[TK421]

I'm looking to replace my boring pates with something new and fun. For a long time, I've been looking for a square plate set.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with this style?

Home Trends Midnight Star 16-Piece Dinnerware Set, Black

I'm also just looking for opinions.

 

[DeepSix]

That's a very unique looking set, and it does remind me of Halloween. I say go for it.

 

[Tink]

I like it. I always liked the square plates. Never had any. Think I might when it's time to buy a new set. Those look halloweeny. I think you should.

 

[Warrant2000]

Looks sort of like a sushi plate. I guess I'm partial to square plates with corners, something like this. May be too pricey though.

I've wanted to replace my current set, which consists of 2 older sets plus some plastic plates for the little kids. Wifeypoo likes garden and floral, I like more contemporary. It's all up to your personal tastes, and if you like it I say go for it!

 

[HeatherEve1234]

I can't comment on that set, but here's our experience: We got a square set for our wedding 3 1/2 years ago and had to ditch it after about a year - it was this "square dial" set from target.

Issues:
1. It was wayyyy heavy - it took up a ton of space in our cupboards, and hand washing was a nightmare with these heavy plates before we had a dishwasher.

2. They were uneven - they have sort of a hand-thrown quality where they are not level, so they don't stack level, and food doesn't stay on them level.

3. There is no lip - this was the biggest downer - they LOOK like they have a lot of banking and this wide rim, but they don't - and it's uneven - so if you have anything with sauce, it dribbles and leaks off your plate.

4. The square coffee cups drove my husband CRAZY, they were uncomfortable to drink out of and basically dribble glasses. Round makes more sense.

5. The bowls weren't deep enough for cereal or soup.

Overall they looked cute, but were not very functional. I sold them at a garage sale and started using my grandmother's mikasa. So much thinner and easier to deal with, the cups are ROUND, and the plates have rims.

 

[Frankie's Girl]

They look nice, but I like these a little better:

Noir Garden 16-pc. Dinnerware Set : Target

Damask 16-pc. Dinnerware Set - Black/ White : Target

Hammered Dinnerware Collection - Black : Target

Black Point Dinnerware Collection : Target

 

[ashleybloom06]

I LOVE them. I have them in the red. They are very sturdy!

 

[TK421]

They look nice, but I like these a little better:

Noir Garden 16-pc. Dinnerware Set : Target

FG, thanks for the links. I really like this one and I'm heading to Target this afternoon to take a look!

I also saw that Cost Plus World Market has all of their black plates on sale right now.

Black Trilogy Dinnerware

My wife really wants the cobalt blue dinnerware. She and I both worry that black might just be too dark. I'd love to find something (like the Noir Garden) that has a pattern and some depth to it.

 

[TK421]

I LOVE them. I have them in the red. They are very sturdy!

HeatherEve1234 seemed to have a lot of complaints towards square plates. Do you feel that any of her concerns carry over to the square plates you have?

Unsturdy, heavy, don't stack well, not large enough, etc?

 

[TK421]

They look nice, but I like these a little better:

Noir Garden 16-pc. Dinnerware Set : Target

Frankie's Girl, I went to Target and took at look at the Noir Garden plates. I love the plates and the mugs, but the bowls are terrible. Breaks my heart -- so close, and yet the search continues.

 

[dustin2dust]

I think they are really pretty. I say go into a Walmart and look at them in person before you decide. There isn't really anyway to tell if they are sloppy and uneven or nice and symmetrical.
I have this set and like it a lot, but it's not very fancy, just basic matte black. Bed Bath & Beyond - Paradiso Black Dinnerware
They also have a 5 inch bowl that is not part of the box set which works great for cereal. They are a little on the thicker and heavier side, but neither has been a problem for me. My only complaint is that sometimes the sound of a fork scraping on it gets on my nerves which I figure is from the matte surface.

 

[dustin2dust]

I should have proof read that first. I meant no way to tell if they are sloppy or nice in a photo and without seeing them in person.

 

[AmFatallyYours]

Are these for every day use? What colors are your kitchen and/or dining room?

 

[TK421]

Are these for every day use? What colors are your kitchen and/or dining room?

Rich wood tones with hues of brown and hints of red, marked with cobalt blue accents and light (almost white) countertops.

I would like these plates to be for everyday. I just think it would be a win-win if they could carry Halloween, too.

 

[Skulkin]

I have always had black plates, although mine are round I've been looking for square ones so this is a great thread for me, TK. The reason why I like the black is that all food looks appealing on them and presentation is everything when you can't cook! Like me. LOL.

 

[HappyScientist]

Call me a plate expert. I own 6 full sets of plates and I've only had a kitchen for 5 years. It definitely is my second obsession following Halloween. (You should see my Halloween kitchenware collection!)

I can think of two issues with the plates you covet. First is visual. My basic black plates are the ones I have with me right now. (All my others are in storage right now in Tulsa.) I wish, however, that I'd brought the white oval ones with me, even though I'd be more worried about breaking them. Why? Because food just doesn't look pretty on black plates.
I know it's weird, but it makes a difference for me. Check out these two websites:
GreenLiteBites
foodgawker | feast your eyes
The lady on the first website always has yummy, healthy food, but those black plates make it look bland and boring.
The second website is a collection from many cooks, and you will notice that the majority are on white, or lighter colored plates, and the majority are yummy looking.
So if you plan on using these plates as your presentation plates, as much as I love black, I would consider a different color.

I do, however, own a set of cobalt blue plates that are square and they make everything look delicious. But they do bring me to my second dilemma, which may be a problem only a crazy plate collector like me would have.
I have a set of small black round plates, big red round plates, white oval plates, black hexagonal plates, large square blue plates, and small square polka-dot plates.
As you can see, storage is an issue. None of them can stack on top of the others. Someday I will have a large plate rack, but before they went into storage all sets basically had to have their own shelf. So keep that in mind as well. Do you have enough room to store more than one set of plates?
(I definitely see the interest in the Wal Mart plates, though. I would have a hard time passing them up too! My husband would freak if I brought home another set of plates!)

 

[cinders]

HappyScientist, I just had to chime in here and agree with you on the presentation of food on white plates. I, too, have many plates. Not all full place settings, but rather some are dinner plates, and then maybe I'll mix it up with different dessert plates. I have square ones and round ones and some kind of roundish square. Unfortunately, my everyday set of dishes is dark green and black. I loved them when I first got them, but the food does not look pretty on them. When I spend a lot of time preparing something for my family I go for the white plates that are roundish square. The food looks beautiful on them and it makes any garnish I use really pop. If I'm doing a dinner for company, I usually have a decor theme or seasonal theme. If I don't have the right color already, I will get enough plates at the thrift shop to complement the theme. So, I'm a dinnerware collecting addict also! Storage is an issue!

 

[Nevarstar]

I always wanted to have a mixed set of black and white plates. Where at alternating settings one color is the charger and the other the plate. I never thought about how the food would look on the black plate however.

 

[TK421]

When I started thinking about new plates, I really wanted earth tones, perhaps oranges, and I wanted to find a solid, 9 inch square plate. That was my goal.

I found the perfect plate at World Market, but they wanted $17 per plate. That's way too high for me to replace the dozen plates we currently use. In addition, I wouldn't be able to get any complimentary dinnerware (bowls, mugs, etc.)

Well, yesterday I was at Costco and I saw they have some new plates out!! I took a pic with my cell phone and I've been debating what to do ever since.

These have a dark exterior, but a really nice light orange/tan interior. This style also has a grainy glaze -- which I like a lot. The salad/dessert plates are smaller than what I wanted, but I do like the two sizes of bowls offered in the set.

It's so hard to have the perfect plates in your head, and not be able to find them.

 

[TK421]

These are the blue plates that my wife really likes:

And this is the varient that I toyed with getting, but now I agree with others that the black plates are just not the way to go.

And these are the 8.75in cobalt plates that started it all: