It’s Time to Pull Out Your Grandmother’s China

It’s time to set the table. Today I’m sharing share how to mix your favorite china plates with your grandmother’s china and have some fun!

It’s a modern family problem. We all have a set or two of old china.  It belonged to a grandma or a mother-in-law. It’s very sentimental and it holds a special place in our hearts. But how can use the sentimental china with what we have collected on our own?

Hmmm. So what’s a girl to do?

I partnered with Portmeirion Group and told them I wanted to show how I could use their gorgeous Portmeirion and Spode brands to “spruce” up the collection of my “grandmother’s china”. Setting a table wouldn’t be hard when adding in my five favorite patterns. They are (left to right, clockwise):

Spode Blue Italian, Spode Christmas Tree Gold Collection, Spode Delamere, Spode Cranberry Italian, and Portmeirion Pomona.

Why are these my favorites? The Spode Blue Italian and Cranberry Italian plates are just amazing. They are versatile and can be used year-round. The Spode Christmas Tree Gold Collection is a slightly different version of the well-known Spode Christmas Tree and I am so in love with it! Spode Delamere is fabulous and I think you all know how much I love brown transferware. I have a feeling the Delamere will likely become one of my everyday sets of china by the end of this week. Portmeirion Pomona has been my everyday china for years. It’s hearty and fun and has a great design!

Here is the assortment of “grandmother’s china” that I was able to round up. I even reached out to a few of my girlfriends who gladly lent me a few plates as long as I promised to help them too! It’s a typical collection of china patterns that might be hiding somewhere in your home.

Set the Table With Mixmatched China

Let me show you how easy it is to update your china. Here are five china plates I chose from my grandmother’s china collection. They are nice but need some sprucing up!

I used salad plates from the Portmeirion Group and a few from my grandmother’s collection, and look at the difference! 

When you start mixing and matching, the possibilities are endless. It’s all about trial and error. I started with the dinner plates and tried all different kinds of combinations. I considered color, size, and design when making my decisions. It was a fun exercise because everything I tried worked!

I tried it again but this time I used my Portmeirion and Spode as the dinner plates. 

It is amazing when you realize how easy it is to mix and match. I love mixing blue and brown and this has inspired me so much that I have decided to set my entire Thanksgiving table in brown and blue! How great will that be?

My next project was to set the table for eight. I chose four dinner and four salad plates from my Portmeirion and Spode collection and my grandmother’s china collections. I also picked out four different sets of chargers. 

I set the table for a salad and a main course. When you mix and match you have to remember one thing.

There are no rules!

See those silver vases on my table? They aren’t vases. They are actually vintage cheese molds.

I just love this place setting with the Spode Christmas Tree Gold Collection set on top of my girlfriend’s china. I can’t wait to set a table at Christmas like this!

If you haven’t tried mixing china patterns you must give it a try! Look how stunning the Spode Blue Italian looks here.

I think my new favorite color combinations are blue and brown and red and brown.

It’s time to dust off the boxes and find the family heirloom china. Don’t be afraid to use it. All you need to do is add some fun china like Portmeirion and Spode to get the look you want. There is even a chance you might use it sooner than the holidays!

Links to the Additional Items You May Need to Mix up Your Table!

In case you came to my blog looking for ways to add fall to your home, check these out.

I just found a whole bunch of new fall foliage and added it below. Just click on any of the photos below to see many of my favorite faux greens that I bought for our home.

Check out this fall foliage for under $15. Click on the photo to see more.

Here is some fall foliage under $21. Click on the photo to see more.

And look at this fall decor for under $26. Click on the photo to see more.

Fall wreaths are so gorgeous. Below are some of my favorites! Click the photos to check them out, they are all under $45 each, most are under $30!

You might also like the containers for your fall foliage. Click on the photo to see more.

Pin the image below to your home decor boards on Pinterest (just click the Pin button in the top left corner). You can also follow along with me on Pinterest!

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