The Viral Ginori Dupes

CCC

 

Did I lose my mind and spend a fortune on Ginori Oriente Italiano plates? No ma'am. These are the viral Dillard's Southern Living Collection dupes. Aren't they incredible? And did I mention they are $14 each?

Ally the Alligator

CCC

 

One of my favorite television shows was Ally McBeal. Last year at this time I had a 10 foot alligator at CCC and I named him/her Ally. Then on Monday I posted on this darling alligator plate I found on eBay and it has arrived.

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. 

Coffee and Blue & White Chinoiserie

Spode Blue Italian 

Who else loves French Press coffee? It is definitely my favorite. And I have found the most beautiful blue and white chinoiserie version and more.

Styling the China Kitchen Cabinet

de Gournay

I love a beautifully styled kitchen cabinet filled with fine china and glassware. This is a stunning example above. Often there is wallpaper backing the cabinet like this exquisite de Gournay above. Nowadays, there is lots of great peel and stick wallpaper available making this a fairly easy project to tackle.

January Organizing

de Gournay

 

Once I take my Christmas decorations down this coming weekend, I am looking forward to some January organizing at CCC.

A favorite project (since I am obsessed with china), is cleaning out my china cabinets. 

Dessert Plates

Lou Rota Nature Table Dessert Plate

 

I love china and enjoy mixing and matching. I fell in love with these fabulous dessert plates. They are available in six different designs, but this one is so me and so Florida that I am getting a set in all this design.

Bamboo Dinnerware High/Low

Juliska Classic Bamboo

Bamboo dinnerware is so chic. It mixes and matches beautifully with other china patterns, especially chinoiserie and blue and white patterns. Get a set of dinner or salad plates or an entire set. Here are some great options both luxury and budget friendly, just in time for spring and summer.

China Addict

Bunny Williams Rosalie China

I really have a serious thing for china. But I do use my fine china virtually every day and one of my favorite things is setting a beautiful table. This Rosalie China by Bunny Williams is so pretty. The details are absolutely gorgeous like the stripes on the dinner plate, the roots on the salad plate and saucer, and the flower inside the bottom of the bowl.

"I'm addicted to beautiful dishes," confesses designer and entertaining expert, Bunny Williams. "I think of setting a table as creating a still life, combining new and old pieces collected over the years. The Rosalie pattern, inspired by timeless botanical paintings, is sophisticated but not too formal, and makes for a perfect foundation to a set table." This heirloom-quality collection is made of durable, dishwasher-safe porcelain and decorated with pink poppy flowers and gold details. Pieces are designed to coordinate, rather than match, for a collected vintage look.

January Organizing - The Jewelry Drawer

Pinterest

Our January organizing series continues today with a fun idea that you can likely do with things you have already.

Setting the Spring Table - Famille Rose

Famille Rose Collection

 

The term "famille rose" (meaning of the “pink family”) refers to Chinese porcelain glazed with enamels in a predominantly pink, white, yellow, and green color palette. Perhaps you have some antique or vintage pieces in this classic chinoiserie style.

Happy Thanksgiving

Alberto Pinto

 I hope everyone has a lovely and safe Thanksgiving. Let's all try to focus on the positive and believe that there are better days ahead. 

I love this table setting. Harvest colors done my way with chinoiserie china and accessories and lots of potted orchids. BTW my Publix had gorgeous peonies yesterday - in November - that was a lovely surprise. 

Do you notice the silverware is placed facing down and the napkin is on the right? Very French - he is based in Paris.

China Patterns

Alessandra Branca

Yesterday was spent taking three carloads of my china to the new house. I thoroughly cleaned the cabinets and organized all the china. I had already bought over silverware, candles, and pots and pans, so the kitchen is now almost set up. What a great feeling.

I love beautiful china. Interesting that my wedding china is a Chinoiserie pattern, Wedgwood Chinese Tigers. I still adore this pattern. I have service for 8.

Wedgwood Chinese Tigers

I also have a large set of Lenox Morning Blossom. When I was first married, I collected every piece known to man through a china club. Do you remember those?

Lenox Morning Blossom

I am super excited to start using all my fine china again. Using it with Golf Guy has been impossible. (Think 5 year old son with ADHD).

Fine china and silver seem to be such relics of days gone by. I even use cloth napkins at every dinner. Did you know that sales of paper napkins have been down dramatically in recent years? The reason is not the use of cloth napkins - many younger people use paper towels instead of purchasing paper napkins!

At any rate, I find it fascinating that both my china patterns acquired years ago are Chinoiserie patterns, so my love of Chinoiserie goes back to my twenties. I also bought an antique Chinese screen and started collecting antique ginger jars in my twenties. I literally just realized all this writing this post.

Do you use your "fancy" china on a regular basis? Any Chinoiserie patterns?

Chinoiserie Christmas

Pinterest

When you are planning table settings for the holidays, think about mixing vintage Chinoiserie china with modern pieces. Here you have the traditional Christmas colors of red and green with my favorite colors - pink and blue.

Setting the Blue and White Table

I have a weakness for china, but I have collected so much that it takes something really extraordinary to make me pull the plug. I have always loved Oscar de la Renta - in fact, my wedding dress was a couture ball gown of his in midnight blue silk organza over silk taffeta that I had made as a wedding gown in ivory. I also adore his collection of furniture for Century. His home furnishings line was conceived in tandem with Miles Redd who serves as his creative director.

His new Dot and Dash and Brushstroke dinnerware are on my Christmas wish list. I love them both. If you have white china, these would be fabulous to mix and match with it, picking up a set of the dinner plates, salad/dessert plates, or the cocktail plates, for example. I also like that this china would work equally well in a formal or casual table setting. There are interesting stories about both these designs. The "dot - and - dash" was taken from a 1970's silk dress designed by de la Renta. The brushstroke was his attempt at calligraphy while in Japan.

The Summer Chinoiserie Table

Eddie Ross

Pink and aqua blue are such a lovely combination. Love the pink jelly beans. The fabric is Quadrille/China Seas Java Java in Pink on White.

Jonathan Adler Turquoise Greek Key China

Jonathan Adler Turquoise Greek Key China

 Fabulous and very well priced at $50 a place setting.

From My Chinoiserie Home-Setting the Chinoiserie Breakfast Table

I have set the breakfast bar with vintage Mottahedeh china, vintage foo dogs, vintage blanc de Chine, and vintage blue and white Chinese porcelain from my collection, a white topiary pagoda from HomeGoods, a piece of art from Annechovie, bamboo flatware, and blue and white Chinoiserie placemats "Lightfoot House" from the Williamsburg Collection.

Friday From My Chinoiserie Home-Setting the Chinoiserie Table

Wedgwood Dynasty

This pattern by Wedgwood called Wedgwood Dynasty is a new version of my wedding china Wedgwood Chinese Tigers with the addition of a Greek key border as opposed to a gold scalloped edge. If you are looking for a china pattern with great Chinoiserie pizazz, this is a fabulous choice. The chargers or salad plates would also be wonderful to mix and match with white china.