Hurray for Grandma’s China! They are hot and selling briskly once again.
“There was a long time when no one wanted to inherit Grandma’s prized wedding china, so valued she only busted them out for special occasions. Potential heirs dreaded the bequest thinking them fussy.” said Rebecca Malinsky of the Wall Street Journal. We agree with her.
But some new thinking has arrived recently, as people, especially young ones, are taking another look.
And they are thinking more deeply about their dinner interactions. This may have been launched by the Pandemic as people have been dining-in and realizing that newest stuff they have may be boring. Pre- Pandemic, they were just going out to eat. This new appreciation for Vintage may also be stimulated by social media where Tabletop and Interior Design is bursting out for us to look at, giving us so many great looking ideas.
Minimalist table setting was the fashion for several years. It is no longer Tabula Rasa at the Table, so bring in all kinds of elements. Create a dining experience. Not only is creativity in the home going up, but in the kitchen as well.
OLD
• Sometimes small in scale
• Shapely and complex
• Delicately hand painted
• Many types of serving pieces
• Multicolor decorations
• Formal matching pieces to same patter
• Hand washing required
• Expensive if high quality
New
Larger in size and large individual bowls
Flat plates
Limited number of accessory pieces.
Little or no hand painting
Decoration four to eight colors
Dishwasher and microwave friendly
Inexpensive, if you break it, just get more.
In olden times ( how old?, you ask) often the bride chose the dinner pattern and it was common for all plates within the pattern style to match. The table was set in a formal way, with all people attending having matching tableware. Hand washing also brought with it reluctance to get out the good china, thus only for holidays and partiesl
Today’s marriage partners often choose the pattern together and may choose styles from three different companies to create a mix and match style all their own. Thus dinner plate may be completely different from the dessert plates. It can be elegant, but it doesn’t have to be expensive and so see what you can find while you are on the hunt with a relative or a yard sale.
We have to say we are very happy about this trend, and here is our two cents. The handwashing is sometimes a challenge and anything with a metal such as platinum or gold will not go in the microwave. If you try it, you will create fireworks at home.
Historic ceramics will not hold up to dishwasher washing, but Mottahedeh antique reproductions will . You will be able to put designs such as Tobacco Leaf that has a high amount of gold, in the dishwasher repeatedly. Often people don’t believe us when we say this, but Mottahedeh hard porcelain and stoneware can be washed in the dishwasher and heated in the oven up to warm plate on a regular basis without ill effects. It is a good idea to turn off the high heat of your dishwashing cycle or even the turn the drying cycle off completely. But don’t put faience in the dishwasher; it is too soft.
So we suggest you take Grandma’s china if she offers it, especially if it is Mottahedeh that has been around for more than 90 years. In many cases it is already Vintage coming up on an Antique. There is something happening that we call Casual Opulence. That is appreciating and using beautiful things in a casual style. Stack your plates on the buffet table and let each arrangement be beautiful to look at.
Steve McKenzies getting ready for a party
Mix your old with your new!
We started mixing up our plate collection to give you some ideas.
This includes Mottahedeh and Robert Haviland and C. Parlon
