perfectly mirrored finish.
Buy now £419.00, Georg Jensen
Arthur Price
If you’re in the market to recreate your favourite luxury restaurant’s dinnerware at home, look no further than the iconic Arthur Price Sovereign Stainless Steel Old English cutlery set. Crafted from 18/10 Sheffield stainless steel, the Old English pattern originated in the 1750s, having derived from the beloved Arthur Price Rattail design.
Buy now £297.00, Harts of Stur
Ikea
No one does budget dinnerware quite like Ikea. We’re convinced that the brand’s hard-waring cutlery sets would survive a nuclear apocalypse, as every household seems to have retained at least one or two Ikea knives and forks from bygone eras. Reminiscent of the iconic Arthur Price Rattail design, the Gamman budget 24-piece set is dishwasher-safe and capable of lasting a lifetime.
Buy now £29.00, Ikea
Soho Home
Soho House enthusiasts rejoice for you can recreate the iconic vintage farmhouse-inspired aesthetic in your own home with the Stonewashed Cutlery Set by Soho Home. The 24-piece dinner set has an attractive matte pewter finish and is engraved with the Soho home logo. Durable and stain-resistant, this beautiful cutlery is suitable for everyday use.
Buy now £129.00, Soho Home
Broste Copenhagen
Featuring a gradient of earthy hues across each utensil, the Broste Copenhagen Marstal Cutlery set is ideal for any minimalist household which enjoys calming, neutral tones. From decorative accessories to practical lifestyle pieces, Broste is known for producing brilliant Scandinavian designs time and time again which, in the brand’s words, are “most beautiful when they’re used”.
Buy now £52.00, Amara
Oka
Interiors retailer Oka has a limited selection of cutlery sets, but a beautiful selection nonetheless. Our personal favourite is the 16-piece Harlequin Blue set – brilliant for maximalist households looking to inject a pop of colour into their silverware. Featuring a delicate miniature harlequin pattern in shades of blue, you simply can’t go wrong.
Buy now £97.00, Oka
Serax Passe-Partout set
Designed by Vincent Van Duysen for Serax, the Passe-Partout set (which may or may not have been named after the loveable character from Jules Verne’s’ beloved novel) comprises luxury quality yet wonderfully simplistic stainless-steel utensils. The idiomatic name translates to “skeleton key” in English – making this cutlery suitable for any household.
Buy now £245.00, Serax
Sabre
The iconic Bistrot collection by Sabre is available in both shiny and vintage matte finishes, and in a kaleidoscopic range of colourways to suit your personality. Mix and match your favourite colourways with a selection of five-piece sets or stick to a block colour aesthetic with a 24-piece set. Either way, your dinnerware will be instantly imbued with contemporary Parisian charm.
Buy now £278.50, Wayfair
David Mellor
Born in Sheffield in 1930, David Mellor CBE, RDI originally trained as a silversmith. His ground-breaking designs combine exquisite craftsmanship and innovative practicality, making them a hallmark of the Modernist period.
The ‘Pride’ silver-plated cutlery collection was originally designed in 1953 when Mellor was still a student at the Royal College of Art. The set was included in the first Design Centre Awards back in 1957 and has been in production ever since. Ideal for fans of historical, ground-breaking design, the David Mellor Pride range is also available in stainless steel and sterling silver. The knife blades are made from high carbon stainless steel for inimitable sharpness and feature acetal resin handles.
Buy now £135.00, David Mellor
Merry & Brite Colourful Vintage Inspired Cutlery Set
The story of Merry & Brite’s fabulous vintage-inspired cutlery is that the founder missed out on a similar throw-back set at an auction way back when. After scouring the internet to no avail, they decided to design and make their own.
Crafted from resin and stainless steel, this dopamine-boosting set of 10 utensils includes two pink dinner forks, two blue dessert forks, two yellow dinner knives, two red tablespoons and two green teaspoons.
Buy now £49.00, Etsy
