The Affordable West Elm Kitchen Upgrade I Wish I Had Made Sooner
Now that I’ve entered my third decade of life, I’ve begun the tedious process of upgrading my kitchen, my apartment, and my wardrobe. Many hours of research have been done in the interest of finding the best, most stylish things for myself in virtually every product category. Because I’m a shopping editor, I am skeptical of nearly everything that I buy and have sky-high expectations (otherwise, I have no qualms with navigating tricky return policies and processes).
I’ve been grumbling about the mismatched dishes and bowls in my apartment pretty much since the day I moved in with my boyfriend, but our shabby dinnerware collection was drawn into sharp contrast with my incredibly stylish friend when I went over to her house for dinner one night. I was jealous of her matching plates and bowls and decided that enough was enough: It was time to finally shell out for some tableware that would bring me joy. And, I knew that West Elm would have what I was looking for.
What Is the La Jolla Dinnerware Set?
The La Jolla Dinnerware Set is one of the more affordable dishware options on West Elm’s website. A set of four dinnerware plates costs $48, four salad plates cost $32, and four cereal bowls cost $32. There are also serving bowls and other hosting must-haves within this collection. These plates and bowls are made out of glass, but they are meant for daily use and are dishwasher-safe. This design comes in multiple colors, including white, ink blue, sage, pink, gray, and amethyst.
Why I Love the La Jolla Dinnerware Set
Growing up, we had white ceramic plates and bowls. They looked classic and went with everything, but as an adult who works at The Kitchn’s sister site, Apartment Therapy, I’ve always craved some head-turning dishware. When I was going through West Elm’s plates and bowls sets, the La Jolla set immediately caught my eye. It looked different than any other dishware set I had seen. I liked how the glass looked so thin that it was translucent in some places. I also have been slowly collecting green, blue, and brown pieces of decor for our apartment, so I knew that I wanted blue for our dishware and I loved the Ink Blue color of the La Jolla set (though amethyst was a close second).
Because we have a small island as our dining table, I knew that I would never be hosting huge friendsgivings for dinner parties. This one-bedroom apartment keeps me from needing salad plates or bread plates because I simply don’t have the space. I decided to buy the dinner plate set and the cereal bowl set, which came to $80 total.
The dishes feel durable, even though they do look fragile. However, there is a side effect: They’re already inspiring me to try new recipes and have people over for appetizers.