many are not using at all. if you do it is being used for large showy items. remove the standard china. put in larger serving ware, vases, statuary. preferably more colorful then your china. generally they leave more space in between.

I keep my china and crystal in the china cabinet, as well as a lot of other things. Most of the china is stacked, with a few large serving pieces displayed vertically, and a few cups hung. My china has more color than yours.

Most of the space in my china cabinet is for other display items: a stein from Germany; a serving bowl that belonged to my great-grandmother; an assortment of awards that DH received; you get the idea. We aren't terribly formal people, and my china cabinet reflects that.

but that is keeping up with current style too.

The cabinet right now looks like a store display of china , if you must have the cabinet you need to listen to some of the ideas above . I personally use my “good” china often and find displaying it to be a very dated idea.

a few pics if they might help.

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Try incorporating some metal, wood and/or green elements to break up the China. Stack the plates to provide adequate storage whlike creating a lot of room for some fun pieces too.

Remove the china. Yes, that's what I said.

Put large attractive things in there, like a tureen, a beautiful pitcher, a crystal bowl, and don't overcrowd the china cabinet.

Place settings that are monotone should not be lined up like that, and furthermore, they are too crowded. Put them all away.

if you insist on using for china too. then use the third rule. one third of shelf for stacked china, one third for attractive item and 1/3 for empty space.

Nice cabinet.

You might consider NOT staging every place setting. Instead, center your cake dishes in the two bottom center windows, stage a place setting in each of the four windows above that but, on the shelves behind each of the side doors, place all the rest of the dishes in groups of the same thing: all the dinner plates in one window, all the breakfast plates in one window, all the cups in one window, etc. Where you have the small saucers and/or smallest plates, you could add items that either match your china or each other or are clear: a covered butter dish or a S&P shaker or cream/sugar pices or candle holders, etc.

Hi, Julie--

Agree that this display has cool potential. I'd actually remove the larger glass pieces for separate (or below) storage, since it seems they crowd the scale just a bit. That would definitely give your place settings a little more breathing room.

Also, since you have such a restrained palette working here, I think this would be an absolute ideal opportunity to test out some removable wallpaper as a backing layer to add a touch of texture behind the refinement of your legacy china. You're doing an elegant shape with your chairbacks, so something with a touch of unique texture - dyed and woven rattan or grasscloth - would be great.

Here's one option (in Sand to echo the warmth of your chair wood tones) to think about:

https://www.potterybarn.com/products/grasscloth-wallpaper/?pkey=cwallpaper&isx=0.0.699

(They also have sample cuts - 8 x 11 - that you can order to test out, too). Cheers!

That's awesome. I'd keep your side panels arranged with the six setups as you currently have them, but would pull out the centered setup you have on the middle shelf since we lose it behind the center rail. We currently lose your teapot up top for the same reason - would pull that and other serving pieces of size to group in the center section behind the glass panels and not behind the center rail so they maintain better impact.

Also agree that books can be stacked to provide a little extra impact, but would rotate their spines to face behind so you just get the texture of the pages facing forward. More color from book jackets would overpower the delicacy of your china and confuse the eye, so would consider those few tweaks and proceed from there.

Julie, I suggest you think seriously about the changing the background of your china cabinet. There is paint; there is fabric; there are removable wall papers available. All will add some color and interest. I think you do not need to display all the china; just enough to make an interesting "something to look at".

something like this would be a great backdrop for all white dinner ware, really show it off.

Leaves Reusable Wallpaper, Navy, 1 Sheet · More Info

You can also do a removable backdrop by cutting thin solid foam to the size of your 3 back sections, then covering them with wallpaper or fabric. Just press them into place, or use double sided tape.

Julie-

Fairway always gives great constructive advice! Tune out the classless individuals that showed up here tonight! It’s a pretty chest- try out some ideas and post new pics!

Oh, I wouldn't make a big decision like that in your third trimester. Or mess about with paints, either.

Hi, Julie--

I wouldn't recommend refinishing the cabinet without seeing the rest of the room first - and also, the soft finish really works here from what we've seen so far. Like loobab says, your world is undoubtedly plenty busy right now in a final weeks countdown state! If you've got the time and interest for a small project, try out the temporary wallpaper backing and get your feet wet with that change. What I'd say your piece could use most right now is a hint of texture - something a paint color change alone wouldn't touch. Plus, that piece has got to be a heavy one to relocate to a shop for refinishing.

If you have the appetite for more any more adjustment beyond tweaking the backing material, I'd investigate whether your piece has lighting built into the upper cabinet, and explore the idea of glass shelf inlay panels to let the light extend down through the cabinet for some dramatic nighttime illumination. It looks like your shelves inside are solid material now, so I'm guessing there's no light kit installed up top today, but that addition would really make an impact after dark.

Hi, Julie--

I wouldn't recommend refinishing the cabinet without seeing the rest of the room first - and also, the soft finish really works here from what we've seen so far. Like loobab says, your world is undoubtedly plenty busy right now in a final weeks countdown state! If you've got the time and interest for a small project, try out the temporary wallpaper backing and get your feet wet with that change. What I'd say your piece could use most right now is a hint of texture - something a paint color change alone wouldn't touch. Plus, that piece has got to be a heavy one to relocate to a shop for refinishing.

If you have the appetite for any more adjustment beyond tweaking the backing material, I'd investigate whether your piece has lighting built into the upper cabinet, and explore the idea of glass shelf inlay panels to let the light extend down through the cabinet for some dramatic nighttime illumination. It looks like your shelves inside are solid material now, so I'm guessing there's no light kit installed up top today, but that addition would really make an impact after dark.

Also, thanks Molly. :) Cheers!

For the white China cabinet, it needs background decoration to make it beautiful, and the cabinet itself should look stylish.

I love your cabinet--kudos to you for keeping a family heirloom!

As for lighting--you can purchase battery operated fairy lights that illuminate the inside without replacing shelves or installing permanent light fixtures. I have them in a corner cabinet and they look magical at night!

Center items inside of glass to avoid visually cutting items in half. Cohesive placement for visual balance.

Can also stack cups on saucers.

Ha - sure thing. Not like you haven't got a list of things to get done before the end of trimester no. three! The perfect time to take on pestering projects. :)

Well, you could stain the table a cherry or mahogany stain.

Or you could do something different, and younger, like you!

Leave the tables and chairs as they are.

Get a marvelous authentic rug, such as a handknotted Persian or woven kilim or nomadic.

That will have some bold and bright colors.

Find one that you like, and it will give your room and home instant luxe and history.

Then pick up one or two of the colors from the rug and carry it into whatever art you out into the dining room.

I do think large starburst mirrors are great in dining rooms too, they reflect the beautiful place settings, the candlelight, the guests in their finery, etc.

I would keep the curtains a light color, like the color of your sofa, but you can trim the edges with a color in the carpet.

You might want to recapitulate some of those colors in throw pillows in the living room, so the house flows from room to room.

you can get some bright table toppers candlesticks, salt and pepper shakers to set out. you can also get some great vivid fabric for your chair seats and covers.

fuchsia fabric, wallpaper & gift wrap - Spoonflower · More Info

Fabric – Shop for Fabric By Independent Designers – Spoonflower · More Info

Fabric – Shop for Fabric By Independent Designers – Spoonflower · More Info

Saw this and thought I’d share.

i see that the two most dreaded words in Houzz are listed above: dated and boring. Words that drove our mothers' decorating and redecorating were practical, utilitarian, and functional. White dishes aren't boring, they are complementary to the food and the look of the table can be changed by simply changing centerpiece flowers.

I think it's a beautiful piece. It reminds me of my Mother's china cabinet with 12 serving sets displayed. I would keep just the dish sets on the sides and fill the center with something different. Maybe you have something special from your wedding you could put in there. You could try some pretty champagne glasses, wedding framed pictures, a pretty decorative vase, a colorful glass bowl or even a special figurine. The possibilities are endless. I think the dishes look beautiful in there- just not 12 sets of them. :)

You seem to gravitate towards monotone elements. Nothing wrong with that!

Did I not read that you wrote that you hate the silver accents on the plates? Could it be that the reason your china cabinet looks like your mothers is because it is? Have you inherited this lock, stock and barrel from an ancestor?

If that is the case, it seems that it is yours now to liven up and break with the stuffy old look.

A few splashes of accent or color or interest would go a long way.

And, so many have suggested to you that you stack them, rather than display them as you do. That adds a little more relaxed and modern element to it.

Apparently you have some dissatisfaction with them. It leads me to think that maybe they were not your choice.

The homeowner stated that she did indeed select the china when she married. And she doesn't hate the silver on the plates, she isn't fond of the silver ACCENT plates.