Tuesday, January 28, 2025

January Organizing

De Gournay

 
Once I take down my Christmas decorations, I always turn my attention to some January organizing at CCC. A favorite project (since I am obsessed with china), is cleaning out my china cabinets. 

Here are some tips - 

*Take everything out of the cabinet and clean all the shelves. 

*Make sure all china is pristine - wash or dust as required. 

*I personally don't use the dishwasher for fine china - especially true with china over 20 years old and with gold or silver rims. Experts says to hand wash china at least once a year if not in use. I prefer Ivory or Dawn - lemon scented soaps can discolor gold or silver rims.

*Most important for fine china is to use felt dividers to prevent small scratches over time. 99% of the dividers on the market are very thin hard white spun material that I hate - the white discolors over time and it is not soft and cushiony. (Don't use foam or bubble wrap - it can damage the glaze.) 

*I have done extensive research on this and I only use the Hagerty Fine China Separators that I highly recommend. They are a beautiful soft blue, scalloped, and a soft lovely thick flannel. They come in a set of 48 for 12 dinner plates, 12 salad plates, 12 bread plates and 12 saucers. 


Hagerty Fine China Separators - Set of 48


Hagerty Fine China Separators

*Do not hang teacups by the handles. It puts stress on the handles.

*Don't stack dishes too high as it puts too much weight on lower pieces - I try to limit stacks to no more than 6 or 8. And rotate dishes every few months so the same pieces are not on the bottom with all the weight.

*I like to style my cabinets - great inspiration in the picture at top. My pretty Estelle colored glassware works great for this. 


Estelle Colored Glass


*This is also a great opportunity to use wallpaper - peel and stick or perhaps an expensive paper that would cost too much to do an entire room. 

*Whether your fine china is your wedding china, a family heirloom, or fine china you have gotten for yourself, it deserves proper care. You don't want fading, chips, scratches, and crazing over time, right?

More inspiration - 


Amanda Lindroth - Veranda




3 comments:

  1. Thank you for the china storage tips, Beth. Do you happen to know what the china pattern is in Amanda's cabinet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Lenox British Colonial - I have service for 10 and have posted on it several times. Great for Florida!

      Delete
  2. Beth, I’d love to see how you have styled your own china cupboard. I have so many pieces in so many patterns that I struggle to arrange them without it looking cluttered. Thanks and cheers!

    ReplyDelete