Multiple china patterns........

[So_happy]

(I posted this also in Hangout by accident)

I read on here awhile back about this really great way to have many different patterns but not break the bank for each one. It was something like you buy a few important pieces in the desired pattern and then just keep the rest really plain (like in clear glass I think). I can''t remember who descibed it but I''d love to know where that post was because I need to read the suggestions given there.

 

[laine]

That was LadyKemma, and I believe it was in this thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/does-anyone-actually-use-fine-china-crystal-sterling.48000/

 

[laine]

Here is her advice:

Author: LadyKemma

a little hint to the new kids -china lovers out there

get plain serving pieces in glass, cut glass, silver, pewter, and/ or crystal. then you can use these neutral pieces with anything.

get 10-12 plain glass "rim soup" bowls. get 10-12 plain glass "bouillion bowls". I get all these at flea markets, TJ Maxx, Ross, and garden ridge pottery.

then get many different patterns of just the dinner and salad plates of the fine china you desire.

it''s the rim soup bowls and the serving pieces is where the china companies getchya in the wallet!

edited to add: (basically just buy the 5 piece place settings)

 

[So_happy]

Thank you, Laine, and of course, Lady Kemma!!!

Okay, so what is a "rim soup bowl" and a "boullion bowl"? I'm new to this! lol.

I can see not getting all the extra stuff w each pattern (gravy boat etc) but what about the coffee cup and saucer thing? Those usually come w a 5-pc set, no? Is it nice to have those w each pattern? If I thnk about our use now, we have this one very inexpensive BBB box set of plain white ware that came with the cup/saucer and we never use them! They're pretty useless in fact because we like a bigger coffee cup and 5 oz just ain't cuttin' it y'know?

However, we don't really entertain yet either and I'm hoping to do more of that once we are able to have nicer things

So, I really only need the dinner and salad plate then? I keep picturing my mom's china and the WHOLE table was done with the same pattern everywhere..........I admit it's hard to "see" it done differently but I am intrigued at the same time. I can imagine that silver service sets and/or clear glass pieces would look very nice as well.

Can anyone comment on the cup/saucer "issue"? Could I find some usuable mugs (read: at least 10 oz) w saucers that also look "fancy" and would go with any pattern?

ETA: I would also appreciate any suggestions for good service sets that are neutral/glass/silver thank you!!!!!

 

[dtnyc]

Date: 5/7/2007 11:31:39 PM
Author: So_happy
Thank you, Laine, and of course, Lady Kemma!!!


Okay, so what is a ''rim soup bowl'' and a ''boullion bowl''? I''m new to this! lol.


I can see not getting all the extra stuff w each pattern (gravy boat etc) but what about the coffee cup and saucer thing? Those usually come w a 5-pc set, no? Is it nice to have those w each pattern? If I thnk about our use now, we have this one very inexpensive BBB box set of plain white ware that came with the cup/saucer and we never use them! They''re pretty useless in fact because we like a bigger coffee cup and 5 oz just ain''t cuttin'' it y''know?

However, we don''t really entertain yet either and I''m hoping to do more of that once we are able to have nicer things


So, I really only need the dinner and salad plate then? I keep picturing my mom''s china and the WHOLE table was done with the same pattern everywhere..........I admit it''s hard to ''see'' it done differently but I am intrigued at the same time. I can imagine that silver service sets and/or clear glass pieces would look very nice as well.


Can anyone comment on the cup/saucer ''issue''? Could I find some usuable mugs (read: at least 10 oz) w saucers that also look ''fancy'' and would go with any pattern?


ETA: I would also appreciate any suggestions for good service sets that are neutral/glass/silver thank you!!!!!

Rim soup bowl is the low wide bowl w/ a flat wide rim- think what you would have soup from in a fine rest. I am not 100% on the boullion bowl- perhaps that is the "fruit" bowl- what you would have fruit salad out of?

W/ regards to the tea-cup/mug issue- tea cups and saucers are more formal than mugs. Many formal patterns don''t offer both- but more casual patterns do- I got both for my kate spade patterns (combo of 3 patterns) but only got 4 of the mugs for now because it''s not like I am going to be serving a hearty breakfast to more than 4 ppl right now. Typically the mugs don''t come w/ saucers- I don''t know if our mugs fit in the teacup saucers.

My SIL registered for wedgewood nantucket basket china as her everyday, and then a more formal pattern @ tiffany. The wedgewood pattern offers tea-cup or mug. She registered for it open stock, and request mugs- my mom went to the outlet and bought her a package of 8 place-settings that came w/ the tea-cups so she will have to get the mugs from someone else.
I think that an additional plate replaces the saucer in the teacup/saucer- mug exchange...

 

[ladykemma]

i never use the cups either. most china companies offer mugs in the china pattern. i lurk on ebay and garage sales and find most of what i need there. also ross, marshalls TJ maxx and garden ridge pottery

garden ridge pottery definitely has the plain glass bowls.

get extra dessert plates too.

I have to get ready for work, will be back. gypsy where are you?

 

[So_happy]

Thank ya kindly, LK

Do ross and garden ridge have websites? I''ve never heard of them but I''m in the Northeast so maybe that''s why. I''ve definitely heard of TJ Maxx but I''m hoping to window shop from home first and TJM doesn''t offer online shopping.

Before I started to consider doing this the LK way (

) I wanted the C&B White Pearl set. Although I picked it under the guise of it being my only set so wanted it to be very plain (so i could dress it up as needed), I still really like it. However, I would like to consider another set, too.

I really like the ones with silver bands and/or silver-y accents/designs but I want it to be dishwasher safe. Any recommendations?

 

[dtnyc]

Date: 5/8/2007 12:12:50 PM
Author: So_happy
Thank ya kindly, LK


Do ross and garden ridge have websites? I''ve never heard of them but I''m in the Northeast so maybe that''s why. I''ve definitely heard of TJ Maxx but I''m hoping to window shop from home first and TJM doesn''t offer online shopping.

I really like the ones with silver bands and/or silver-y accents/designs but I want it to be dishwasher safe. Any recommendations?

Ross is like TJ Maxx- is there are Marshall''s near you? Also try Tuesday Morning- none of these places are online. Online equivalent would be Smartbargains.com, overstock.com.

W/ regards to metallic trim- for the most part metallic trim shouldn''t go in the dishwasher or microwave- not if you want it to stay there forever anyway.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 5/8/2007 6:07:33 AM
Author: ladykemma

I have to get ready for work, will be back. gypsy where are you?

Right here Lady K.

Well Ross is like Marshalls so no website. Also try Tuesday Morning which is like the later, but keeps sending me email notices that they are starting their website up and running soon.

I''ve never been to garden ridge pottery (though you can bet its on my list now)... so I can''t comment.

A lot of this is just hunting. Stalking these stores until you get what you want.
I''ll post more in a minute or two.

 

[Gypsy]

I would not get a pattern from C&B personnally. I love thier pearl pattern BUT there is no guarantee on when the pattern will be discontinued. So unless you want to buy double what you need now... in prep for breakage, I would go with a pattern from a company like Lenox, Wedgewood, Waterford... etc. And make sure it's a pattern that is not going to discontinue. I would also suggest white not ivory patterns. Ivories are hard to match. I would get my salad and dinner plates from the pattern you like. Then do crystal, glass or metal rim soup/cereal etc.

If you want a patterned china and a more uniform look I would look to the same brand for a plain white pattern for some of the other pieces too, that’s a way to save money as well.
What I mean by this is… say you want a Wedgwood white rimmed or bordered pattern. It’s X dollars for the soup and platters. But Wedgwood has their standard ‘white’ pattern and the soup bowls and platters are much less than your pattern and they match. Buy those pieces from that pattern. Plain white. Of course that’s not going to be as cost effective as buying crystal, glass, or metallic… but it will help.

Personally, I bought my Wedgwood White at a great sale where you buy two sets and get two free (I think it’s ever November or every other November they have this deal) on all of their plain white china sets (and they have like 10 patterns that fall into this category). So I bought 20 sets… full five piece sets because it was cheaper than just dinner and salad plates.

I’ve got a ton of useless cups and saucers…but one of these days I’ll sell 10 of those on ebay. The cereal bowls for the set 30 bucks EACH. Yeah, that’s not going to happen. So I bought some lovely crystal ones at Marshals that I am using instead. But I needed 20 of them… so I visited ALL of the marshals in my area until I got enough. Same with my crystal highballs and how balls.

Also for serving platters check out Crate and Barrel, Overstock…Pottery Barn etc… All of them will have white ware (take a bread or salad plate with you to compare white shades.. bone china is whiter than porcelain)… and even if the whites aren’t a 100% match, no one will notice on the serving platters because they aren’t going to be right on top of your plates… and will be filled with food anyway.

Nambe and Arthur Court and brands like that will have nice silver/pewter metal serving pieces that will add some zing to your table.

Napkins and napkin rings and nice tablecloths also add to the uniform feel of the table. I will try (if I can find them) to scan in some pics of designer table settings for you to see the look. Actually designers aren’t doing the everything matches and is from the same pattern anymore. You see a lot of crystal, glass, metals (silver and gold) on these tables. And you can replicate that look for a lot less (you don’t have to buy limoges china and christofle silver etc…).

All you need is a vision, a car, some patience and some confidence.

 

[Gypsy]

Another thing to do is get a plain white set and buy separate sets of accent plates for different looks.

One of these days I''m going to get the Jasper Conran accent plates for my plain white set. (I have no space for more china or crystal at the moment).

And while they are pricey if you buy them in addition to the sets they come with... if you buy them as a compliment ot existing china you get the look... at a fraction of the price.

 

[surfgirl]

Yes, Gypsy, accent plates! I used to have a Great Uncle that was an antique dealer whose specialty was plates and years ago, I used to dream about having a set of fine china where each place setting was completely different. I think it is a really interesting concept and makes for a very unique table setting. At the time I was thinking mainly of floral patterns because an entire table of the same floral pattern is a bit much sometimes. With white accents in terms of service pieces...that would be lovely. I''m sure one could "register" at an antique shop for something like this as well.

 

[Gypsy]

Chargers are a great addition to any table... and after Chistmas you can get great deals on some lovely ones.

Articles

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_2_202/ai_53697951

http://www.countryliving.com/decorate/projects/articles/0,,284635_653062,00.html?par=msn_h%7Cclg%7Cemb%7Cslide

Surfgirl... yes! And Replacement's.com is a big help too. If you can't find say... 8 of one patern or color of accent plates or chargers consider two coordinating patterns alternating every other place setting.

For example... for chistmas table for 8: 4 silver and four gold chargers. White dinner plate. 4 Silver patterned on white accent plates. 4 gold patterned on white accent plates. Crystal bowls and drink/stemware. Silver metal and white colored serving plates (crytal too). Red table cloth (high quality linens are easy to find at the places above... and you don't need 10 of those... just a couple of nice different sets) red napkins. Silver and gold (bi-colored) napking rings. Centerpiece with lots of white flowers and red accents in a gold container. Crystal or glass dessert plates.

I have CB's emily cake plate and dessert plates-- even at full price they were MUCH more afforable than Wedgwood peices.

Boullion bowls are smaller bowls -- deep either with handles or without. They are nice for ice cream for serving ware... etc.

 

[So_happy]

Gypsy, thank you for your wonderfully detailed and helpful response!!

I really need to plan out how I want this whole thing to look so a concept pic would go a long way towards that! I like the idea of getting the basics in neutrals and then use flowers/napkins/placemats etc for color. I also appreciate the foresight that the CB sets won''t be around later if I find I need more. I found Mikasa''s Parchment to be very pretty (Macy''s shows a prettier picture than BBB in that the silver looks too dark on the BBB site), affordable and also dishwasher safe. Do you think, if I may continue to pick your brain, the silver rimmed styles will end up going as well with serviing sets I buy separately as would the plain white ones?

I guess I could always get white serving pieces because I suppose no matter what, my future patterns will be on a white plate?

And does a silver-y pattern on a plate look nice with a (different) silver patterns/rims on serving dishes?

 

[Gypsy]

I inherited a formal china pattern with a silver rim... but the entire set is hand wash (it's old). I do mix and match it with my plain white peices and serve ware. Looks great. And a silver rimmed set works with a patterned accent plate ... especially in the accent plate has a similar rim. I personally wanted my wedgwood completely dishwasher safe though... so no rim. They do wear if you wash them in the machine when they have the rim. Find out from Mikasa if that set is a legacy set. With Wedgwood and Lenox I know that some are... others aren't. But most of theirs even if they aren't will have a 5 year run to give you time to stock up. I don't know what Mikasa's policy is. BTW if you have one near you the Mikasa outlets, from what I remember, were pretty good to look at for cake plates an serving platters.

Good luck... and if I find the pictures/magazine's I'll let you know. If you want to browse on your own Veranda is a good magazine... so is Traditional Home, and Decor if you can find it. Those are the ones I used to subscribe to, and where I got most of the pictures from.

 

[dtnyc]

I have to 2nd the outlets- I don''t know if you ever frequent these, but there are lenox, Waterford/Wedgewood and Mikasa outlets/factory stores where you can find great deals on stuff.
Serving pieces- stuff that''s getting discontinued, etc.

 

[Gypsy]

Okay well... add all my magazine clippings to the MIA list.


I did run to Borders the other day to look at a few magazine for you to see if they had pics that would help-- but most of them featuyre that kind of stuff in the fall or winter.

However Veranda did have ONE page that would give you an idea of what I mean... it''s page 221 of the June 2007 edition... so if you have a moment run to B&N or Borders and take a look. It didn''t look like it would scan well, so I didn''t buy the magazine.

The chargers have a nice bold print. So do the accent plates-- but they don''t match. The glassware/stemware is all different. And the centerpieces are a simple but lovely collection of pitchers and such.

It''s very classy but also a bit elecletic.

I''m hitting the storage unit again this weekend (god I''m starting to dislike that thing), and if anything turns up I''ll post it.