A Happy China Cabinet
Today, I got some of the Stardust china into the 1894 china cabinet!!!!!!!!
I then stood back and wondered: when was the last time fine china was placed inside this cabinet made for fine china?
The cabinet seemed, I dunno, happy! And I experienced an odd thrill, too. It was satisfying returning this beautiful cabinet to its intended use.
I stood back about six feet…and just smiled broadly.
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Love it! I thought I would have to wait a lot longer to see this photo. It looks so pretty in there.
Beautiful! I am so happy for you Ross!
Looks gorgeous. I’m sure the cabinet would smile too if it could.
I will note that back in the day, such a cabinet would have had the teapot centered on the center shelf flanked by the cream pitcher and sugar bowl. Cups and saucers might have been placed on stands on all shelves as well as on either side of the central display . Plates and platters, if not set upright in the back, would have been hidden behind closed doors, where the were easily accessed without disturbing the display. People collected a large range of diverse pieces that were available in their pattern to display on other shelves, placing them to their own taste. The pattern, its maker, how it was displayed, and how many different pieces one had were all part of the social competitions that went on before technology took over as the thing to show that one has made it.
-When I was a child, my grandmother held a china plate up to the light and told me that one could tell really fine china by the fact that you could see your fingers through it.
Her generation of women was not expected to have a job outside the home. She was taught from the earliest age the things that her mother had learned to impress her peers. The outpouring of stories that your post on china produced shows how much emotional energy is tied up in their heirlooms.
-Now young people buy the latest tech to impress instead. The old school valuables are often not even wanted.
You are so right!!
Hmmm. Let us feast our eyes on the design elements here: egg moulding, compo applique swags, coffered raised-panel sides, massive arched beveled glass, gothic strap hinges, a keyhole escutcheon, ogee-front shelves, beadboard backing, and, visible below all this splendor, the denim-clad limb of our compere sitting on a baroque curved bench on a dusty rose rug, reflected in the lower mirror. I’d smile, too!
And the resurrection of the dining room comes a step closer… I predict a post showing us a beautifully polished china cabinet showing up in the near future. 😀
This is so beautiful! I’m looking forward to seeing the table set and what flatware will be shown!
Simply stunning and the china cabinet does look very happy!
Is the cabinet an original built-in?
Yes.
And the reflection of the rug shows how beautiful the color of the flower compliments the room. Nice.
Man I’d kill for a built in like that as I have an extensive collection of china