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.
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Here is some fall foliage under $21. Click on the photo to see more.
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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.
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You do magical things!!! 😍
Love this! I enjoy all your posts! I love everything you love! I have a huge collections of blue and white plates and still collecting.
It need to set a table for twelve without it looking monotonous perhaps I need to look at it in a different way. When I think twelve place settings andtwelve alike Chargers it seems overwhelming?🤔
Beautiful table and very creative design
Really enjoy all your posts!! I didn’t used to set either one of my tables (kitchen and formal)!! Well, thanks to you, I do now and I LOVE them both, even if its just the charger, napkin and dinner plate!! Tank you for being so inspiring always!!!
I love all of the more modern sets but I am lucky in that I love my grandmother’s china! I found it boxed up after she had passed, I didn’t even know it existed, it had been boxed up that long! It’s a service for 12 that my grandparents received for their 30th wedding anniversary! This would be a great way to incorporate it with a pattern of my choosing on down the road!
Over 45 years ago while on a vacation in Victoria Canada, we ate at a charming restaurant that used all different chairs and different place settings. I have never forgotten that and thank you for reminding me of the possibilities of using the many sets of China I have collected over the years from estate sales. Just yesterday I picked up extra Christmas Spode dinner plates made in England for $2 a piece. After reading your article I’m excited to set a beautiful Christmas table this year. Have a blessed holiday and New Year.
What is the name of the salad plate that is very ornate with florals, black, and lots of gold filigree??
Can you please let us know the name of the pattern with the roses set in black and gold. I’m in love!
I love the table set with such variety! It is fun to be able to admire lots of different patterns at once. Like you, I LOVE fine china and have several sets.
Very nice! I have over 12 complete sets of dinnerware with serving pieces, plus many extra seasonal salad plates and have been mixing them for many years. It is a fun way to create new looks. Love seeing people are taking more interest in table settings.
I love your mix and match. It really makes it more interesting to the eye. I am selling my spode service for 8 Christmas Tree. The wonderful thing about it is that they are all pieces that are made in England which are not being produced anymore. If you are interested let me know.
I really needed this! I have 3 of the patterns and the patterns mix , know that I know how to do it!! Thanks
Forks are placed on the left. Photo#1.
What a great idea! Since I own three 12 piece place settings of bone china from 3 generations this is a way i can enjoy using them. Do you have a suggestion for storing the coffee cups that came with those old sets of china? They are not a style used now but they take up a lot of space.
I love this, I am among those who have sentimental attachment to things like dishes and china too. Thanks for the creative ideas.
Thanks Cheryll!
Love this! I too am wanting to know what china pattern the dark floral bordered salad plate is! Gorgeous pattern and looks so pretty in a mixed setting! I love the idea of blue and brown together at Thanksgiving and have done that for years. My china Pattern ( Aynsley Leighton Cobalt) has a navy and gold border and I love mixing fall colors in at Thanksgiving! Thanks for the fun ideas you share with us!
Thanks so much Alyson!
Very nice! I have been mixing patterns for 25 years now. In my younger designer years I was a stocking dealer of Vietre and am fortunate to have a large collection of their beautiful dishware as well as a lot of other brand styles. It is fun to mix them up, I keep two tables set most of the time and it is so pretty as part of our home decor, varied every month with the seasons.
Thank you!
Did I ever need this post!!! I have my own china on display in a hutch (they have a gold band so they have to be hand-washed…which, when it comes down to it is not THAT big of a deal) and several sets of absolutely stunning antique dishes that are carefully wrapped and tucked away so nothing happens to them. WHY?!?! My young adult daughters don’t want them. I’m am going to try really, really hard to at least try to start using them!!!
I am so happy to help!
I am so in love with this post…THANK YOU for bringing attention to the treasures hidden or tucked away for the memories that are stored with the pieces are what make them priceless. I use my “Good” china every day in hopes that the next generation will take and cherish the memories. My motto is “Use the things you love, on the people you love.” I wish you could hear me applauding!
I am glad you enjoyed!