There are few things that symbolize a life together more than our family heirlooms. And there are fewer heirlooms more successful in creating traditions, building history, and strengthening ties than one’s tableware. It is at the table that we celebrate the everyday and special occasion; welcome strangers and expand family; start new traditions and further old ones; and, as shared, build a life together.

Given weddings are the kick off to “until death do us part”, it also most often serves as the start to one’s collection of heirlooms. Despite the trend among young couples to register for experiences, charitable contributions, and upgrades to existing day-to-day household items, we wholeheartedly endorse newlyweds turning back to the tradition of registering for porcelain and china.  And we especially endorse those collections coming from Villeroy & Boch.

Founded in Germany in 1748, this dining and lifestyle brand elevates everyday living with award-winning tableware that has sustainability and quality at its core. Villeroy & Boch is at once a legacy brand and a new discovery, making it the perfect addition to a registry that your more traditional guests will want to gift from, and one that your design-led guests will likely also want to buy for themselves! But before you go thinking of this tableware as one you keep tucked away in a far-off cupboard save for the one or two times a year you actually set it on the table, these dishes, platters, and glasses, are meant to be used and lived with. They are designed to be mixed and matched, showcased on an elegant lunch table, and placed on a knee for a casual dinner.

Starting with the most ingenious of collections, La Boule comprises 7 dishes, bowls and serving platters, that stack to create a stunning art piece when not plating a stellar meal. Its palettes range from matte blacks and whites to festive greens, reds and golds to colorful stripes and solids. This collection embodies the past and future of Villeroy & Boch, designed by an 8th-generation family member for today’s contemporary small space, family living experience.

By contrast, collections such as Avarua and MetroChic reference tropical nature and Art Deco geometric motifs respectively. Both collections are elevated with gold tones whether as accents on the Avarua’s floral and aviary patterned dishes, or through MetroChic flatware that compliments the dishware. Mix and match the collections (thanks to the same sized dishes) for a maximalist look. Or streamline your design with MetroChic’s range of crisp white dishes and serving trays.

For those of you who embrace Scandinavian design, Villeroy & Boch’s Lave stoneware collection is a beautifully organic one in which glazes in blue, gray and beige evoke the four elements. The reactive glazes contain color pigments with differing melting points that all react differently during the firing process resulting in a variation in color, much the way we see it in nature. As a result, every dish is unique both in color and shape.

For a design that is organic in feel, but different in look from Lave, the Manufacture Rock collection’s rough hewn surface in matte black and matte white makes for a subtle, but meaningful design statement. Extend this statement across the table with Manufacture’s glassware featuring matte black stems.

And among Villeroy & Boch’s most subtle, expansive, and staple collections, there is NewMoon, inspired by the phases of the moon. The premium porcelain featuring an asymmetrical crescent-shape along the edges creates a compelling visual statement when the dishes are presented atop each other, while the flatware’s ergonomic and organic design fits comfortably in both left and right hands. Most unique of all is the glassware which is asymmetrically beveled along its rim. Sometimes the biggest design statement is the most understated.

Know that all these collections are ones that you can build over time. When first saying “I do!” a set of four might be all you have space for. However, as life progresses, so too can your set of La Boule, Avarua, Lave or NewMoon.

No matter the Villeroy & Boch collection (or collections) you chose for your tabletop, all will guarantee you the most stylish of tables, and most importantly, the warmest of gatherings that, over time will turn into your fondest traditions.