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I have a complete set of plain white porcelain. Then what I do is dress it up with patterned/colorful salad plates and napkins. I don't have room to store multiple sets of dishes but I have space for extra sets of salad plates.
I did pick up a set of Eastern airline dishes at a junk store in my area. I love these little dishes for small things and dessert, lol. They were 6/$5.00
I have a few of these that I stole...er...acquired from flight a long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away).
I have the space to store several sets of dishware, and since the sets I store are also nostalgic to me (and one set is actually quite valuable), and since I enjoy setting different table settings and hosting dinner parties, I love having the various options. I also have a big collection of vintage and antique (and some heirloom) linens, including lots of beautiful cloth napkins and various napkin rings. Runners, table cloths, you name it. I even have two large sets of flatware - one is much more formal than the other - and several sets of beautiful glasses. One set is clear crystal, one set is heavy vintage cobalt blue cut glass, and one set is funky vintage glass with wide silver stripes - this set also includes wine glasses and champagne flutes.
So yeah - I love it. And get this - apparently this love is inherited because I inherited and have already given (to my daughters) several large sets of dishes, including my grandmother's extensive set of vintage (from the 1940s) FiestaWare. Then I had a set that my mother collected for me as I was growing up - it was too formal for my taste but it's a large set and then I added a lot of crystal to it when we lived in Germany and heavy crystal everything was abundant. And my daughters use the HECK out of those dishes so like I said, I guess setting elaborate, colorful tables runs in our family down both sides and several generations.
I got into Polish pottery (and then gave the FiestaWare to one of my daughters) because it "spoke" to me and because I love the rich, riotous colors and how mixing and combining patterns is so easy. And I lived near the Polish border so quite a bit of my pottery actually came straight from my visits to Poland, and while living and then visiting Germany. It's also often found on military installations in the US and Europe so my daughters have picked some up for me over the years too.
When we remodeled our kitchen, I actually took a piece of Polish pottery with me to the first meeting with the designer. I said, "I want the kitchen surfaces to be quiet because I have a lot of THIS," and as soon as I pulled that piece out, her face brightened up and the whole thing came together. We chose basically a very soft moss green background and soapstone countertops and a travertine floor (all quiet but not quite neutrals) so that the pieces of Polish pottery were what would pop - not the backsplash or counter tops though they're nice (the backsplash is just opaque subway tile).
I tried to go with plain dishes once - before I committed to fully throwing myself into the Polish pottery thing and after I'd given my daughter the FiestaWare, I had just some serving pieces of the pottery so I went with a nice, heavy cream colored plain set of pottery dishes. They were nice but I just couldn't go there over time, so when our youngest graduated we gave him all those plain white dishes and I began collecting the plates and bowls and mugs of Polish pottery. That was about six years ago and I absolutely love it and can't imagine using anything else.
It's not trendy, and it's not in trendy colors, but it's fun and funky and has just that touch of European country flair that I love so much.
You always set such a beautiful table. I often thought about getting a runner or table cloth for my table but with the entire family and all the leaves in, I don't know if there would be one BIG enough. Beside, our table is made out of beautiful oak and in a way it would be a shame to cover it up.
You always set such a beautiful table. I often thought about getting a runner or table cloth for my table but with the entire family and all the leaves in, I don't know if there would be one BIG enough. Beside, our table is made out of beautiful oak and in a way it would be a shame to cover it up.
Cat
You have a beautiful dining room from what I recall! (Thanks, by the way.)
I wish our dining room was larger but it's not. Our table seats 12 but there's no way we have room to pull it completely out. But in my previous home we could do so and I found a table cloth that was actually that long, amazingly! I lucked out. But I had mixed feelings about it too because I don't like hiding the wood top which is a parquet oak. Oh well.
Go with chargers or place mats instead of covering up that wood!
Location: Foothills of Maryland Blue Ridge mountains
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Originally Posted by Okey Dokie
I picked out Royal Doulton Provencal (now discontinued) in 1974. I loved it then, I still love it, and I have used it every day since. And have owned nothing else.
Our everyday "stainless steel ware" is just a mix match of assorted pieces. For my guest "stainless steel ware", I found a HUGE lot of vintage flatware called Spritely Rose on eBay which I don't think they had been used. Unfortunately, the lot didn't have enough salad forks so I had to buy them separately and I also decided to buy some iced tea spoons. Of course I HAD to buy a beautiful box to put them all in. I think the box cost more than all that is in it.
Cat
Last edited by CatwomanofV; 12-29-2017 at 03:50 PM..
These are my everyday dishes. And yep, they chip and crack. I’ve had them for 8 years. I’m ready for some new dishes. I’ve been looking on CL and estate sales online for something different. Maybe a nice set of old china for everyday use if it can go in the microwave and dishwasher. I always wash my dishes on china setting with no heat dry cycle.
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