Four fresh ideas for old family china set
Give Grandma’s dishes a makeover — or make them a fond memory
Ariel Davis was taking an evening run when she literally stumbled over a pile of 75 pieces of china set out in the street.
“Someone had left their beautiful Franciscan Desert Rose set out next to their trash,” says Davis, 32, of Brooklyn, N.Y. “I had to rescue it.”
This unexpected find led her to start the Brooklyn Teacup, a business that turns vintage plates and teacups and upcycles into tiered cake stands.
“Entertaining has become much more casual,” said Jeffra Trumpower, at WeddingWire.com. “Couples are registering for things to make that experience more their own instead of the things that used to define fine dining or entertaining.”
When clients protest that they are keeping all of this “in honour of Granny,” Libby Kinkead of downsizing and moving service Potomac Concierge asks them: “How are you honoring your grandmother’s memory by keeping your china sitting in a box in the attic? That’s not honouring anything.”
Four ideas to put your heirlooms to good use:
1. Create a plate wall: “If you can’t use your plates every day, they can become art,” said Georgia designer James Farmer. He starts with a larger piece in the middle and hangs the rest around it. He mixes patterns, shapes and sizes, and sometimes adds in art for a gallerywall look.
Farmer’s method is to first arrange plates on the floor or tabletop, take a photo of the final placement for reference, then put up the nails and hang the plates that are secured with oldfashioned wire plate hangers — and sometimes Museum Putty if plates will hang near a door. 2. Use dishes to deliver a gift:
Make up host or hostess gift plates, filled with cookies or bars, to take when you’re invited to friends’ and family’s homes. Use the cups and saucers to fill with a selection of nice teas, and gift those. If you’re inclined, write a note describing the provenance of the china.
3. Have china upcycled: The Brooklyn Teacup, as well as selling ready-made tiered stands made of vintage plates, also does designs for customers who provide her with their china.
“It’s all about finding new ways to use old things,” says Sadie Horton, a recent customer who uses hers for fruit in her kitchen. “This is a great way to repurpose something that you would really hate to just put out in recycling.” 4. Repurpose pieces as plant
ers: Soup tureens and teacups can be repurposed as beautiful containers for plants.
“An interesting soup tureen — with the matching platter underneath — filled with plants can make a beautiful centerpiece,” said Cynthia Nouri, owner of the luxury gift registry Sasha Nicholas. “Looking at these pieces reminds you of sitting at the table with old friends and past generations.”