While stocking your kitchen shelves with appropriate dining and drinking glasses seems simple enough, many have a pretty good idea of what they should be getting, but even fewer know exactly what to get. Check out this definitive guide on how to stock your kitchen shelves with the proper glassware to make your home ready for any dining occasion.

Drinking glasses

When it comes to glassware you need both quantity and variety. You should have at least six to eight (or three for every resident in your home) everyday drinking glasses used for water, juices, soda, and other common drinks. Studies have found that taller drinking glasses are associated with drinking less amounts because people have a tendency to fill shorter glasses to the brim. So consider getting taller drinking glasses to cut down on those extra calories.

Wine glasses

For wine glasses, a good number to start at is four, and as a general rule you should have at least two wine glasses per adult living in the residence. Larger, bulb shape wine glasses are meant for red wines, while narrow, flute shaped wine glasses are designed for white wines. If you can only get one, the larger red white glasses are better for multipurpose drinking.

Coffee mugs

With a large number of people being coffee and tea drinkers, it is important to have a few coffee mugs at your disposal. A typical coffee cup is 12 oz. (which is a “Tall” at Starbucks), but consider getting 8 oz. coffee cups if you are drinking higher caffeine drinks like cappuccinos and espressos. Make sure you have at least one coffee cup per resident plus an additional two cups.

Everything else

The three previously mentioned glasses and cups are essential for any home, but let’s take a look at other items that you may consider adding to your base glassware set: shot glasses, margaritas glasses, champagne flutes, cocktail glasses, Collins glasses, highball glasses, beer mugs.

Having the appropriate glassware for any occasion is a must for any household, so be sure to stock up before it’s too late.