Summary
If you want to buy Serving Bowls in AU, you can choose between Gleemium and Bed Bath N' Table. Gleemium is a small Australian online store selling handmade bowls turned from solid mango wood, acacia, and marble, priced from $47 to $127. Bed Bath N' Table is a national chain whose servingware runs from $4.75 dip bowls to about $60, mostly in ceramic, bamboo and melamine, and you can walk into a store and pick one up today.
This guide compares them on the things that actually differ: materials, environmental credentials, price, range, sizes, care and delivery.
Quick answer
Buy from Gleemium if you want a solid hardwood or marble bowl that can be eco-friendly and sustainable. Its 29 serving bowls start at $47, are made by hand, and ship free anywhere in Australia with no minimum spend.
Buy from Bed Bath N' Table if you want an inexpensive, dishwasher-safe bowl today, or small dip and condiment bowls. Its servingware sits at a median of about $23 and is stocked in stores nationwide.
On sustainability, the answer splits: Gleemium's mango wood is an orchard by-product and its bowls can be sanded and re-oiled, but Bed Bath N' Table's bamboo regrows far faster than any hardwood. The one material to avoid on environmental grounds is melamine, which Bed Bath N' Table stocks and Gleemium does not.
Key takeaways
- Gleemium has more serving bowls than Bed Bath N' Table does. Gleemium lists 29. Bed Bath N' Table's servingware page holds 87 items, but only 18 of them are bowls — the rest are platters, salad servers and similar.
- The prices barely overlap. Bed Bath N' Table runs $4.75 to $59.95 with a median of $22.95. Gleemium runs $47 to $127 with a median of $77.
- Materials are completely different. Gleemium: mango wood, acacia, marble, enamel, plus one recycled horn bowl. Bed Bath N' Table: ceramic, bamboo, melamine and some acacia.
- Only Gleemium's bowls can be repaired. A scratched wooden bowl is sanded and re-oiled. Ceramic, melamine and bonded bamboo cannot be restored at home.
- Melamine cannot be recycled. It is a thermoset plastic that will not melt down, so it goes to landfill and does not biodegrade.
- Stock favours the chain. 21 of Gleemium's 29 bowls were in stock when we checked. Bed Bath N' Table restocks the same lines for years.
This article covers
- Gleemium at a glance
- Bed Bath N' Table at a glance
- Full side-by-side comparison
- Materials compared
- Sustainability compared
- Price, sizes and sets
- Delivery, stock and buying in person
- Care and washing
- Which should you buy?
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
Gleemium at a glance
Gleemium is an Australian online homewares store selling handmade serving bowls, shipped free from Perth. The serving bowls and dishes collection holds 29 pieces priced $47 to $127, with a median of $77.
Benefits and features:
- Solid mango wood, acacia and marble — no plastics in the range
- Turned and carved by hand, so grain and colour differ on every piece
- Matched sets of two and three, not just single bowls
- Enamelled and hand-painted finishes you will not find in a chain range
- Free postage to every Australian address, with no minimum spend
- Prices shown openly on every product page
Good examples across the range: the mango wood snack bowl ($53) as an entry piece, the acacia serving bowl ($78) for everyday salads, and the marble bowls set ($110) for entertaining. The full collection is in Serving Bowls & Dishes.
Drawbacks worth knowing:
- Nothing under $47, so it is not an option on a tight budget
- 8 of the 29 bowls were out of stock when we checked
- Wooden bowls cannot go in the dishwasher and need oiling a few times a year
- Online only — you cannot handle a piece before buying
Bed Bath N' Table at a glance
Bed Bath N' Table is an Australian homewares chain with stores nationwide. Its servingware page carries 87 items, of which 18 are bowls, priced from $4.75 to $59.95 with a median of $22.95.
Benefits and features:
- Much cheaper — 49 of its 87 servingware items are under $30
- Small dip and condiment bowls from under $10, which Gleemium does not sell at all
- Ceramic and stoneware pieces that go in the dishwasher
- Coordinated ranges, so a bowl matches platters and dinnerware
- Stores in most cities and towns, so you can see and handle it first
- Reliable restocking of the same lines year after year
Drawbacks worth knowing:
- Range tops out around $60 — only 4 items sit in the $50 to $99 band
- Mass-produced, so no variation between pieces
- Stocks melamine, which cannot be recycled
- Bamboo items may be bonded with resin rather than solid
Full side-by-side comparison
| Gleemium | Bed Bath N' Table | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of shop | Small online store | National chain |
| Serving bowls listed | 29 | 18 (within 87 servingware items) |
| Price range | $47 – $127 | $4.75 – $59.95 |
| Median price | $77 | $22.95 |
| Items under $30 | None | 49 |
| Items over $60 | Most of the range | None |
| Main materials | Mango wood, acacia, marble, enamel | Ceramic, bamboo, melamine, some acacia |
| Contains plastic | No | Yes — melamine |
| How made | By hand, one at a time | Mass-produced |
| Sets available | Sets of two and three | Mostly single pieces |
| Dishwasher safe | No — hand wash | Most ceramic items, yes |
| Repairable | Yes — sand and re-oil | No |
| In stock when checked | 21 of 29 | Full range shown |
| Delivery | Free, no minimum | Free over a spend threshold |
| Buy in person | No | Yes, stores nationwide |
Checked on both websites in September 2026. Bed Bath N' Table prices were recorded during a sale period and will differ at full price. Ranges change.
Materials compared
This is the biggest single difference between the two shops.
What Gleemium uses
Mango wood is the backbone of the range. It is a dense hardwood with pronounced grain, and it comes from mango orchards rather than timber plantations.
Acacia is harder and tighter-grained, with a warm colour and good resistance to moisture.
Marble appears in sets and smaller bowls. It stays cool, which suits butter, cheese and fruit.
Enamel over metal gives colour and a hard-wearing surface on some decorative pieces.
What Bed Bath N' Table uses
Ceramic and stoneware make up most of the range. Glazed, non-porous, dishwasher safe and easy to live with.
Bamboo appears in salad bowls and servingware sets. Light and inexpensive.
Melamine is used for unbreakable, outdoor-friendly pieces.
Acacia shows up occasionally, including a footed serving board at around $60.
The practical difference
Wood does not bruise salad leaves and will not shatter on a tiled floor, but it cannot be put in the dishwasher. Ceramic is the opposite — heavier and breakable, but you can put it in the machine and forget about it. Melamine is unbreakable, which is genuinely useful outdoors and with children.
Sustainability compared
Worth saying first: in March 2023 the ACCC reviewed Australian business websites and found 57% of those it looked at made environmental claims it considered "concerning" (ACCC). So it is fair to treat the word "eco" on any product page, including ours, as needing evidence behind it.
Here is what can actually be established about each material.
| Material | Where it comes from | Making energy | End of life | Stocked by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mango wood | By-product of fruit farming | Low | Compostable, repairable first | Gleemium |
| Acacia | Plantation timber | Low | Compostable, repairable first | Both |
| Marble | Quarried stone | Medium | Inert, lasts generations | Gleemium |
| Bamboo | Regrows in 3–6 years from its own roots | Low to medium | Biodegradable if solid, not if resin-bonded | Bed Bath N' Table |
| Ceramic | Mined clay | High — kiln at 990–1,300°C | Inert landfill, not kerbside recyclable | Bed Bath N' Table |
| Melamine | Petrochemical-derived resin | Medium | Landfill only — cannot be recycled or biodegrade | Bed Bath N' Table |
Where Gleemium comes out ahead. Mango wood is timber from orchard trees milled once their fruit yield drops, rather than trees grown and felled for wood (Homescapes). And wooden bowls are the only ones here you can repair — sanding and re-oiling makes a scratched bowl look new, so it does not get replaced.
Where Bed Bath N' Table comes out ahead. Bamboo regrows faster than any timber in this comparison. It matures in roughly three to six years and regenerates from its existing root system without replanting, against around fifty years for a hardwood. On raw renewability, bamboo beats mango and acacia.
The clear loser is melamine. It is a thermoset plastic — its polymer chains cross-link permanently during manufacture, so it will not melt down for reprocessing. It cannot go in a kerbside bin and does not biodegrade. A cracked melamine bowl is landfill.
What neither of us publishes. Neither brand shows timber certification, the finishes used on wooden pieces, or freight emissions on its serving bowl pages. Handmade homewares travel a long way to reach Australia and that is a real cost. Treat unverifiable claims as neutral and judge on what you can check: the named material, whether it can be repaired, and what happens when it breaks.
The honest meta-point: the greenest bowl is usually the one you keep longest. One good bowl kept for twenty years beats four cheap ones, whatever each is made from.
Price, sizes and sets
The two ranges sit in different brackets and barely compete.
| Spend | What you get | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Under $10 | Dip and condiment bowls | Bed Bath N' Table |
| $10 – $30 | Everyday ceramic and bamboo bowls | Bed Bath N' Table |
| $30 – $50 | Larger salad bowls; Gleemium's entry pieces | Both |
| $50 – $80 | Solid hardwood, hand-carved, small sets | Gleemium |
| $80 – $130 | Larger sets, marble, statement pieces | Gleemium |
What size do you need?
Measure across the top, rim to rim.
| Diameter | Serves | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20cm | 1 | Dips, nuts, single portions |
| 20–25cm | 2–3 | Side salad, small table |
| 25–30cm | 4–6 | Family dinner — the usual sweet spot |
| 30cm+ | 6–10 | Entertaining and share bowls |
Most households want something in the 25–30cm range. A deeper bowl helps if you toss dressing through a salad, since shallow bowls throw leaves over the side.
Delivery, stock and buying in person
Gleemium ships free to every Australian address with no minimum spend, from Perth. There are no stores, so you are buying from photographs.
Bed Bath N' Table offers free shipping above a spend threshold and has stores in most cities and larger towns, so you can handle a piece first and take it home the same day.
On stock, the chain wins clearly. Gleemium had 8 of 29 bowls unavailable when we checked. Handmade ranges sell through and the next batch may differ or not arrive at all. A chain restocks the same line for years — which matters if you want to add a matching bowl later.
Care and washing
Gleemium's wooden bowls. Hand wash in warm water with mild detergent. Never soak, never dishwasher — trapped water swells the timber and causes cracking. Dry immediately. Rub in food-grade mineral oil every month or two. Never use olive or canola oil, which go rancid and leave a stale smell.
Marble. Wipe with warm soapy water and dry straight away. Clean up lemon, wine and vinegar quickly, since acids mark the surface.
Bed Bath N' Table's ceramic and stoneware. Dishwasher is fine. Avoid sudden temperature changes, like moving a bowl from the fridge into a hot oven, which can crack the glaze.
Bamboo and melamine. Check the label — many are hand wash only, and bamboo delaminates if it soaks.
Which should you buy?
Buy from Bed Bath N' Table if your budget is under $45, you need small dip or condiment bowls, you want something dishwasher safe, you would rather see it in person first, or you need to match pieces you already own.
Buy from Gleemium if you want solid hardwood or marble, you like the idea of a bowl that can be repaired instead of replaced, you want a matched set, or you would rather not chase a minimum spend to get free delivery.
Buy from both if you are building a serving set, which is what most people end up doing. A handful of cheap dip bowls from a chain plus one good hardwood bowl looks better on a table than six mid-priced bowls that all match.
Full disclosure: this guide is published by Gleemium. We have used Bed Bath N' Table's own published prices and product information, and we have been straight about where it beats us — on price, on stock reliability, on dishwasher convenience, and on bamboo's regrowth rate against our hardwoods.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper for serving bowls, Gleemium or Bed Bath N' Table?
Bed Bath N' Table, clearly. Its servingware runs $4.75 to $59.95 with a median of $22.95. Gleemium starts at $47 and has a median of $77. Below $47 the two ranges do not overlap at all.
Who has more serving bowls?
Gleemium, despite being much smaller. It lists 29 serving bowls. Bed Bath N' Table's servingware page has 87 items but only 18 are bowls — the rest are platters, salad servers and similar.
Which is better for the environment?
It depends on the material. Gleemium's mango wood is a by-product of fruit farming and its bowls can be repaired rather than replaced. Bed Bath N' Table's bamboo regrows far faster than any hardwood. Melamine, which only Bed Bath N' Table stocks, is the weakest option because it cannot be recycled or biodegrade.
Does Gleemium sell ceramic serving bowls?
The range is mostly mango wood, acacia and marble, with some enamelled pieces and one bowl made from recycled horn. For a dishwasher-safe ceramic bowl, Bed Bath N' Table is the better fit.
Can Gleemium's wooden bowls go in the dishwasher?
No. The heat and long soak swell the timber and then dry it unevenly, which causes splitting. Hand wash, dry immediately, and oil every month or two.
Is mango wood sustainable?
It has a strong case. Mango trees are grown for fruit, and the timber comes from trees milled once their yield drops rather than trees felled for wood. Certification, finishes and freight are not published, so treat those as unknown.
Is melamine recyclable?
No. Melamine is a thermoset plastic whose polymer chains cross-link permanently during manufacture, so it cannot be melted down and reprocessed. It is not accepted in kerbside recycling and does not biodegrade.
What size serving bowl serves 4 people?
A bowl 25cm to 30cm across serves roughly four to six as a side dish. Choose 30cm or larger if the salad is the main meal.
Sources
- Gleemium — Serving Bowls & Dishes collection (29 products, pricing, stock, materials, accessed September 2026) — gleemium.com
- Bed Bath N' Table — Servingware (87 items, 18 bowls, price bands and type counts, accessed September 2026) — bedbathntable.com.au
- ACCC — Eight principles to guide businesses' environmental claims, including the finding that 57% of reviewed businesses made concerning claims — accc.gov.au
- Homescapes — How Sustainable is Mango Wood? — homescapesonline.com
- Sustainable Jungle — What Is Melamine and Is It Safe to Eat Off? — sustainablejungle.com
- The Bamboo Co — Sustainable Tableware vs Traditional Alternatives — thebambooco.com
- The Pottery Wheel — Is Pottery Clay Eco-Friendly? — thepotterywheel.com
Last reviewed: 22 September 2026. Product counts, prices and stock were checked on both websites in September 2026 and change over time.
Ready to choose? Browse Gleemium's handmade serving bowls and dishes — solid mango wood, acacia and marble, turned by hand, with free postage anywhere in Australia.
