And just in case anyone is looking for some dish eye candy, here is a great IG with a fantastic selection of artisanal French dishes. La Tuile a Loup.

https://www.instagram.com/latuilealoup/?hl=en

yummy!

I have white apilco for every day and white Limoges with a gold rim for special occasions. Boring, I know. I love seeing everyone else’s dishes. Thta french instagram was way cool. Very different from what I see in the stores here.

I'll probably get 'dish-shamed' for saying this but I got rid of all of my china. Hear me out!

First marriage (no kids) I registered for and received place settings for 8 of Coalport Countryware (minus cup/saucer) and Indian Tree Coral and I would mix the two in various ways for dinner place settings or coffee dessert, whatever. Loved the shape/look of the ITC cup and saucer but they were delicate and hard for people with large hands to manage. When the first dinner plate broke I hesitated using them - my heart shattered with that plate!

Fast forward, second marriage + kids and entertaining took on a different look. China came out only for special events and certain holidays like Passover. When my mom passed I got her Royal Worcester Golden Bracken 36 (!) dinner and salad/dessert plates and various bowls and cups/saucers - that's where I learned mixing china patterns ;-) Keep one simple and you can go wild with other pieces.

A move to a new state prompted some soul searching about what matters enough to take and how often I will really set that kind of table - to say nothing of having dedicated storage. Sold both my sets, gave each of my 3 nieces 12 settings of my mom's. Sold my silver flatware, kept my grandmother's, sold all the crystal, too. I did keep one serving bowl from the Countryware which can mix with my 12 place settings of beaded edge white porcelain that we use every day. I'm ready to mix it up again with funky salad/dessert plates and bowls.

Pat, you make a good point about guests not wanting coffee/tea after dinner anymore. I have noticed that trend. Most recently last Saturday we had dinner guests and they declined both, even decaf!

I'm going to do exactly what you did and pack the cups/saucers away. Thank you for that tip!

I always loved serving demitasse in the LR after a dinner. I inherited my mother's lovely sterling silver demitasse coffee set - he prize possession - a wedding gift from my father's 9 siblings. Mother collected antique bone china demitasse cups when I was a child - I don't think she ever paid for than $2 for one - often less than a dollar in those days. I have all these and love them - so many memories They will go to DD someday - she has my MIL's sterling demitasse set; DS gets my mother's.

It was just such a graceful tradition and encouraged "good talk" after a lovely meal. I also have port glasses but have never used them after dinner. When we visited DD in England when she was in boarding school there, we were invited to stay with a family whose own daughter had been an exchange student in the US (English Speaking Union Secondary School Exchange Program). They had a dinner party while we were staying with them. It's the only time I've been to a dinner party where the hostess "turned the table" and it really is a wonderful idea as one knows to whom one should talk on which side, and the other person isn't ignored. After dinner, the ladies went into her drawing room for demitasse and the men stayed in the DR for cigars and port. VERY "Downton Abbey" and it was marvelous!

dannirose, what a wonderful way you have found to connect generations through porcelain. Your grand and great grandchildren are very lucky.

I love seeing everyone's dishes. There is something very special to me about how pretty dishes make special the most mundane, every day act of feeding ourselves.

I may get the Spode Christmas tree China.

i have actually loved the $1 store red christmas china for awhile, tempts me evrey year. ok, i have so many patterns, and even though they are all blue it does not seem so easy to look up. but i now have 2 to show, yeah!

Oneida, Breton Blue at Replacements, Ltd · More Info

Calico Blue (Burleigh Stamp) Dinner Plate by Staffordshire | Replacements, Ltd. · More Info

What gorgeous dishes! Now I don't feel so guilty and will happily join the DA weekly meetings.

Currently, our every day dishes consist of Carrara Modern china by Iroquois (my parents' every day wedding). Mostly plates, a few bowls and lot of odd shaped dessert bowls. Also have some serving dishes, S&P and a lovely shaped pitcher. I grew up eating on this 3 meals a day:

Also using these every day, Mikasa, fine ivory, Shangri-la. Have about 12 places settings, but like others, have packed away most of the cups and saucers.

Another every day, but not DW safe and only 8 plates and cereal bowls. Also have cups and saucers, but I do not drink coffee and rarely have hot tea. Wedgewood, Countryware, bone china. We also will use for special meals, like birthdays. I don't mind hand washing.

DD1 (lives with us) ordered 4 plates and bowls and 2 cups/saucers by Lynn von Kersting after eating at the Ivy (Beverly Hills). She uses for breakfast. It's handmade and very thick/heavy.

For holidays, we have always used my parent's wedding china. Lenox, Kingsley, and I will continue that tradition.

Our wedding china, Noritake, Adagio, is packed away for now. I have 18 place settings - of everything! :-/ This Replacements photo isn't as pretty as IRL, imo.

I also have plates and bowls by TAG in a beautiful color similar to the band on Mother's wedding china, but when I took photos the color washed out.

I had a huge collection of yellow/gold stoneware that was mostly purchased to fill hutch in our last house, but we did use it. I wasn't going to use it here/at new house, so I sold. I also sold a large collection of Pfalzgraff, Naturewood - the original version (made in USA).

I LOVE this thread! Thank you Martha Scott for starting it and to everyone for sharing your china and it's provenance.

Allison0704 - my mother had an Iroquois pattern - Lazy Daisy. I have the only remaining pieces, 2 shallow bowls.

One of our sons is an avid hunter/outdoorsman and said he would like a set of these Spode dishes. So....another collection has begun.

wonderful thread

"Dishes Anonymous"))) count me in lol

luckily (I guess) we're very limited in space..

not only I love dishes, but my usually-not-into-things DH does love them too. His choice: either blue and white, or Japanese..lets call it wabi-sabi aesthetics..raw earthier colors

while I'm enchanted with flora and fauna.. as you might remember

we both love bone china..

in short, takes a lot of will strength to keep ourselves in line

some things like teapots-I already keep them out as I've no space to put them in cupboards..

I also use ceramics like creamers and small saucers etc as containers in bathrooms (where makes sense..I don't like it where it might get broken easily)

sorry for not showing actual stuff-still didn't purchase a new camera. Sometimes I exploit my kids to take pics with their cells, but right now they're eating breakfast (this time, their plates picture different owls..lol)

I am in awe of everyone's pretty dishes -- some I own (my own blue Spode) and the Oiseau Blue (I have a sandwich tray and 8 dessert plates) and a lot I covet but there are only so many meals and so much cupboard space!!!!

I thought I was pretty "pared" down until I began gathering pictures to post -- OMG -- I'm not!!!

First: My BREAKFAST dishes -- yes, I use them for breakfast only -- Johnson Brothers Indies -- bought first few pieces in England -- 2 cups and saucers, 2 dessert plates, wee teapot and creamer and sugar. When we added the breakfast room, I felt that they would be GREAT for breakfast and Home Goods happened to have them so I got a set for 8 and then tragedy struck and I lost a good part of the cups and saucers but all the plates survived when I had a shelf collapse.

What I found in the breakfast room when I heard the "bang"

The survivors!

A friend helped with the Catholic Church annual rummage sale, there was a box of Indies and she put them back for me and so for $20 my set was complete! I've since got a coffee pot, a regular size cream and sugar and a gravy boat (for gravy when we serve biscuits and gravy or syrup for pancakes) and a really large platter that I found somewhere. I still look for it -- that odd piece that I could use to serve breakfast.

The rest of my dishes (figured that was long):

Spode Blue Room -- I have probably 30 different plates and use this for company when I don't want to do dishes -- blue and white always sets a pretty table.

Spode Camilla soup bowls and fruit bowls -- works with the Blue Italian and they were cheap compared to what the Blue Italian would cost plus I have a covered veg dish that I brought home from England and it all works well.

My china:

Aynsley Pembroke -- I have loved this pattern since I was a girl -- had acquired a few pieces (plates and a few cups) when lo and behold at a flea market I find a mostly intact set for 8 (not all of the pieces had 8) . . . for $40 and I did not buy it so it entailed a trip back (40 miles each way) a week later and it was still there. I love it and it sets such a pretty table!

Noritake Marcisite -- my grandmother's china and there is always something about a white/cream gold banded pattern that's elegant. I've added to it over the years.

And then I have holiday dishes -- thankfully, no Easter ones

Spode Festival -- 8 plates, a platter and a gravy boat. I bought these because I felt that in a pinch I could mix them with my other Spode blue and white and it would give me extra plates when I had company.

I also have 8 Mynott plates with a turkey -- I think it's called His Majesty because I never just have 8 for Thanksgiving and they were inexpensive at Home Goods.

Royal Doulton Tartan is my Christmas china -- bought in England at the factory's second shop -- 8 plates, 8 cups and 8 saucers for $8 -- why I didn't get 12 or even 24 is beyond me and I have spent several years buying plates and cups and saucers to get a set of 12.

Since it was expensive and since I like to have company for coffee and dessert at Christmas I bought Lennox -- have 24 of these and they go well with the Doulton

Now I must admit writing all of this down has me thinking that I DO have way too much china!!! LOL! Perhaps I need to downsize!

Love seeing everyone's dishes. I'll be sharing this thread with DH to prove I'm not crazy to love dishes.

These are for everyday. Villeroy & Boch Switch 3. My salad plates, bread plates, cereal and pasta bowls are all different, but from same pattern. Love these.

This was my grandmothers Limoges china. Use it for special occasions and family gatherings when there is 12 or less. Have every different serving piece imaginable. These will be going to my niece someday, as my aunt passed them onto me. Hope she doesn't sell them.

When entertaining my whole family and other larger gatherings, I use my C&B Aspen dishes. Have service for 30. My DM always had white dishes as they go with everything. I learned that she was right!

For Christmas I have these from Macy's The Cellar.

Just recently started to downsize and sold these from Dansk. The woman who purchased them was thrilled as she never had 12 dishes of the same pattern.

Ooh, I am delighting in all this china!

My first set when I graduated was Mikasa Cordon Bleu.

Stoneware was all the rage but I didn't really like it: this was kind of stoneware looking, but wasn't stoneware, and it had a bit of Dansk with the blue ribbon. Another degree, a wedding (which added Corelle to the mix), two children, and about 25 years later, we were down to just a couple of dinner plates and saucers.

So...

I borrowed my mom's old 1971 set of Longchamp Argent to tide us over while I looked for something else.

I really like it, it works with my kitchen, has a Provençal look, but it's discontinued. All 6 of the remaining dinner plates are chipped, I really need new dishes!

My wedding china, which we use for holidays and whenever we have company or a celebration (birthdays etc) is Spode Blue Colonel.

It was my grandmother's pattern though another grandchild inherited her actual china. I do love it, but rather wish I'd gotten something a bit more neutral. However, it does somewhat go with my Corning French flute serveware and with the Royal Copenhagen and Bing & Grondahl holiday dessert plates. We have nearly a dozen birthdays and anniversaries from December to February, so the RC, being wintry and not Christmasy, gets a lot of use.

I have an old set of my grandmother's. It was her good china from the 1920s until they moved to the country house and got the Spode. It's Noritake Carmen, and I always liked it. Fond memories of ham sandwiches and 7-Up in her breakfast room.

I used it for Christmas because we'd have 25 for dinner and I had only service for 9 of the Spode. Spode was for the dining room and Carmen for the family room table, which had more pink in the room. I'm thinking of bringing it out of storage for everyday (I love the dessert/sauce bowls!) but I'm not sure it's

dishwasher-safe. Grandmother put it in the dishwasher once they got one in about 1960, but on the most-used pieces the gold rim is vanishing. There are probably 60 pieces including serving bits. I could put it all in my cupboards, but I'd have no room for glasses.

My mother's wedding china from 1953 is Lenox Essex. It's so "her", especially with its ivory background. I don't know what to do with it; it's still in their house.

I'm not sure what to get next. I love the color and scallop of the Longchamp Argent. I found the same yellow at Target but it was so heavy, and a similar shape at Ikea but didn't like the colors, and the white was too gray. And cereal bowls nowadays are like mixing bowls! Really, they are about the size of the small blue bowl in the Pyrex set (YOU all know what I mean lol.)

I don't really need matching cups, we use mugs and it's easy to find mugs that coordinate with nearly anything.

Okay - here is the rest.

This is my "everyday" good china - the pattern I use if I want to use china but don't want to have to hand-wash it. It's Wedgwood "Wild Strawberry". I was lucky to find it at 75% off when a local dept store was going out of business!

I found these plates in the silent auction section of a local charity antique show about 30 years ago. I've always adored gold paste work (it's gold that is made with a china paste and is raised on the surface), and these have a "universal" monogram. They were made by Cauldron and sold at Hammacher Schlemmer many, many decades ago (this was told to me by the lady who donated them to the auction - she was thrilled they went to some with with a "dishes problem" as she had one, too!)

They are luncheon-sized and I sometimes use them with a Minton Rose plate underneath. They work well with either the Minton Rose or the Ann Hathaway. Used mainly at Easter or Mother's Day or DD's Bday.

These dessert plates are one of several Water Lily patterns that Wedgwood did. DD has the dinner plates; I kept the dessert as I have some on display in my guest room. I love the pattern and the unusual colors. They look fabulous in DD's DR.

I had always wanted fish knives and forks and fish plates (yes, I think I might be a true Victorian at heart - a utensil for every single food!). I found my fish forks on a trip to England in 1985; the fish plates came from a local antique show that used to be held monthly at the Fair Grounds. I got some wonderful buys there! These are Limoges.

Another of Uncle Paul's finds. This is a chocolate set (or so I've been told - it looks more like a demitasse set but it has small plates - no idea what it is!). It's Rosenthal Sancerre. The small cups (demitasse size) have gold on the inside of the cup bowl. They're very showy and really quite lovely - rarely used.

These are plates made from Melamine and are used for entertaining on my terrace. My terrace is a flight of concrete steps down from the kitchen, and I always worry about breakage. I rarely use my terrace but when my son and his two children come, there are 7 of us for a family dinner. That would mean putting a leaf in the DR table and the color/finish of the leafs no longer match the table due to age (probably about 175-200 yrs old). So that means a cloth. Since the table is 56" wide, I only have ever been able to find one, and it's white damask - not what I want to use for a child-friendly menu of hamburgers, corn and sliced tomatoes with brownies for dessert. So the terrace it is. These are made by Le Cadeaux - they make a jillion different patterns plus solid color - all very French Provencal in feel. DD finally gave up and got the Blue Rooster for her everyday dishes - her boys and husband were breaking her Luneville "Blue Rooster" dishes which are now discontinued. This stuff can go in the dishwasher but can NOT go in the microwave.

I have various bits and pieces of antique Wedgwood dessert plates (Queensware). I used to use them a lot; they are in the cupboard with the Wedgwood Edme and haven't been used in years. There is also a complete set of everyday dishes that I bought years ago at B Altman before they went out of business. It was never sold "open stock" so as pieces broke, they were irreplaceable. I'm saving them for a grandchild who might need free dishes someday.

So, as you see, I definitely qualify for charter membership in Dishes Anonymous.

Martha, I adore your Wedgwood Blue Italian dishes - love, love, love, blue/white dishes for everyday!

Shivece, I love your Mottahedeh "Tobacco Leaf" plates! I have 3 antique one - one an early 18th century English soup plate, and a pair of late 18th century/early 19th century plates which live on my mantel. It's one of my favorite antique china patterns. I love all the colors in these plates - great to use for "color inspiration"!

My other favorite patten is Worcester "Jabberwocky". For years, Wakefield-Scearce had a complete set - hundreds of pieces - of this for sale. Some lady finally bought it $75,000 for her daughter's new house.

I adore the colors. I've be thrilled with just one piece - very, very pricey and very rare.

Torreykm, your Bunny dish reminds me of our Lavender Lass, does anyone know how she is doing?

I can appreciate the beauty in many of the patterns and could display a couple of the dishes as a wall display, but I've never been interested in collecting dishes or cared what dishes are used for serving food on. As long as the company and food are good, I am happy if you serve me on quality paper plates!

I have a set of gold rimmed Lenox, but haven't used them since my first party around 20 years ago when I stayed up till 2 am hand washing them. Went out and bought white Corelle with enough settings to serve 30. No breakage worries, easy to use, easy to stack and store, easy to machine wash, easy to pack and move, easy to replace, etc.

And finally some pieces I picked up at estate sales. I did not post the Fiesta ware or the Spode Christmas. Everyone knows what they look like. Also, my Godey Ladies chargers that were my grandmothers. I use them with the Noritake Maywood. It looks very pretty. I am also posting that same grandmother’s Haviland. She loved dishes too.

Love your dishes, Pat! I especially love the one with the red lobster.

Chispa, to each his own. To me, a frozen dinner can taste good if served on a nice plate with a pretty placemat and nice cutlery. If I'm entertaining, whether it's family or friends, it's an "occasion" and I like that to show by my use of lovely dishes, china and silver.

Tonight, my DS and his two children are here from CT - haven't visited her in 4 years - I usually see them on a trip east or on the Vineyard. We grilled hamburgers and ate on the terrace. My french provencal Le Cadeaux dishes, rush placemats, plastic tumblers, navy/white large check gingham napkins, and everyday cutlery with royal blue plastic handles, took a very simple meal from ordinary to something special...it WAS something special for us to all be together (really missed DGS who is away at college!). I can't imagine just throwing it all on paper plates. Cleanup was a breeze as it can all go in the dishwasher.

When I use my good dishes for holiday meals, my grandsons now do the clean-up/handwashing. When I used to entertain friends, I would make a "clean mess" in the kitchen by rinsing and stacking everything, and then I could wash it either that night or finish in the morning, but it was neat and tidy. It really wasn't that hard. If I had a huge family, they would have helped; if I was having dinner for 20 people, I'd hire help in the kitchen who would do the clean-up - way too many people for me to do it all by myself.

When my DD had a going away party for DGS1, she hired a man who is both a bartender and will make sure that the buffet table is kept filled, pass dessert, and then clean-up afterwards. I think it cost her about $200 - well worth it so she could enjoy the party, too. No paper plates for her, either!

And BTW - both DD and I are terrific cooks!

I love this thread because I love china. I have an embarassment of riches when it comes to dishes because I have been collecting them for years. Mostly, I only buy plates...charger, dinner, salad and bread...because those are the easiest to store and coffee service can be from a different pattern. I do have a few complete settings.

For daily use, I have Lenox Chirp in both the teal and scarlet colorways. I use teal in the warmer months and scarlet in the cooler months.

I used to have Johnson Brothers Heritage White, but I passed those on to one of my girls when she bought her first house. I still love that pattern, though.

The first set of 12 I bought after I lost most of my breakables in an earthquake was Fidelity by Wedgwood. I liked the simplicity and that the pattern included both a platinum and a gold band on the plate making it easy to mix and match with other plates. I mix it sometimes with Royal Crown Derby Elizabeth Platinum salad plates or for holiday with Noritake Crestwood Christmas accent plates or Wedgwood Holly Wreath.

I have several other Christmas patterns...again, usually just a service for eight of plates so we set each table with a different pattern when we have large groups.

I also have plates for Thanksgiving and Easter and spring.

Just so you don't think I'm totally a crazy person, I should tell you that we host dinners for 16 - 30 for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. In fact we do two dinners for 30 at Christmas time. I would love to think that my girls will take on those hosting duties at some point and would love to have the dishes to go with the occasion, but I recognize that I'm probably dreaming.

omy! i wil have one of each please.

Best. Thread. Ever.

Chispa, I'm glad you stepped up as a member of the non dish-loving camp, I thought I was all alone, ha. But I admit to greatly enjoying the various collections.

Where do you all keep those dishes????

I'm wondering the same thing, Bossy, for those with way more than me! fwiw, I have all drawers in the island. 2 full plus 2 half drawers have dishes. DD1 keeps hers in "her" pantry. The Lenox is in the DR china cabinet. I do have one drawer full of CDs and more room in my pantry wall, so technically I could buy more! (but won't)

As for storage, I have a wall of cabinets in my den to hold dishes.

i normally just buy one place sitting of each.

Dear Chispa & Bossy i understand your opinion and often use the china with paper plate liners good hot rinse often and you are done. but if you looked this is a china loving site, so we kinda don't want anyone to harsh our mellow. you know we all have something, right?

thanks for understanding.

Now here are 2 more, it takes forever but at least i can participate yeah!

noritake twilight melody - Yahoo Image Search Results · More Info

churchill out of the blue china - Yahoo Image Search Results · More Info

These aren't mine, but are on my wish list if I ever run across a "deal" or hit the lottery. Belleek Shamrock

Belleek is SO pretty!

I just can't say how much I have enjoyed this thread! Thank you all so much!

Just so you guys know, you are a bad influence! This thread got me thinking about the 12 Days of Christmas dishes Williams-Sonoma sold several years ago. I wanted the dessert plates but they were sold out. Found several offers on eBay and one on Mercari. First holiday dishes....

Good for you Allison!

I am so glad you are back. i found this one i have.

1990s blue dinnerware - Yahoo Image Search Results · More Info

About 12 years ago I sold our Good Wedding China, when i finally acknowledged that I would never be a matching-gravy-boat-and-covered-vegetable-dish kind of entertainer. I love having dinner parties, but I prefer fun casual table settings with colourful napkins, flowers etc to elegant china and crystal glasses.
So we sold the china (for about $1250), bought Sophie Conran Portmeiron dishes, and we’ve never looked back.

Just stumbled on this discussion, when looking for tips on how to pack my china & crystal for a move. My heart would break if any of it were damaged!! We moved a year and a half ago and I was literally up nights worrying about packing it up, but it survived that move (which was about an hour and a half, we packed but movers moved us). They stayed in boxes for a few months til we ordered furniture & it came in. Not a thing broke! This time we're doing the move ourselves, only moving a few towns over (going from a rental to a townhouse) so it "should" be quick & easy but I still don't want to take chances!!

I've had the china & crystal for almost 32 years - actually the china longer. My parents traveled to London before I even met my husband, & my mom told me to pick out my china & she bought most of the place settings at Harrod's & had them shipped home. Saved me a ton of $$. Then at my shower I received a lot of serving pieces. Thankfully he loves the pattern, and after all these years we still love it, it fits our style/color scheme. Even though we only use it for holidays/occasions, our adult sons always liked using it when they made a special meal for their girlfriends. Our youngest is engaged, & his fiancee has access to 3 sets of china herself (her mom's, grandmother's and great grandmother's) so I think they'll have plenty of their own!

My pattern is Royal Doulton Princeton. Then after being married, I started getting some Christmas pieces - just mugs, not any dishes, but I love them. I have some Wachtersbach, bright red with a green tree on them. "Lost" them in the attic for a number of years - it wasn't my job to organize or go in the attic to get the Xmas stuff so I thought maybe they got tossed. Turns out hubby had them buried somewhere in the back. When we moved they (along with a number of other things lol) were rediscovered to my delight. I also have some Longaberger Christmas mugs.

Thanks for sharing pictures of all of your beautiful china!!

Back again. The dinner plates were $1.25 each at Dollar Tree. The bread and butters are from a recent Holland America cruise.

I'm not a big china collector. My everyday is a set for 8 of white Corelle with a fluted rim. I also have a few old place settings of plain white Corelle and of stoneware with royal blue circles. Our good china is a German made old fashioned pink rose design with a gold rim that belonged to my husband's grandmother. Not what I would choose (and it needs to be handwashed, ugh), but my husband has so many fond memories of childhood holiday family meals that I pull it out for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinners. I have a set of Amalfi Pfalzgraff that was my good china before I remarried. I still really like it, but It's currently stored in the basement and not convenient to bring up. I would like to pull it out sometime for a nice meal though.