Break Out Mummy's China!
Collecting various china patterns through the years has been a joy. My two favorite colors have obviously attracted my eye: pink and cobalt blue! Mummy's white Wedgwood is next to my grandmother’s floral Bavarian plate, pictured in the center.
One of my sweet subscribers, Nikki, wrote to me after reading last week's topic of choosing a color and theme to build upon:
“My Southern belle mother always said that the lady of the house should decorate the dining room in her most flattering color. At the table, she is the star of the evening and the walls behind her are her stage. To this day, the walls of my dining room are the same shade of green as my eyes. I always feel more confident and prettier in that room!”
What a lovely observation! This inspired me to write about your choice in china, because china patterns serve to accent and flatter your dining room, and you, too. China designs are a splendid way to mirror your personality, complement an occasion, and enhance a dining experience! Observing the china pattern a hostess chooses for an event is tantamount to reading tea leaves; it tells so much in a delightfully subtle way.
When I was a twenty-one-year-old bride, Mummy suggested that I choose a white set of china, one that could cross over from informal to formal. My parents moved around to various places in the world every two or three years, so she spoke from experience. Her solid ivory-white Wedgwood pattern would dovetail into the dining room color scheme she was greeted with and could harmonize with any occasion, floral arrangement, or country. My word, I don’t know how she did it, but she would host a formal dinner party within a week of moving into a new domicile!
I have collected many patterns, but I continue to use her Wedgewood, along with her pretty floral Bavarian porcelain plates, which she inherited from her mother. Now, the same floral plates (in the center of the above photograph) grace my springtime dinner parties at Fox Hall.
When selecting your china patterns, think about the colors and themes that make you happy! My daughter, Alexandra, adores her Herend Chinese Bouquet in Raspberry, and my other daughter, Caroline, chose Haviland Parlon Syracuse in Turquoise. Again, these represent their favorite colors that they use for both their wardrobe and interiors.
I have been asked if one can appropriately mix patterns during the same dining event. Mummy taught me that a salad course or dessert course is the optimal time to slip in a different china pattern, as long as it complements the overall scheme of the table and dinner plate pattern. I collect various plates just for this purpose, to add variety and shake it up a bit, versus using a matchy-matchy set throughout the dinner party.
Is there a difference between formal and informal? Indeed! To me, the quality of the porcelain and the amount of gold embellishment on a plate is what contributes to the formality of the design. When I first started my interior design business, I was invited to design a formal dining room for the Junior League of Hartford’s Showhouse, so I asked Tiffany & Company to collaborate with me. I chose an exquisitely formal pattern: Royal Copenhagen’s Flora Danica porcelain plates. To this day, it is my most beloved, formal pattern. Take a quick tour with me in the bridal registry at Scully and Scully, Park Avenue, NYC.
Grandmillennial Tips:
Consider buying sets of china at auction, where your dollars will go much further. From a few plates to extensive porcelain sets, when purchasing at auction, plates tend to sell for a mere fraction of what the retail cost would be… even Flora Danica!
During COVID, grand scale dinner parties certainly are not an option. But, may I suggest for your dinner tonight, or breakfast tomorrow, take out your prettiest plates? Begin to use them more often than just for special occasions. Whatever you serve, it will taste better, I promise!
Welcome to our new sponsor!
How delightful to discover a source for darling, traditionally designed clothes for my eight grandchildren! The clothing collection at Yellow Lamb is made with exceptional fabrics and can be passed down for generations to come. Adorable, well-made, and traditional are attributes that I admire. I just spied a “fox designed” dress… I wonder if they make it in my size?!
