You are what you eat, but what you eat from deserves some attention as well. The plates and bowls on which we serve our gastronomic masterpieces can have a massive impact on how we feel about a meal. And you worked too hard on that Beef Wellington to see it relegated to a beige platter. Enter a gorgeous array of fresh plates, bowls and other crockery adorned with leaves and guaranteeing that you eat from five serves of vegetables a day.
Cabbageware – and its leafy cousin lettuceware – is a crockery design steeped in a fashionable history, and even now they are on some of the hottest tables in town. They even appeared at the MET Gala dinner 2024. Lately these almost olde worlde vibes meet more bright and modern patterns and hues in the most covetable leafy plates.
From salad plates and serving bowls adorned with leaves that look intricately hand-painted to whimsical and almost maximalist (at least midimalist) decorations on our dinner plates, these leafy decorations can slip beautifully onto any table style. Keep the rest of the table simple, allowing your leafy plates and bowls to do the talking, or go all out with the leafy theme and spark plenty of conversation.
How to style leaf plates?
When it comes to serving from leafy plates, platters and bowls, the theme is abundance. What could make a home feel more alive than colourful, aromatic and fresh produce, in whatever form it takes? After all, we know that plants in our homes make us happier. You can even go a step further (too far?) and match the walls with green or leaf-inspired wallpaper. You can use your leaf plates to display fruit and vegetables, and add small or elaborate floral and greenery displays to keep things on theme.
There are endless designs of leafy decorations available, be it the traditional and almost kitsch cabbageware and lettuceware designs, or something more polished or delicate that brings a new level of elegance to the table.
What is cabbageware?
Cabbageware – that’s any ceramic that is designed to look like, well, cabbage – has been a symbol of kitsch design clout for hundreds of years. It first originated in Europe during the Rococo era, when there was no such thing as TikTok but trends still happened. Victorians loved its novelty factor. Even Jackie Onassis was a big fan of her leafy green plates and crockery – she collected designer Dodie Thayer’s mid-century modern lettuce ware. And now it’s back, yet again, just in time for spring.
Here’s our round-up of the most beautiful leafy plates and crockery so you can branch out into the greenery theme.
Shop leaf plates
Small Oval Server in Seaweed
$187, Casa e Cucina
Best for: Branching out with colour
A small oval platter that can be layered with other shapes and styles, but also stands on its own at the table. It’s a special occasion platter, made in Portugal of white stoneware clay, and yet it’s durable enough for any kind of gathering. This is a piece in a collection by clever Swedish brand Sthal, and its hue and pretty imprint pattern are influenced by nature.
Sizes: 40cm x 25cm
Colours: Seaweed (pictured), Thunder, Old Rose, Fig, Antique and White
Materials: White stoneware clay
Key features:
- Hues of nature
- Subtle leaf print
- One piece of an entire range
Shorter & Son Cabbage Leaf Dish
$44.95, Etsy
Best for: 1950s revival
A vintage piece of iconic cabbageware from 1950s England, this dish was made by Shorter & Sons in Stok- on-Trent, England. There’s only one of these vintage cabbageware pieces like it on this Australian-based Etsy store. A medium size, this beautiful leaf plate is perfect to hold lemons as decoration, or even to serve an on-point leafy green salad.
Sizes: 26cm x 23cm
Colours: Green and white glaze
Materials: Ceramic
Key features:
- Made in England
- Vintage from the 1950s
- Ships from Australia
Dusty Blue Lettuce Dinner Plate
$60, Blue Maisonette
Best for: Muted lettuceware vibes
Love the cabbageware or lettuceware look, but don’t think you can muster all that colour? These muted leafy plates are a beautiful, subtle addition to the theme without going all out. They are made in Portugal with traditional techniques used since the 19th century.
Sizes: 26.5cm
Colours: Dusty Blue (pictured), Green, Petal Pink, White and Navy
Material: Hand-glazed ceramic
Key features:
- Dishwasher safe
- Handmade in Portugal
- Also comes in side plate size
Green Hydrangea Garden Melamine Salad Plate
$44.95, Pretty Homestyle
Best for: Shatterproof bouquets
Carefree dining outdoor begins with shatterproof plates that look like they belong in the garden. These pretty and playful plates have contemporary and olde worlde sensibilities balanced just right, and the soft greens and blues suit any table setting style.
Sizes: 21.5cm
Colours: Soft blues and greens with a hydrangea print
Material: Melamine
Key features:
- Shatterproof melamine
- Dishwasher safe
- BPA free
Jasper Conran at Wedgwood Chinoiserie Plate
$119, Myer
Best for: Elevate exotic Chinoiserie
This iconic pattern comes via some of the most influential designers of statement dinnerware. Britain’s Jasper Conran adds exotic flowers, foliage and birds against a rich green backdrop to classic Wedgwood dining. This is a statement piece, bringing a fun-but-elegant edge to a more formal dining setting.
Sizes: 27cm
Colours: Features white, blue and green in the design
Materials: Fine bone china
Key features:
- Fine bone china
- Dishwasher safe
- Not suitable for microwave
Vintage Wedgwood Wild Strawberry Plate
$60, Etsy
Best for: Handpicked strawberry vintage
The Wedgwood Wild Strawberry pattern is one of the brand’s original leafy plate designs and one of the most classic. The charming, almost whimsical strawberries sit prettily across the entire plate, ready for any occasion.
Sizes: 26.5cm diameter
Colours: Green, gold, red
Materials: Ceramic
Key features:
- Excellent vintage condition
- Ships from Australia
- Genuine Wedgwood plate
Petal Apricot Dip Bowl
$17.99, Adairs
Best for: Rose-coloured entertaining
This petal leaf plate range from Adairs comes in different shapes of pink and apricot for each shape of plate, bowl and platter. Together they’re a sweet-as-can-be bouquet of pink, ready to perfectly clash with other bold colours, or sit sweetly at your table without too much disruption. Petal servingware is just another layer of leaf-plate cool, and the more daring could even mix and match for a full garden display.
Sizes: 12 x 4.5cm (dip bowl). Also comes in a cereal bowl and platter
Colours: Rose, Tangerine, Pink, Apricot
Materials:
Key features:
- Microwave safe
- Dishwasher safe
- Available in four styles
This article originally appeared on Home Beautiful and is republished here with permission.
