
Cabbageware Is Going Viral on TikTok—Here’s Where to Find This 1960s Classic
Spring tablescapes have a way of bringing out our inner whimsy with floral placemats, colorful candlesticks, and now (again) with cabbageware: dishes that look like cabbage. The old-made-new trend has been spotted all over social media lately, with cutesy lettuce leaf plates and teapots gracing cottagecore dining rooms and beyond.
Artisan and entrepreneur Dodie Thayer guided the resurgence of “lettuce ware” in the 1960s, but the aesthetic actually dates back to the mid-18th century. And it’s not just vintage enthusiasts showing off their thrift store finds—even Target has affordable cabbageware right now. Old or new, antique shop or department store, here’s where to find some pieces for your collection.
Collecting Antique Cabbageware
If you find cabbageware at a thrift store, you’ll likely pay less than if you find it in an antique shop. Most antique cabbage dishes are Majolica (a finer type of pottery), and it’s not exactly cheap, ranging from $50 per plate to $1,500+ for a vintage dish set. If you want to start an older collection of cabbage dishes, familiarize yourself with the following names.
Common Makers
In the 1760s, English potter Thomas Whieldon created some of the earliest dishware with lettuce motifs. His designs had molded green leaf patterns (and other designs), which would later inspire artist Bordallo Pinheiro.
Pinheiro created cabbageware featuring the leaves in his factory in Caldas da Rainha. The Portugal-based company started production in 1885 and is still in business today!
Wannopee Pottery brought cabbageware designs to the States in the early 1900s, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis eventually became the biggest collector of their Green Lettuce Leaf Pattern.
Later in the 1960s, Dodie Thayer would bring back the aesthetic and dub it “lettuce ware.” She made each piece by hand until she passed in 2018—her clients ranged from C.Z. Guest, the Duchess of Windsor, and, again, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Where to Buy Modern Cabbageware
Not everyone has the time or resources to collect antique cabbageware, and that’s okay. Here are some iconic collections made and sold right now.
Bordallo Pinheiro x Williams Sonoma
Remember the OG cabbageware maker, Bordallo Pinheiro? As we mentioned, his factory is still in business—and the designs are available at Williams Sonoma.
Dodie Thayer x Tory Burch
While Thayer handmade her dishes and never expanded production, she did collaborate with Tory Burch on a line that’s still available on toryburch.com. There are soup tureens, pitchers, teapots, and (of course) dishes.
Target & Pottery Barn
Both collabs with Williams Sonoma and Tory Burch are a little pricey, but the plates at Target and Pottery Barn are not. Pottery Barn has a line of outdoor melamine dishes in the lettuce pattern, and Target has a range of stoneware cabbage dishes starting at $5. Happy decorating!