Welcome to the 882nd Tablescape Thursday! I have a truly special table to share with you today, along with a wonderful story. Elena wrote, “My mother passed away a few months ago after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Since her passing, I have been thinking about a table scape in her honor, using her fine china, silver, and glassware. A little background: My parents were married in the late 1950s and lived with my father’s parents for the first ten years of their marriage. When they moved into the house I grew up in, my father wanted my mother to pick out what would be her fine china, silver, and glassware.”
“He took her to a place in Manhattan called 225 Fifth Avenue. I believe it is still there, but back then, it was only high-end goods. When she saw this Bernardaud pattern, called “Polignac,” she loved it. I guess it was expensive for those days because when my father asked the salesman who bought china like that, he told him, “crazy people and the President of Mexico.” He responded, “Well, call us crazy, but that’s what she wants!”
“My Mom was ahead of her time and mixed two different patterns, Polignac for the servers and another pattern for the place settings. Both have the same vine in the pattern. I have been using Replacements Limited since the 1980s and eBay for almost 25 years, and I have never seen either pattern available anywhere. Makes it a little daunting to actually use! I only remember my mom using these dishes once when I was little for a dinner party. Otherwise, they were displayed beautifully in her china cabinet.”
“I am not sure what the glassware is. I remember her telling me it was from Macy’s. The silver is Reed and Barton Florentine Lace.”
“The tablecloth is a whole different matter! My mother used a tablecloth similar to this one on her dining room table for years, mostly for display only. The one time she washed it, it shrank up when wet. She and my father had to gently pull it back into shape on the dining room table, but it made her so nervous she would never do it again!! She used that cloth on the buffet table for my wedding. Shortly thereafter, she handed it to me and said, “HERE! You wash it and keep it, it’s yours!” Never did get to it; I have it in a box somewhere!”
“So when I wanted to do this table, I went through similar tablecloths that I have, and this one was the only one that was long enough. I must have put it away the way I got it, when on the table by itself, it looks rather dark and blotchy, almost as if it were tea-stained. It may also have been starched, which I think can turn dark over time.”
“I needed napkins and found some that looked like they would go with it, but were a different color. Lo and behold, they matched the tablecloth. I may have soaked the napkins in Oxi-Clean. If you look at the photos, the thread crochet is an exact match, but the color of the napkins is a pale gray. I will have to soak the cloth when I feel daring enough to deal with it! It is amazing, all hand-threaded crochet. I can’t imagine how long it took to finish it.”
“The candlesticks, I LOVE! They can be used as a pair of single candlesticks or add a piece that turns them into three-light candelabras. One broke years ago, and since I pulled them out of storage, my husband thinks he has a way to repair them.”
“They are a little over the top, but I can’t wait—maybe I’ll use the one that is still good on the piano, a la Liberace, LOL!”
Elena concluded by saying, “I forgot to mention why I did not use any chargers; nothing I have was good enough to use with these dishes! I am thinking that maybe a metal charger would work, but I chose not to use it, instead of using something that wasn’t as nice as the dishes. I also do not usually use soup bowls, but those were so exquisite I had to! I also wanted to use some of the serving pieces to show how she mixed two patterns.”
Such a beautiful pattern, and I love those vintage linens! Thanks so much to Elena for sharing this very special tablescape with such elegant, unique china and lovely vintage linens! I loved hearing how her parents came to acquire it. Such a great story, and I can just imagine how exciting that special day must have been for Elena’s mom! ❤️
Looking forward to all the wonderful table settings linked below for this week’s Tablescape Thursday!
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Gorgeous!
Thank You Renee!
Elena, first, so sorry about the loss of your mother. What a wonderful story and beautiful china. Back in the day, you went to the jewelry store to buy china, crystal and silver. When you talked about washing the tablecloth and stretching it, I remembered spring cleaning and curtain stretchers. It’s a wooden frame with maybe small nails around the edges. My mother would wash the lace curtains and put them on the stretchers to dry in the sun. You could probably build a frame. Good luck on that one.
You answered a question for me Myrna! I have an unused pair of lace curtains with the tags still on them………they have yellowed over the years and the instructions say to use a stretcher, now I know what that meant. I will have to figure out how to rig something like that up instead of never using them! Thank you for the information!!!
I really like Chlorox 2 but apparently they don’t make the liquid anymore. I found the powder at Family Dollar. You would have to worry about fresh wood staining the fabric. My mother’s were very old.
When my Aunt passed away I ended up with all the linens, I think I had FIVE large plastic totes FULL! I researched what I could and found something specially formulated for linens. I think I spent 35 dollars on a box of it maybe 15 or more years ago. When it came my husband looked at it and said “It looks like Oxi clean,…..it smells like Oxi clean………honey, I think that’s Oxi clean!!!!” Well, it worked but after I used it up I tried Oxi clean and it worked FINE !!!! Out of all the linens I laundered with it I only lost ONE tablecloth, but it had a large deep brown stain which was probably soda or coffee. You do have to make sure it is dissolved before adding the linens. When my parents stretched the tablecloth I was talking about they had thick pads on the dining room table, I am thinking about using a large clean plastic folding table.
I was just thinking about how the effort to be “more”was a big part of our mothers’ lives..the special living room unused for most of the year except for Christmas..all the fine china and silver and crystal so taken care and saved..that most of our children do not want..we can see how beautiful many of these things are but understand how life has changed .. I wish our mothers and grandmothers had used and enjoyed them more
I feel the same way!!! The house I grew up in had formal living and dining rooms. We hardly ever went into them. The living room had a beautiful blue silk couch. Just before we moved to a different house (after 25 years!) my mother was vacuuming and the silk just ripped right off and she started to cry. When I told her not to worry and we could have it re upholstered she said oh no, that’s not why I’m crying. I’m crying because I wish I had let you all use it more often!!! I never forgot that!
The tablecloth is a work of art! But it was not crocheted, it was embroidered. It’s a combination of open, which encompasses dawn and pulled embroidery along with counted and possibly other embroidery techniques. With a little research, Elena could identify all the various stitches. Embroidery takes longer then crochet (I used to do both as well as knit) as a simple pillowcase edge use to take me months. Maybe hang it on a wall, as the art that it is!
Thank you SO much for the information! My grandmother crocheted a lot and the tablecloth has some parts that look like chain stitch so I assumed that’s what it is. She taught me a little bit but I SO wish I had learned more. I will have to research the art of the tablecloth!!!
Elena, that is such a gorgeous and classy table setting. Beautiful and timeless colors and patterns. And love the tablecloth you chose. I hope you use these elements more often, even if just for a dinner-for-two. Make that: especially for a dinner-for-two!
LOVE that idea Mia!!!!!!! Thank You!!
I have a friend who on a specific night each week would use the fine china, silver and glassware for her family. She only had one daughter but that daughter learned a lot from that experience. Wish I had done that.
Elena, this might be my favorite tablescape from you, yet. That tablecloth is just stunning as the backdrop. And the dishes, the serving pieces, the candlestick – everything looks so elegant and pretty. You’ve done your mama proud. And what a sweet daddy you had, to want to give her exactly the china she wanted. I also l0ve that he helped her pull it back into shape after she washed it. Such a cute mental image. As for the napkins, wow, that’s incredible that you found some with the same crochet pattern.
I am intrigued that your parents lived with your father’s parents for a decade. Were your grandparents immigrants by any chance? I always loved the idea of multi-generational families living under the same roof, but it seems more common with people from other countries. It seems like such a nice way to have strong bonds and would be particularly good for grandchildren.
What a nice story and trip down memory lane for you. I’m sorry about your mother’s passing. She was lucky to have you and your dad. And btw, it sounds like your husband is as sweet to you as your dad was to your mom. Thank you for sharing this lovely bit of your family with us.
Thank You so much for the kind words and how much you appreciated it Pam! And yes, all four of my grandparents were immigrants. This is probably my favorite table scape thus far as well!!!
An exquisite table and a sweet memory,
Thank You Heather!!!
Elena, what a beautiful table and beautiful story! I am so sorry for the loss of your mother. When I lost mine, my world was forever changed. It is lovely, though, when we can use things that were once precious to them in our homes and be reminded of all our dear memories.
Thank You Martha! We dealt with Alzheimer’s for years so it’s almost like I lost her a long time ago. I have been struggling to remember the good times (and there were many!) so I wasn’t sure how doing this table scape would make me feel, but it’s brought back so many wonderful memories I am really glad I did it!
Your table is so exquisite! Silver, china and crystal were still “in” when I married 55 years ago. It would be a shame to just store such a beautiful set. I hope you have the ability to display it in your home. I have very often read that, when asked at the end of their life if there were regrets, almost everyone said “Saving anything for a very special occasion. I should have used it and enjoyed it!” You should definitely “make up” special occasions for everyone in your family to enjoy such a beautiful table setting and the story!
Your table linens are so beautiful! You might also research dry cleaners in your area that specialize in vintage linens. They’d know how to safely clean, restore and block them.
Thank you for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it Margaret!! My mother used to save everything! She would purchase a new “everyday” set then like it so much she would buy another set to “save” the set she liked! I think after my father died she started telling everyone NOT to save things, “Wear it! Use it! You’ll keep it until it’s out of style or dried up, it will be no good and you never enjoyed it!!!!” So with that in mind I REALLY enjoyed putting this table scape together! And thank you for the tip about the linens, I will look into cleaners for my special linens!
Elena, blessings to you on your dearly departed mother. Oh my, did she ever have exquisite taste! What STUNNING china. WOW. It is so “bougie” as the kids today say. It made me gasp! Thank you so much for sharing this with us through Susan. I feel like I have just dined with royalty!
What a lovely thing to say, Thank You Michele!!!
Beautiful china! Enjoy using it!
Thank You Maureen! A little daunting since I cannot find replacements anywhere……..Susan found some of it on auction sites in France…….Now I know why my Mother only used it once!!! Maybe it will end up displayed in the China cabinet……….
What an absolutely exquisite table….so so lovely! Those dishes are show stoppers. Sadly, beautiful pieces like this don’t seem to be as valued by younger women….but you never know….styles have a way of recycling! Your mother left you beautiful heirlooms to remember her by, what a priceless treature. Thank you for sharing with us.
Thank You Toni! By using all the sets I have, I hope I am creating memories for my children so that they will want to use it as well! One can only hope!
Such GORGEOUS china!! And silverware. Our parents would not use nice pieces unless holidays unfortunately. For that reason I use everything to enjoy. But when used often pieces get broken. Hopefully your children will appreciate fine things and want when passed down. Sounds like you had a sweet Dad….LOVE
My Mother was one of FIVE children, I have several of her mother’s sets but all are missing pieces or have cracked or broken pieces!!!! That’s why I love table scaping, you can mix and match or just use the pieces you have enough of!!!! Thank You Nancy!!!!
Oh my goodness – that is STUNNING Elena!!Everything you put on that table was lovely, and I must say your mother had excellent taste, and your father must have loved her very much! What a wonderful heirloom, and what wonderful memories. My sincere condolences on the loss of your mom – this table truly honored her! Thanks for sharing, and thanks Susan for sharing and hosting!
Thank you Barbara! I really wasn’t sure how this one was going to make me feel, but it has been truly wonderful remembering all the good times!!!
Oh Elena! This tablescape is exquisite! I keep going back to it to look at every sweet detail. Such beautiful china! I also love the candlesticks. We have a silversmith here in Dallas who repaired a large decorative silver piece for me. It’s of a cherub-type figure holding a bowl and when I purchased it the bowl was detached/broken off. The company did a beautiful job on the repair and I have never regretted the additional expense. You may want to look into finding one near you for your candelabra arrangement. Thank you so much for sharing your mothers beauties with us. So very sorry for your loss. My own mother is 90+ and still working in her flower beds and insisting on mowing her own lawn! (I’ve read that “the more you do, the more you CAN do”….my mom is living proof).
OH MY Vickie, I absolutely ADORE cherubs!!!! I would probably love that piece, and that is a hint for the next table scape I am working on! Your Mom sounds wonderful……..enjoy every minute with her!!!! Thank you for the kind words!!!
Elena, I’m so sorry for the loss of your mother. I to lost mine back in January.
I’ve been following your blog all summer and have really enjoyed it. You’ve shared some good ideas, tips and tricks.
Thank you for featuring your mother’s lovely china pieces. I have so much old china and crystal in my basement from my husband’s grandmother’s. I have rarely use it. I think, I’m going to start creating some table scapes. Thank you for the inspiration!
That’s basically how I got into table scaping!! I had lots of old china, crystal and silverware from my Grandmothers, Aunt and Mother, all in boxes packed away! I started seeing lots of posts online about table scaping and thought it would be fun to try. As I was taking care of my Mother (severe Alzheimer’s) I really could not get out much. I purchased some chargers from a seller on eBay and she told me about Susan and Between Naps on the Porch. And the rest is history!!!
Just so stunningly beautiful display! Thank you for sharing this with us. I think the tablecloth is actually handmade needlelace, which is extremely gorgeous. There is a lot of information on line about this type of lace and also several videos showing the process of making it. Absolutely fascinating to watch!
I will have to search that online. I have several cloths like this one and would love to know more about how they are made and how to care for them! I appreciate the information!
Hi Elena, going back over all of our comments, it’s easy to see this was your best post. Brought back memories for all of us.Thank goodness for blogs and Pinterest bringing back interest in china, crystal, and silver. Not only is it sad the children aren’t interested in older things today, but women have smaller families with one child or no children to love these things. I won’t have grandchildren, my niece won’t have any and in some cases, you can see your precious items on eBay! I will never forget standing by a woman in GoodWill with two older teens saying “When I die, I don’t care if you burn my things.Do not donate them to GW. I magine people sorting thru my stuff!” I am so with you. I get so upset to see collections split up, chipped and broken. The other thing is you dont see that multigeneration home anymore where things are stored to sort out later. Thank you for sharing with all of us.