If You’re Looking for a New Set of Flatware, Your Search Stops Here

When I first set out to do this story, it was purely for selfish reasons: I was looking to replace a now out-of-stock Ikea flatware set (with bizarrely tiny forks) that I’d purchased as a cheap placeholder years ago. Why not share the results of my search? For fun, I polled some design friends on Instagram and that’s when the floodgates opened. You guys. I had no idea people had so many opinions about flatware. “YES my favorite topic,” breathed Ellen Van Dusen, who promptly sent me a snap of her all-blue Memphis-style David Tisdale picnic flatware. “Omg, what a question,” said noted modernist flatware enthusiast Dung Ngo. “Can I give you three sets at three different price points?” “I’ve had people steal forks and knives off planes for me,” admitted art director PJ Mattan, who’s amassed a collection over the years from airlines like SWISS and Air France. Flatware even came up at a dinner party I hosted, with one guest scoffing that it was impossible to choose from a mere image on a screen — that you needed to feel a fork’s weight and heft for so intimate an act as eating.

However, this article is here to give you permission to do just that! In fact, I’m planning on purchasing something from this article myself just as soon as I can actually make a decision! (I’m a Gemini.) If you’re on the fence too, well, how about a celebrity endorsement? Superstar chef Laila Gohar reveals that her everyday set is Carl Auböck for Amboss Austria, while Curbed editor-in-chief Kelsey Keith prefers Dry by Achille Castiglioni for Alessi. One note of caution before you read on: While this is a round-up of the very best design flatware on the market right now (at many different price points), I am something of a purist and do not believe in “black” flatware, “gold” flatware, or “iridescent” flatware. If those are your thing, that’s cool, but you won’t find them here. Happy hunting!