China Display?

[Aggie_Ama]

I am completely clueless... When my Nanny moved to assisted living in May I was given her 8 place setting china and china cabinet. My mom never had china, I like the pattern just a simple Lenox Platinum band pattern that is fortunate it isn't all dated and weird. I want to be able to see the plates, how do people normally do that? Are they on plate stands? What about the bowls? I am really clueless on what to do with the stuff, I don't even know when to use it! I know it has to be hand washed which means I will never want to use it- LOL. My friends all have their china still packed from moving, some help they are!

Luckily the cabinet gave me a curio of sorts for my porcelain Lenox dolls Nanny and Pawpaw bought me growing up, even though DH has deemed them "Creepy".

[Tuckervill]

Use the china every day. That's what it is for! (Ma Ingalls said special plates were for special people, not special occasions--or something like that.) Since there are only two of you, rotate the plates so they get even wear.

If you put them in the dishwasher carefully so they don't bump anything, you wouldn't have to hand wash. Seriously, who is going to care about that china after you are gone? Use it!

I would have loved to have had my grandmother's china, but I got her little cut glass salt bowls with the delicate little hand blown scoops, instead. If I had had her china, I would have been using it, for sure.

Karen

[SouthernBelle]

I have my china, my mother's, my grandmother's and my great grandmother's, as well as some crystal and a gold plated coffee service. I could host an army. One china cabinet has grooves in the shelving to set up plates. I set up a plate in the groove and set the smaller pieces in front.
Maybe set up the larger serving pieces in the center.

If you need pictures, let me know.

What constitutes dated and weird?

HTH,

[Mr. Bloom]

We have the same china and it's a good backdrop for collectibles we keep in our china cabinet.

[Zen]

Use it use it use it.
what's the point of looking a dishes in a cupboard

I have no china nor would I want any.
I do love Fiesta Ware though.

[malkin]

I have china that I don't use because it's awkward to get it in and out of the hutch. It's awkward to get it in and out of the hutch because it is angled funny, and the door opens into a corner. The hutch is angled funny in the corner because the homebrew carboys have to sit right there by it. The homebrew carboys are right there because when they weren't, I bumped my toes on them. And the bumped toes finally, were unacceptable.

So we use the other china, which lives on an open shelf, and sitting there in the open, it gets dusty if it sits there very long, so we try to use all of it routinely, even if it isn't the right size.

I suppose this is what people mean when they say "Life is full of compromises."

[Crankin]

I bought my own china when I started doing some of the holidays. It was cheap and has not held up that well. The reason you can't put it in the dishwasher is that the metallic (if you have that) comes off. I do put mine in the dishwasher, but I probably shouldn't. And yes, use it!
I finally bought myself sterling silver about 5 years ago. I love it! I got nothing like that for my wedding, but I do have many of my mom's large silver pieces that no one could afford today.

[Mistie]

I have my great-grandma's china and china cabinet. My Mom (God love her, she knows these things) got me some plate stands and made a lovely display for me. I am certainly not an interior decorator. Anyway, they are up. I do use my wedding china nearly every day though. Sometimes, my 2 year old gets to use something. It's nice to always have a nice dinner with my DH because the china makes it elegant.

[Mr. Bloom]

Here's our Display:



Our Wedding China (same pattern as yours Aggie)
Combination of our and my mom's crystal
Our Waterford Ornament Collection

[Aggie_Ama]

Do you store serving ware under the display area? I need to take a picture but I have a very similar style of cabinet. Right now I have everything up in top, I guess that is what goes in the buffet that currently has linens and nothing else? But I like the little tea cups, they are so cute.

I think I am just going to have to buy some plate stands and try to display. Of course my over active imagination hears it crashing when I turn my back. What's a woman to do? LOL.

[Mr. Bloom]

Yes, serving pieces and mom's china is below. We don't use stands, the plates are propped against the back "in the groove" that's in the shelves. This gives us room for the collectibles.

[SouthernBelle]

Hey, where's the coffee cups?