February 17th, 2010 @ Kathy // 8 Comments

Thank you for joining my friends for a casual dinner with 1950s classic chic.  Thank you to Susan from Between Naps on the Porch and friends for this fun Tablescape Thursday.

Today we are having a casual dinner with friends on retro china from Japan, cut crystal from Duncan Miller, woven placemats and a special art piece by Dave Eickholt.  I got the idea for this table by starting with the china.

I bought this china at an estate sale.  The family must have liked china because they had three sets, this one by Tuillerie, some Blue Ridge pieces and a super sharp art deco dessert set from Austria.  I got this pattern because it is soft and pretty.  It looks peaceful and friendly, like a pattern you can use and mix and match with all sorts of things.

The plates and bowls have a wide cream rim with pretty flower bouquets and an intricate rim design in warm brown and sage.  In the 1940s or 50s this would have been moderately priced Sunday dinner china.  I think it’s pretty and looks older without being all antique-y.

So what to put with this?  I thought the Tuillerie was a good basic pattern that could go with lots of other styles and had enough looks that it could look great with anything from casual to Sunday best.  Let’s see what we can do with it.

After the dishes the next selection was the place mat.   My Mom had these woven bamboo mats forever, at least since the 1950s.  I like the warm natural look and decided to try it with the china to pick up the warm colors in the plates.

So far so good.  The dishes have enough warmth to keep up with the casual woven bamboo place mats and not look silly.

Now let’s add cut crystal goblets from Duncan Miller.  This is another aha moment.  The plates are all rounded shapes and beautiful bouquets and these goblets have diamond cuts and squarish shapes.  And it works!  The goblets pick up the woven lines in the place mats and look great with the china.

Last question is the centerpiece.  I wanted something with same warm gold colors and the strong lines and decided to use this crystalline glazed vase by noted potter Dave Eickholt.  I picked a round vase in gold crystals with rich burgundy and blue streaks.  Gorgeous!

Come in, sit down and enjoy dinner with Dave and me!  If you like what you see we have the china and crystal listed in our store Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant and Depression Glass.

Tags: Duncan Miller Glass, Etched Elegant Glass