How do you set your table?

[fashionista-ta]

I thought it might be fun to see how we set our tables ... dinnerware, china, flatware, silver, glasses, crystal, linens, etc. I have an absolutely ton of dinnerware and some things I'm not going to be able to find pictures of, I suspect, but here's a sampling ...

For every day ...

Wedgwood Strawberry & Vine

Poppytrail Jamestown (this was made 1957-60 and is dishwasher safe--a must for everyday!)

For glasses, I have a bunch of milk glasses with a cow imprint from Crate & Barrel, and some other things from Pottery Barn. Stainless is a Gorham shell pattern. I have a variety of cotton napkins, mostly Longaberger florals, and some other toiles.

For company I have

Homer Laughlin English Garden (1933)

Silver, Alvin Bridal Bouquet (apparently this was considered a happening name in 1932)

Fostoria Sunray (1935-43)

I have more dinnerware and glass patterns & a variety of vintage napkins, but this is probably enough pix for one post

replacements

 

[dumbfairy]

I am in love with your silver

My tablewear at the moment is basic,and umm,plastic But just whilst I am in University residence I assure you.

I won't be able to post photos because they're at one of my Parents' houses but growing up we used to have little silver napkin rings with a fancy detail, that were passed down the family, which I used to love playing with but now I'm older I can appreciate their beauty a lot more and when I next go home they might 'accidently' come back to Scotland with me

 

[fashionista-ta]

Thanks, I love repousse

I hear you I remember when I was in college there was this one brand of frozen dinner that came with a 'nice' reuseable plastic plate, so I had a set of those And 'souvenir' plastic cups from football games Some actual glasses too ...

 

[fashionista-ta]

replacements

^ Oh and btw, you might think since it's vintage that some of this is from my family, but it's not ... they hold onto everything with a very tight fist. And if they promise you something 'when you get married,' and you don't, they will die before they give it to you ... and I mean that quite literally

Russel Wright American Modern in seafoam green (1939-50). This has some very cool pieces--the butter is the best. Very curvy shapes.

Fostoria Capri

Obviously this is just a sketch--the base is very cool, looks like a melting ice cube. When I bought these, the dealer told me the original owner had also used them with American Modern. Great minds think alike ...

 

[daniellat]

id love to have my table set everyday. but im on dumbfairy's team right now i only use plastic stuff, i have colorful fruit themed plates and bright blue acrylic short and square glasses. theyre handy because i hate using heavy crystal glasses or plates that ill end up breaking. but i love to drink wine and eat cheese and olives while playing boardgames with my bf on weekends and it really sucks to drink wine from a plastic glass, it takes off the magic of wine instantly, id like to have a set of beautiful and simple wine glasses or champagne glasses even.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ When I got my first apartment I got a set of wineglasses from TJ Maxx before my first party. When one of the stems snapped off in a guy's hand I figured out why they were at TJ Maxx but all these years later I still have some of the glasses from that set. As I recall they were less than what I pay for a cheap bottle of wine now ... I agree that wine from plastic is the worst.

 

[dumbfairy]

I don't own any wine glasses But that's because I don't drink, so when friends come over they know they have to bring their own glasses or drink out of a mug I'll be buying some when I move out though. I had some in my last flat that my Mum had given me (that she loved) and I promptly broke 2, so maybe I should stay away from glass!

I have become ever so slightly obsessed with a UK tv show (Kirstys Homemade Home) about making things and other stuff and I found myself loving Kath Kidstons kitchen and all of her tablewear I love how she throws pieces together of all colours and it just works.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I see her things in UK magazines & like them too Emma Bridgewater is another nice UK line.

I've broken a few glasses over the years, but eventually you figure out how not to do it One thing I do is, I wash and dry all my crystal and nice glasses by hand with those rubber sink pads at the bottom of the sinks.

 

[daniellat]

im just clumsy plus i leave them all around my apartment fancy glasses and china are not meant for me

 

[GasolineRainbow]

Can't remember the last time I set the table, as I live alone and eat with a tray in front of the tv. Woe is me. But as a kid, and now when I get to spend time with my family, I am in charge of setting and unsetting the table. Setting the table is a lot more fun, let me tell you. Apparently I have this magic touch, lol, but if my memory serves me well, it was probably my brother's way of buttering me up to do his dirty work for him.

I'm always surprised when I visit houses - typically student-occupied, ahem - and everyone uses plastic cutlery, cups, and dishes. One of my pet peeves is having to use toilet paper as napkins. I mean, you can find great 'real' stuff and cute napkins at dollar stores for next to nothing. I like the eclectic effect of mismatched cutlery and dishware, who says everything has to match? Sure, cheap things may not be durable, but hey, fine china/crystal isn't that durable either.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ It's true, you can find nice things second-hand too, and let's face it, lots of people are paying very good money for antique dishes I've gotten mugs I like, a tart pan, and things like that at a thrift store for very little $. (Their regular clientele don't seem to be that interested in the housewares.)

I've been given paper towels as napkins many times, but I must say, never TP If that happened, my eyebrows would probably raise up into my hairline

I have things from several different patterns that I use for everyday. One set of plates I got at an antique mall for a dollar each. I have a bunch of Longaberger cotton napkins that I use every day that I got free as GWP, and there are also tons of great napkins to be had on eBay for not much. My stainless I've had for about 20 years now ... somehow a fork or two has gotten lost along the way Probably some relative or guest threw the missing pieces away, or who knows But I paid about $100 for the whole set and it's still going strong.

If you're decently careful, hardly anything ever breaks.

Oh, I have gotten some nice things at garage and estate sales too. Glasses for 50 cents.

 

[GasolineRainbow]

I've been given paper towels as napkins many times, but I must say, never TP If that happened, my eyebrows would probably raise up into my hairline

Those pesky students, I tell ya. Sadly, thrift stores haven't really caught on in my country, but there are denizons of discount stores and markets with really inexpensive things. Like, a set of dishes for 1 euro. I was actually referring to decent, lovely paper napkins, not the fabric ones. I'm not that much of a princess, but is it too much to ask to wipe my mouth with something that's not designated for our nether regions? (I do like fabric napkins, but even my parents only use them for special occasions, as they're a bit of a hassle.)

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ One of the rules at my house is that I don't have to iron, so my nice napkins go to the cleaners, but the everyday ones just go in the washer & dryer--no hassle at all. (Much greener than paper, I feel, since I'm going to be running the washer anyway.)

 

[dumbfairy]

Toilet paper

This is the Kath Kidston kitchen, it's certainly not for dinner,more for lunch but I love the mismatch of the colours and the almost playfullness of it


I love finding things in antique stores. My favourite in a complete geeky way is finding tablewear related to previous King and Queens Coronations, but I'm not sure if I'd ever use it for eating.

 

[GasolineRainbow]

That's a good point, Tata. I guess we never used everyday fabric napkins, ours were all fancy. I'm such a messy eater, I don't know that my everyday napkins would survive...On that note, bibs should really make a comeback. Or were they always reserved for babies? Please lie and tell me that I'm not the only adult who could use a bib.

I can't wait to get to that stage in life where my friends and I start to have dinner parties. I noticed that it's lot more common among people my age in northern Europe and the USA, but here my age group still lounges around munching on pizza. Wonderfully relaxing and all, but um, did I mention that I'm a messy eater?

Dumbfairy, what are King and Queens Coronations?

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ The British make souvenir china to mark royal milestones--coronations, jubilees, weddings, what have you. I believe Emma Bridgewater did a mug for the Queen's jubilee ...

Being a messy eater is no problem, you just throw the napkin directly into the wash

 

[dumbfairy]

The coronation ceremony when the next in line to the Royal Throne becomes Monarch. Plates and cups etc are commissioned to celebrate the occassion. The same thing happened for Charles and Dianas wedding


glassmenagerie.com poshchicago.com

(apologies,last photo in previous post was from channel4.com)

 

[fashionista-ta]

joannehudson

This is Emma Bridgewater ...

 

[daniellat]

hmm the toilet paper in the table has happened to me too, sometimes i forget them when i go to get the groceries but ive forgotten tp too so i have to say ive switched tp and pt both ways

i fell into the dollar store bandwagon too, here are lots of them and expanding by the day, i used to live within a 100 yards of one and i couldnt resist to shop there everyday, i equipped my whole kitchen with that, plastic glasses, plates, bottles, everything you can imagine, i even found the best scissors ive ever tried (even for thick denim). but one thing that wasnt too pleased is that, we dont pay in dollars, we pay the equivalent in mexican pesos but if the value of us dollars got down we still payed for the value before it went down

 

[GasolineRainbow]

I need to get me some of those Coronation plates. I've always found Princes William and Harry rather yummy