Creamers & Sugar Bowls

Must-have items for many hosts and hostesses serving coffee, creamer and sugar bowls are a match made in brewed beverage heaven. Antique and vintage ceramic creamer and sugar bowl sets reflect a vast range of styles and motifs throughout the history of serving coffee and tea.

Both cream and sugar have been the perennial perfect compliments for a hot cup or coffee or tea, so it seems only fitting that, over the course of history, the coffee service came to incorporate both serving pieces in their spread. Sets independent of larger coffee service ensembles also became popular, allowing the creamer and sugar bowl to serve as stand-alone artistic accouterments for the table.

A look to the history of these pairs reveals that their style evolved with the changes in contemporary taste. Antique and vintage creamer and sugar sets are as varied as the community of coffee and tea drinkers itself. They range from the ornate gilded and gorgeous porcelain sets of the 18th century to the contemporary curves of 20th century design.

Quick Facts

• Depending on the maker, some sugar bowls and creamers feature serial numbers that can help in matching them. Otherwise, collectors should be meticulous to ensure that the pattern or glaze shade is a perfect match
• Cream not only helps keep your brewed beverage warmer longer; as it slows the rate at which your drink will cool, it can also temper the effects of caffeine
• Famous Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein created his own line of coffee and tea services in the '80s. One of these fantastic lidded sugar bowls is currently in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum in New York