Welcome to the 881st Tablescape Thursday! There’s been a lot going on here at Dollhouse. You may remember the tree in my backyard that dropped a limb a while back. At that time, the tree company that removed the limb didn’t feel it necessary to remove the tree itself. Two weeks later, it dropped a much larger limb that landed in my neighbor’s yard. It didn’t land on anything, but after getting several estimates, it was recommended that it be removed. That whole area of the backyard needs to be landscaped now since the tree is gone, so I’ve been working on getting estimates for having that done. So, things are always hopping around here with updates and surprises.
By now, I had expected to be back in Georgia, but the landscaping project has delayed that. I’m tempted to put it off until spring, and I still may do that, but fall is the best time to get a fescue lawn/sod established, so I would love to get those renovations underway this fall. I really wish I could go with Zoysia, but every landscaper I’ve talked to has said that Zoysia will not survive the sometimes snowy, harsh winters here.
In addition to the landscaping project, I’ve been dishwasher shopping. All the online reviews rate Bosch as the best, so that’s probably the more prudent option, but I’m still super intrigued by the 2-drawer Fisher and Paykel dishwashers. This past week, I visited two different stores to see a F & P dishwasher in person. The online reviews are from one extreme to the other—people seem to either love their Fisher and Paykel dishwasher or rue the day they purchased it. The good thing is that if I purchase a F & P dishwasher from Best Buy, I’ll have 60 days to make sure I am happy with it, since I purchased their BB Total Membership plan when I purchased the TV for the movie room. So, there are a lot of things I’m working on behind the scenes around here, including a mudroom update that I’m looking forward to sharing for Metamorphosis Monday. In the meantime, for this week’s Tablescape Thursday, I thought it would be fun to share an updated view of the dish storage here in the dining room.
Previously, I had stored a lot of silverplate pieces on the top shelves in this room, but those began to tarnish quickly, so I knew that wasn’t going to work well long term. I rarely use silverplate serving pieces, so I decided to pack those away. Most of the dishes in the dining room are holiday-themed since those are the ones I brought up shortly after moving into the dining room and purchased a table for this room.
If you are trying to come up with ways to store your dinnerware, I hope these pictures will give you some ideas. (Note: I found the plate that goes under the gravy server on a different shelf, so it was missing when I took these pictures.) As you can see, one of my favorite ways to store cups/saucers is by stacking them. I can fit so many more onto a shelf that way, and I love how it looks. The dinnerware displayed here is Lenox, Winter Greetings. I first spotted it in a table setting during a Christmas home tour many years ago, and couldn’t believe someone had created holiday dinnerware that featured birds! I was in love!
Another fun way to display dinnerware is by mixing in coordinating glassware/stemware. It adds a whole new dimension and breaks up that same/same pattern that happens when displaying just the dinnerware alone. So try mixing in some of your glassware, colorful or not, when looking for ways to display china. The silverplate tray in front of the mail slot is a great example of the fast tarnishing I experienced with the other large silverplate pieces that were originally displayed on the top shelves.
Below the Winter Greetings dinnerware, you’ll find my Noritake Colburn on display, one of the very first dinnerware sets I ever purchased. I placed autumn soup tureens on the bottom shelf since those do not get used very often.
Moving across, the top shelf holds a variety of dishes, including a few Better Homes and Gardens holiday dinnerware and some figural Santa plates that are some of my favorites.
You may remember seeing those in several of my Christmas tablescapes. (View this table setting here: Christmas Vacation Table Setting With Department 56 Lit Houses. View a more recent version with additional Dept. 56 houses here: Dept. 56 Christmas Vacation Movie Themed Tablescape, Including Retired Pieces.)
The red glassware is Mikasa, if I’m remembering correctly. Mr. and Mrs. Santa salt and pepper were a Publix offering around Christmas one year. I wish grocery stores would stock fun things like that more often! The middle shelf is filled with several limited-edition Winter Greetings accent plates that I added to my original collection a few years later. And there’s that missing gravy plate, hiding under the Winter Greetings 2-part server. It’s now back where it belongs under the gravy server. lol
Below the Winter Greeting accent plates, you’ll find my Spode Woodland collection. Even though I don’t drink hot coffee (only the occasional iced coffee), but if I really love a china pattern/collection, I will often purchase 5-piece place settings so when I have guests for dinner, I will have the cups/saucers for serving coffee with dessert. Again, to save space, I stacked the cups/saucers. Spode Woodland is designed with two different images on their cups, so I have them displayed two different ways so both designs are visible. The bottom shelf holds more Better Homes and Gardens dinnerware on the left, and Pottery Barn plaid dinnerware on the right side.
The lower two shelves hold miscellaneous Noritake Colburn serving pieces, some plates inherited from family, and very affordable Gibson dinnerware I purchased a few years back that features pretty homes surrounded by snow.
Here’s an image from when I used it here in the Dollhouse sunroom. (View this table setting here: Christmas Dining in the Sunroom.)
The last shelving section here in the dining room is filled with glassware that I use a lot at Christmastime. It includes Waterford Araglin, Waterford Ruby Hock stemware, Waterford 12 Days of Christmas champagne glasses, Noritake Fair Lady, and Pfaltzgraff Winterberry, and some vintage glassware I found while antiquing.
Currently, the bottom shelf holds a bunch of fun Halloween dinnerware and serveware. I had planned to box it up to store away on shelves in the basement, but I never got around to doing that, and now Halloween is just a couple of months away. So here it stays for now. lol
If I ever move here full-time, this arrangement will most likely change, although I would probably keep the Lenox Winter Greetings, Lenox Holiday, and the Spode Woodland on display as is, since I love seeing them so much. I’ve talked to two companies about having doors made for this area. I need to follow up with them. I got distracted with other things like movie rooms, plantation shutters, appliance shopping, and falling trees. Argh. If I could just clone myself, things would move a bit faster. Hope you found this post helpful as you find ways to display your dinnerware. With the holidays coming up, I would love to hear what your favorite dinnerware is for the holidays, including Thanksgiving and Christmas. Do you have a favorite for the holidays?
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I love your china display Susan – it’s so fun to have your holiday things out where you can enjoy them all the time. I don’t really have a dedicated holiday set, but I’m always so inspired when I see your lovely Winter Greetings pieces; they’re just beautiful! Thanks for sharing your style, and your busy fun life with us – and for hosting the party of course! Hope you have a great rest of your week, with no more falling trees!
Thanks so much, Barbara! Winter Greetings immediately captured me the day I saw it on that Christmas home tour. Home tours are dangerous!
Thanks, yeah…I hope that’s the last tree issue I have for a very long time!
We remodeled our kitchen about 8 years ago and bought a Bosch dishwasher…never again. They ended up over time replacing almost all the working parts in it. I should have read more reviews.
Sorry you went through that, Beth. I wish appliances were still being made the way they once were, when they were being built with real materials and not a bunch of plastic.
You have a “treasure cove’ of beautiful tableware!! Fun w/dishes!! ❤️
franki
Thanks, Franki!
XXX
I would have doors made to cover the shelves, maybe glass in the top, but solid on the bottom. do not like the dishes that I am going to use for food out in the open. Just the thoughts of a old soul ( 88 yr ) I Love your Dollhouse, Iam dreaming along with you , thinking about what I would do if it was mine. Oh I hope you will be showing us your BEAUTIFUL gray hair soon.
Yup, I’ve already talked to a couple of craftsman about that. Hope to get that done in the future. Thanks, Becky!
Beautiful collections for sure. I’d be getting those cupboards soon or you’ll be dusting or washing all those dishes again! I would think it would be challenging to know which things to keep in the dollhouse and which to keep in Georgia. One house to stay on top of is enough for me! Glad you are enjoying both though.
So far they are staying pretty clean, but I agree! I’m not a fan of open shelving in kitchens or dining rooms…too much work to keep clean.
That is challenging and I really don’t like that part. I don’t like not having what I need here for setting tables. 🙁
Nice collection. I like to add some artificial greenery in between for interest. I like the colored glasses to add interest. Someone put their cups in a circle in a bowl; another used a cloche.
Good luck with a dishwasher. I hate buying appliances today. I don’t want to be best friends with it, just work properly. If it leaks, it’s a disaster.
That sounds pretty, Myrna! I know, the reviews online are so mixed for all brands, makes it hard to choose which brand to go with.
Susan, you are right. The red and green goblets look so pretty in the big pictures with the dinnerware. Very festive.
For years I used the Lenox Winter Greetings Everyday. I loved and still love the look of that dinnerware set with the big band of green around the edge. But recently I purchased the china version, like you have and I love that as well. I tend to be very traditional year after year, using the same table elements because I’m sentimental like that. (probably one reason I love seeing your many and varied Christmas tablescapes) But recently, and in large part because of YOU, I have been expanding my collections a little. It’s hard, because I’m at a point in life where I am interested in ‘de-stuffing’ my house, but then I see a beautiful tablescape that you have done and I think, “Well, a few more things won’t hurt.” Lol! You’re dangerous!
This was a fun post. Thanks! Good luck with your pesky tree.
I know what you mean about tradition, I’m sentimental that way…like to use the same dishes for Thanksgiving each year.
lol Sorry about that!
We have a Bosch d/w and I love it. It’s extremely quiet and has a stainless interior. We had a Fishe & Paykal clothes washer before buying the Speed Queen. I did NOT like it, and when it needed service, it was nearly impossible to find a company thay would service it.
I love all dishes, can hardly choose favorites. It just depends on the season to decide my current favorite.
Sorry your tree limbs fell. Hopefully taking it out now will save you time and money in the long run. New landscaping is exciting (to me, anyway)!
That is one of my concerns—that if there’s a problem, it will take forever to get someone here to fix it. I wouldn’t be as worried if it was the GA house since that’s only 30 minutes from Atlanta, but I’ve already found that it’s harder to get competitive quotes and things done here than it is in GA.
We bought a bosch last year and absolutely love it! We got the one with 3 racks. The third rack (the top one) you can use to wash your nice silverware. Our appliance repair man highly recommended it.
It does seem to be the brand that most people like. Thanks, Pam!
Susan, just loved this post! Your china collection is unbelievable! So fun to see it all out and displayed. Very impressive! Good luck with everything; you have so much to do there and your energy and accomplishments are inspiring. I live in Arizona and am starting to put up fall to put me in the mood for cooler weather!
Thanks, Judy! It will be interesting to see when the cooler temps start arriving here. I’m still loving summer right now, but I know fall is coming. I know you guys must be really craving some cooler temps by now in Arizona!
I have had 2 drawer fisher paykel dishwasher for 18 years. I love the 2 drawers. No more dirty dishes waiting to be loaded because the dishwasher is full but not clean. We have had 2 issues which were minor fixes during the 18 years – knock on wood.
That is awesome to hear! I hope/pray if I buy an F & P, that will be my experience. I love the idea of having two smaller dishwashers, it would meet my needs perfectly! So great to know you’ve had an awesome experience.
I have a good friend that had a Bosch and she hated it. Replaced it with a high end Kitchen Aide with 3 shelves which is the one I have and live. Very quiet. I have read the reviews here and there are both good and bad. I guess it comes down to service or just individual preference. Happy shopping!
I have a 25-year-old (may be even older) Kitchenaid DW in my GA house, and I love it! It was back before they started adding the 3rd rack (which I do not want and would not use) so the bottom door/rack is much higher up off the floor. I love that since I hardly have to bend over to load dishes into it. I measured when I was last in GA, and the inside of the door when it’s open is around 12 inches up off the floor. I wish Kitchenaid still made them that way for those of us who do not want a top rack. Even the door on the Bosch that only has two racks is really low to the ground. 🙁 If my Kitchenaid was stainless on the outside, I would move it here. Unfortunately, it’s white so won’t work in this kitchen.
Hi, Susan,
Love seeing your dish displays!
Rosie @ The Magic Hutch
Thanks, Rosie!
XXX
This room to me looks like a beautiful library. Books and Dept 56, Shelves filled with books, chairs and lamps to read by. I don’t know where the dinning room is though. My thoughts
Thanks, Ila!
This particular room is attached to the kitchen. The living room has bookshelves, too. You can see both the living room and the dining room better in this older post:
https://betweennapsontheporch.net/not-going-to-make-you-wait-lets-go-inside-the-home-i-just-bought/
You do not need a clone; you really accomplish more than the average person. We’ve had out bosch dishwasher for nearly 15 yrs and quite happy with it. ( and no service calls yet)
Thanks so much, Mia! That is awesome to hear!
I put my Bosch dishwasher in 2 years ago and it’s fabulous because of how incredible it cleans. You don’t have to clean your plates first before putting them in and they will still come out spotless. Make sure you get the one that has the drying cycle, it does a really nice job. I was told not to get Fischer and paykel because of the difficulty finding someone that knows how to fix it if something breaks or needs replacement. The only thing about the Bosch I don’t like is the rack patterns. It’s very difficult to put in large pots and pans or even baking sheets. I’ve now made it work, but it isn’t as efficient as my old Maytag in that way. But it is whisper quiet, you can’t even tell that it’s on. Since most of the time you won’t have a lot of dishes, it probably won’t be an issue for you loading it.
That’s the way my Kitchenaid back in Georgia is, I never rinse anything before loading it…just scrape off any larger pieces of food into the trash first.
Thanks for that tip, Robin! I know, that does worry me.
I wash all my pots/pans by hand, so I wouldn’t have to worry about that part, but thanks for mentioning that! My son/DIL Bosch dishwasher is like that, I have to look to see if the little red light is shining down on the floor before opening it to add more dirty dishes. lol