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Anything sparkling on the table — as a treatment or the material itself — is garnering attention. The big thing to note here is the curved lines and smooth edges in metals hitting the table. Contemporary form, style, and function separate this category from your grandmother's silver service.

"There is no question that sparkle still reigns," Eiseman said. "We called our palette 'Treasure' and it was a continuation from 1999."

Eiseman considers the blending of metallics and colors as a big influence in this year's designs. She said, "The coppers are important with all warm shades, the silver and chrome with the cooler shades of blue and turquoise."

While gold-trimmed dinnerware led the market in the past, platinum is the headliner and will continue to hold its own through 2001.

"Platinum is the trim metal of the moment. Gold is in a very secure second place, but will surpass platinum on the bottom line," DeMasi said. "The big metal story is about cast aluminum. It's been around for years under a variety of names, such as Wilton Armetale, Carson's Statesmetal, and Nambe, but now established dinnerware companies have added some cast aluminum items to their lines with very good results. Lenox and Portmeirion instantly come to mind. Of course, those companies call it 'alloy.' I think the word aluminum still conjures up thoughts of Reynolds Wrap."

Fowler said his metal inventory is consistently moving. Contemporary looks, in particular, are selling to the younger customers. Metal chargers are also selling well.

"We carry about four or five different lines of metal and they are still really popular. I am kind of surprised because I thought they would run their course," Fowler said. "The hammered look is really selling well in this part of the country."

West Goes East

For those customers who shy away from the colorful table, the serene designs inspired by Eastern cultures are still hot. This style, with its neutral color palette, appeals to consumers turned off by bright colors. Nature-inspired designs are also influenced by this style.

"There is still the serene element, but it has gotten a bit deeper in tone," Eiseman said. "Nature-inspired themes are really classics and there is always a core group of consumers that are drawn to it. But if they have had it for a few years, they are ready for some spark from the other themes. Tabletop accessories can bring in a bit more color to liven up the neutral themes, yet still use naturals as the backbone."

Distinctive shapes are contained within this design quality. Eastern influences add curves to the table setting. Regardless of the shape of a piece, soft edges rather than strong angles take precedence.

The Final Dish

Such design elements are making their way to both the formal and casual table. Upscale tabletop designs are making a more formal statement this year. And while eclectic may be a good term to use when looking at the overall market, it's no longer applicable to setting a single table. Designs instead are either formal or casual, appealing to specific target audiences — contemporary, traditional, and transitional.

The Kitchen Shoppe is recognized as a kitchenware-, cookware-, and housewares-based store; manager Tracee Clepper believes her customers are drawn toward more casual dinnerware.

"The sales we seem to make on formal dinnerware are usually due to our knowledge of where and how to special order it for them. Many larger stores will not or cannot do that. The patterns that we stock are more casual, but dress up nicely for special occasions," she said.

Clepper carries more casual patterns from companies such as Spode, Royal Worcester, Portmeirion, Denby, and Villeroy & Boch. Their decision to stick with these patterns was the result of several experiments in an assortment of dinnerware.

"We tried for many years, as a trial, to show many wall settings of fine bone china along with casual settings. We found that we sold little to none from that showing," she explained. "Our customers were happy with our casual patterns. They seemed to like the fact that they were stocked adequately to show and of course, special orders were always available."

DeMasi believes there is a definite return to formal dinnerware and casual as opposed to the "bridge" dinnerware of a few years ago that could be formal or casual, depending on how the rest of the table was set.

"There's no more 'one size fits all' when it comes to dinnerware," DeMasi said. "Eclectic is phasing out. Mix and match is slowing fading away, especially in fine china. It's a concept that's perfect for casual dinnerware/housewares-quality dinnerware, although mix and match is still doing very well in Europe."

Clepper agreed: "The mix-and-match trend doesn't seem to do much for our store. We tried to stock and show a collection from a company that we normally stock in an older, good-selling pattern. People looked, commented, then didn't buy. They only bought a few components from the collection, a candle here or a glass plate there, or a metal platter for that special occasion."

So while there is no particular style taking tabletop by storm, there are prominent design elements in the marketplace. Whether your customers' interests focus on the casual or formal table, these design trends hold true.

Read more from our 2001 Tabletop Series:

2001 Tabletop Series, Part I

2001 Tabletop Series, Part II

2001 Tabletop Series, Part III

2001 Tabletop Series, Part IV