Growing up, my grandparents owned a jewelry store in West Texas where they also sold fine china, silver, and crystal. Bridal registries were displayed on beautifully set round tables, and I always loved seeing which pieces each bride selected. My Nana started my silver collection – Grande Baroque – when I was 13. I still love it, and I still use it. In fact, when we were forced to evacuate our home during Hurricane Irma last year, my silver was one of the first things I packed. Sadly, many in my generation, and many more in the following generations, have lost interest in these things…. as a recent article stated, “Sorry, Nobody Wants Your Parents’ Stuff.” Hopefully this unfortunate trend is reversing as traditional decor is making a comeback. Now I love the casual chic tablescape as much as everyone else, but a beautifully set traditional table with pressed white linens, sterling silver, fine china, and crystal should not be forgotten. Below are a few examples that hopefully will inspire even the Millennial generation…
via Gracie
Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations via Stylebeat (this is a fabulous book, by the way!)
Joe Nye (another fabulous book) via The Pink Pagoda
Source unknown, please forgive image quality.
Suzanne Tucker
Source unknown
The Biltmore via Splendid Sass
Ruffled with Lenox Autumn
Traditional, timeless, and classic…. I hope these values continue to be passed along to future generations! Below are a few of my favorite staples, if you are looking to create this look in your own home…
La Fête du Muguet
We Love You, and Breakfast In Bed, BUT… The Mother’s Day Gift Guide
At Home with Amy-Beth Ellice
A Timeless Classic – Desert Rose by Franciscan
I am with you. Beautiful tables.
Gorgeous! I am so glad you posted all the beautiful pictures of tablescaoes. It has been a tradition in our family that every girl pick a sterling pattern in their teens and they receive a piece or2 from their grandmothers so they eventually have a full set in theirs twenty’s. It is a bit of conversation to explain to my daughter the tradition and implore her to select a pattern to collect but the beautiful pictures definitely help!
What a glorious post. Thank you so much for sharing.
I remember fondly the local store in my hometown that displayed the wedding pieces chosen. I miss those days. I still try and use my good stuff for special occasions. I think my family actually looks forward to it.
They are all so beautiful. I hear horror stories all the time about women who serve Thanksgiving on paper plates, etc. Mothers and grandmothers, you owe it to your offspring to school them in the art of dining. Lovely serving pieces elevate a meal, and good manners will always take them far. And when tablescapes are this special, it makes the guests feel more welcome and gives an air of festivity to a meal. It seems that a lot more people are paying attention to their tables these days, and that’s a very good thing. Maybe it’s part of that pendulum swing back to tradition. I love it.
I am so hoping the trend goes back to beautiful old things. I just don’t get the look people are going for today.
A feast for the eyes! I have always loved beautiful table top items.
I love nothing more than a formal, pull-out-all-the-stops white tablecloth dinner. I don’t do it for every meal, but for special occasions or holidays, a well-set formal table lets the people you’ve invited know how much you care.
Food really does taste better when served on fine china, crystal and silver.
I loved this article and it brought back fond memories of my childhood. I grew up in San Angelo, TX and we had two beautiful jewelry store there named Nathan’s and Holland’s. This was during the 70’s and I always loved to go and see the bridal registries displayed on the tables.
Where was your grandparents jewelry store?
Hi Sue- I also grew up in San Angelo. I remember Nathan’s (my husband worked there for a while when he was young) and Holland’s.
I chose my first china pattern at a Hemphill- Wells. It is shown in one of the photos above. It was Lenox Plumb Blossom.
Loved the post!
Jan Trantham
Dear Sue and Jan,
I grew up in Abilene, just a stone’s throw from San Angelo! My grandparents were in Andrews. 🙂
Xx,
Andrea
The Glam Pad
I too grew up in West Texas- Big Spring- and my china and silver and crystal were chosen from 1 of 2 stores that provided this service. They were Hemphill-Wells and Blum’s . Familiar with either of those? I too love setting a beautiful table for a dinner party. It’s my favorite part of entertaining.
Hi Joann,
We always drove through Big Spring on our way from Abilene (where I grew up) to Andrews to see my grandparents! They would probably have known Hemphill-Wells and Blum’s since the two towns are so close together. Small world!
Xx,
Andrea
The Glam Pad
Another West Texas girl—Lubbock—-also Grand Baroque from my grandmothers and their friends!! I still lose myself in a china department.
What was the store in Abilene? My mother and grandmother family all from there. Best store there now is Surprises!
I’ve had discussions about this on various forums and I’m not hopeful. The first thing most say is that if the table were set this way, they would have to “dress-up” and that would be “uncomfortable.” I guess they might have to ditch their hoodies, jeans and flip flops, and they do not appear willing to do so. There is an entire generation of people who do not think any occasion is important enough to take a shower and dress-up. And that includes their table being dressed-up, too.
I love setting a beautiful table and do so for all holidays and a modified one for birthdays. I don’t use a linen cloth then due to the incredible cost of having it properly laundered, but I use beautiful linen/organdy placemats, which I can easily launder myself.
To me, a beautifully set table says “This is an occasion!” And I think we could all use a few more occasions.
Another fantastic post on TGP ~!
I loved that you chose to share with us some of your personal history. No doubt, your grandparents having the shop made a huge impression on you! This post reminded me of so many people and places- such as Mary Mahoney in PB and the book on Valentino and his entertaining style (over the top)-
I just hosted a party for five couples- served buffet style- and it was fun to use my Limoges china, Christofle silver etc.- HOWEVER,
I did slip in some “Chinet” for some hors d’oeurves since some of the ladies brought dishes- and they worked out just fine- I also served limoncello “shots”- with the cake- (and rose’ champagne) in chic colored plastic glasses! It becomes a matter of logistics when you have a larger group, and one does think CATER ! since it took little old me about 5 days to prep and recover from this dinner party!!!!! But, like anything else, the more you put into it, the more you get back- and now I look forward to having a seated dinner party with a very long improvised table and using the bamboo ballroom chairs- inspired by Danielle Rollins and Carolyne Roehm among others! May need to hire a waiter, chef and bartender for that one!
XOXO
Dean Farris
Oh I loved reading that your grandparents owned such a lovely store! I married a West Texas boy and we registered in a store just like theirs. Wasn’t Abilene, was it?
Hi Jo Anne,
I grew up in Abilene! My grandparents were in Andrews. Your husband and I probably know some of the same people, what a small world!
Xx,
Andrea
The Glam Pad
Thank you for always posting beautiful articles. I especially love all of the gorgeous tablescapes. Among the many delightful aspects of planning my dear daughter’s wedding was spending the day with her and her future husband picking China, silver and crystal both formal and everyday. Although she is a modern young woman in so many ways I’m so pleased that she values and understands the gracious beauty these things add to entertaining
Well it looks like your readers love a ‘pretty’ table. I grew up with 3 younger brothers and Mom didn’t set a pretty table often. I now set a nice table or try. My late mother in law would say “Oh you don’t have to be fancy with us”. I thought if I can’t show my family a well set table then who else. My 30 something daughter noticed and she appreciates it even more when she visits other homes and sees old Mom had some tabkescape style after all. Looked the photos
Oh wow, that article makes me so sad. I have so much love for the things I’ve been given by my grandparents and parents. I have my grandmother’s tea service, several pieces from my other grandmother’s Delft pottery collection, some beautiful pieces of jewelry that has been in my family since the 1800s, etc. They’re truly my most prized possessions and I’m so happy whenever I look at them. Having that connection to your past is so fulfilling.
briana | youngsophisticate.com
I love anything that has to do with setting a pretty table! I have my great aunt’s silver and use it several times a year. Not just for holidays. I always say I have a bit of a dish sickness. I could pick out a new china pattern every week. And don’t even start me on linens. I use cloth napkins mostly and when I do use paper I like the oversized ones. I hate tiny cheap paper napkins. Life is too short for that nonsense.
Love this post! I can’t get enough of place settings, it never gets old, I never tire of looking. I have my mom’s silver and we use it for special occasions, about monthly.
Love this post! Like you my grandmother taught me to set a beautiful table. I worked for years helping future brides and grooms pick out their fine china, crystal,and silver. Talk about loving what you do for a living! It has been my experience that the girls that want fine china on their registry have seen their mothers set the table with china
such beautiful tables to sit enjoy a wonderful meal and time with family and friends. I hope that in time this tradition of setting a beautiful table and collecting wonderful china, crystal and silver will make a comeback. I have a home full of these items, and have no idea what I will do with everything as I am getting ready to downsize. I hope this makes a comeback.
Millennial here, I volunteer to take any crystal, silver, linens, gilt servers or anything else elegant off your hands!
I host people in my apartment every Thursday, the only thing keeping me from my starched tablecloth dreams are space and money! I have a roommate and student loans, so I am currently living with a small entertaining pantry and thrifted napkins. Space is the main issue, my kitchen can only fit a table that holds 4, so I often have a buffet that results in a living room floor picnic. One day I hope to be able to afford an apartment of my own with room for a larger table, china cabinet and more prep space so I don’t have to roll dough on the table! I must admit that my generation appears to enjoy the finer things more than my elders, look at instagram, but we don’t often dedicate the time to creating those finer things ourselves. I am so ready to have a mixer that can whip cream for beautiful desserts to serve on my collection of floral dessert plates!
Me first ! I have more room !! LOL
I am so glad to have found this site. I love china and crystal. It breaks my heart to go in a thrift store and see a piece here and a piece there chipped. Anybody that doesn’t know what to do with “this old stuff” please let me know.
Sorry my mother. who loved a fine table, isn’t here to see these beautiful tablescapes. I often wonder what happened to my grandmother’s Duncan Phyfe table, chairs and sideboard.