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China/crystal on display?
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Posted by ceciley13 (My Page) on Wed, Nov 4, 09 at 21:03
| I was recently (less than two months ago) married. The day before my wedding, my mom gave me all of my grandmother's china and crystal. It was written into her will that mom was to give it to me then. HD and I had not registered for china or crystal because we don't entertain formally much, and we had a need for more practical things (like matching everyday dishes!) But now that I DO have the china and crystal, and it has such emotional importance to me, I am looking for a nice way to display it. I am looking for a hutch or something that is not only functional (large enough to store 9 place settings and crystal) but also so people can see it.
Can I see how you guys have your china/crystal stored? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: China/crystal on display?
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| Congrats on your new marriage! Here's a pic I had saved of my hutch. I really need to get to bed but I'll take some closer shots for you.
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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This was my breakfast room hutch right after our wedding. I think it needed a little "umph"! It's empty now - haven't re-filled it after our kitchen reno.
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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Ceciley13-
thought I'd share that a few months back (maybe longer) there was a thread here asking to post what was in your china closet/hutch. It was a nice length w/ plenty of pictures.
Thought I'd share that a search may be worthwhile if you don't get a lot of responses here. I just got a hutch so I'm interested in the "set ups" also... |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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I have my Grandma's everyday dishes on display in my DR cabinet:
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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Here's a closer shot
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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| I would get a china cabinet that had a mirrored back and then place it on a wall that gets some reflection from the sun. Nothing more beautiful than sparkling crystal. :) Is your decorating style contemporary or traditional (or a mix)? |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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In my kitchen
 This one's hard to see because of all the reflected sunlight from the windows and porch off the dining room. I'll have to get a pic at night when the sunlight's not competing. 
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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Our dining room is not large enough for a hutch (we have a sideboard in there, so I use these cabinets in my living room for some of my crystal and china. I have TONS, most of which is in cabinets, so this gets changed out periodically and seasonally, though the Waterford I use most frequently stays.
I was told by a neighbor that keeping china and crystal in my living room was a bit tacky-oh well! 
This is the proximity to the dining room-drapes in DR were being cleaned, so windows were bare in this pic
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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| First and foremost, congratulations. I wish you many years of happiness together. You're right, most do not entertain formally anymore. After giving a full set of china to both of our sons, I still have three sets, two of which I really need to sell. Accordingly I only have a set of plain, creame which I display and use. Believe it or not, I have 48 place settings, wash it in the dishwasher and almost never use paper plates. Even patio guests are amazed to picnic on china. I store mine in a china cabinet and a sideboard. The out-of-use sets are packed in protective dishware storage containers. My crystal hangs in speed racks which DH installed into a small closet to house vases and breakables. Here are a couple photos of our breakfront. Ours is not a mirrored back but does have internal lighting for nightime. 
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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| Thank you so much for sharing all your pictures. They are giving me lots of good ideas. Maybe this is a dumb question.... but how do you get your plates to stand up and not fall over? |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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| Most china cabinets have a plate groove near the back. |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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| If you look at this close up from my china cabinet you can see the grove for the plate to stand in on the left: 
I have too much to display in our little china cabinet. I'd like one day to do a built in that covers the back wall so I could display better but that's a ways off so instead my cabinet is stuffed to the gills: 
But you can always borrow space if you don't think you have enough...this cabinet is actually recessed into the wall and was built specifically to display my venetian glass collection:
 Bad photo but this is how the doors look when closed:
The reflection makes it look like you can't see inside but it's actually quite visable to a normal eye:
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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| I bought a boatload of little stands from Michaels (at least I think it was Michaels - could have been JoAnn Fabrics) I also picked up a few cup and saucer stands, too. |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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| This is what we have at the moment. It's the built-in china cab in our dining room. What I don't like about it, other than the wood (I want a dark mahogany), is that the shelves need to be glass so that the light travels throughout. I'd like the back to be mirrored, to bring in extra light and reflection. I'd also like better lighting in it. I inherited my good dinnerware from my grandmother. They were her mother's and are over 100 years old. I also store some of my crystal glasses and silver in there. I want a new surface for the counter, though, when we have it redone. Ours now is Talavera tile. I'd like something simpler, such as a dark granite. What is working are the electrical outlets that allow me to use a lamp there on the counter or heated serving trays or pots when we 're having a big dinner party. My two drawers that I use to hold my 100+ napkins and the cabs below are also great. Having a closed area is wonderful for it's practicality. I store a lot of stacked pieces down there. Each cab has two pull-out trays. Deep drawers might be even better.
You've mentioned that you're just recently married. Don't forgo some options because you don't think you need them "now". Lifestyles change as the years pass and /or our circumstances change. My suggestion is to buy for your future needs now, if you can.
Good luck and welcome to the forum!
Lynn 
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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Here is my antique china cabinet - I have my tea cups and antique crystal glasses in there.
By the way Pattieem93 - your cabinets are GORGEOUS!!! 
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| Igloo!! There's that perrddy plate I wanted to see up close. I love your china and hutch. |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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| I love everyone's pretty cabinets, esp Lynn's tiled top (my grandmother was Italian, reminds me of her) and hoyamom's sweet little cabinet, and fnmroberts your's is to die for! I am looking for drawer pulls like that for my built-in. Does anyone know what style that is called? |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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Here is the wonderful and huge Arts & Crafts Buffet we used to have. The glass was beveled, so I don't think the photo shows the china and crystal very well. But you can get an idea.
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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| Thank you hoyamom! Those were the only "new" things we bought when we moved here, specifically because of the size of the dining room. We usually reuse, repurpose, refinish, or remake! LOL I do love them |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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| Pattiem, if I had your hutch I'd put it in my LR also! It's drop dead gorgeous, especially the way it just shines inside with the crystal. Next time your neighbor makes a comment, tell her it's a large curio cabinet, because they do make them large. lol. I think it looks perfect there since it is so close to the DR. Igloo, I want those plates, darn it! :) |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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| I noticed that most of the old cabinets in the pictures have curved glass like mine. My mother always said to be very careful bc if it breaks you can't get it replaced. Every time we moved to a new place my DH took the doors off and we carried them with us versus having the movers pack them. I love my cabinet too but Pattiem's is GORGEOUS (IMHO). Pattiem where did you get them? History please! |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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You're very sweet-thank you. It's pretty funny because almost everything we own is old, used, hand-me-down, etc. I do design work, but most of the people I work for prefer a more transitional, or stream-lined look. I LOVE my "stuff". When we moved here, the dining room was a huge issue for me. I'd give up my living room before my dining room-we use it! There's actually an interesting (to me) thread on the BAH forum about whether a separate dining room is necessary. That would be a deal breaker to me. Anyway, I needed somewhere to put the things I use so often. Our previous home had huge built-ins. I couldn't find anything old that was large enough and while looking for a pair of family room chairs for my hubby I came upon these at Rose Furniture in High Point. They are Thomasville's Bogart Bunching cabinets. They are simply huge curios that can fit together. We never buy new from furniture stores, so we really thought about this. Rose's had been there forever with a great rep and we found family room pieces my husband loved, so we bit the bullet. So here's what happens: when we got close to the promised delivery time, I called the salesman and asked for an ETA. He informs me that the cabinets had arrived, but everything else was still "en route". He said they'd deliver everything together when they had it all. Being the patient individual I am (NOT!), I told him I wanted the cabinets delivered (I had paid in advance for EVERYTHING!). He wasn't happy, but I had them the next day. 4 days later Roses's declared bankruptcy. No orders being filled. Anyone who placed an order was out of luck. We ran up there with receipt in hand and stood around with a bunch of other people who had pending orders (one poor man had furnished an entire house to the tune of 60,000 dollars). We were instructed to go out on the floor and find something-we had to LITERALLY carry it out on the spot-no holds. We were driving a Malibu and lived 90 minutes away. We basically lost everything we had paid for a couch, loveseat, and 2 leather club chairs. The only part of our first retail furniture store order that we got were those 2 cabinets because I was being "impatient"! They have since been discontinued and our family room has been pieced together (not what I wanted, but someday....)
So those cabinets have a story and are special to me. By the way, this is what we took off the floor. My poor husband walked out with this clock on his back and we drove all the way home with it tied to the roof of our car!
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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| Awesome story! Even through all that you guys got some beautiful things. I love the clock! |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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| lol shee.....i took that pic for you than lost the thread! But shee and oak....thats not a close up of my china :) I wish but there are only three or four of those remaining. Are ya'll old enough to remember the china thread? my real china has medussa on it :) |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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Lucky you to have been given such wonderful family treasures to use/display. We have a few sets of china/crystal, etc. Some were my mom's and others we've aquired through the years. We display them in a china cabinet in our DR, which gets changed around once or twice a year.
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RE: China/crystal on display?
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| Bonnieann, I love your glassware! |
RE: China/crystal on display?
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| nanny2a, in your 2nd picture, is your china a floral with green edge? |
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