China Collecting

Another of my passions is china. It started for me when I was about 13 years old, or maybe even before that when I think about the love affair I had with my maternal grandmother's flatware growing up. I was lucky enough to work for Royal Doulton for 10 years and also Villeroy and Boch and Wedgwood, so my passion is firmly entrenched and well founded. If I had the room, I would go on collecting indefinitely.

So whats the point having all that china if it just sits in a cupboard? How do you enjoy it or use it's all piled up and stacked in storage? Rotate it! A kitchen dresser is a great way to display and enjoy your china. I change mine seasonally, usually with autumn and then in spring/summer and usually to co-ordinate with the colours we are using for Christmas. I like to mix it up a little so that it freshens the way I look at my collection and brings new pieces within handy reach for entertaining.

In the photo above the predominant pattern is my grandmother's "Envoy" by Royal Doulton. This is the china she used everyday and it has a wonderful art deco design and even better...and here is where my passion goes deeper....it has a wonderful texture over the decal design under glaze. I not only like to look at china but LOVE to feel china, the design, the quality of the glaze, even the body ingredients I can feel through my fingertips; the amount of kaolin, bone ash, feldspar, quartz...I even know from the feel of the body how it will break. But I digress....



This "Envoy" has been displayed as classic blue and white combos but look at the difference just 8 pieces of yellow flatware/accessories make. It can change the whole look. I like to poke other unexpected pieces in too like animal figurines, or bunnykins figures and co-ordinating glasses. Even by adding in a metal theme like; pewter/silver, brass, copper, changes the whole look and play. The main thing to remember is balance from top to bottom, keep things roughly within a triangle group as it is how the eye is most comfortable seeing things. This has been a fresh look for summer and co-ordinated with our yellow Christmas theme.



So mix it up a little and rotate your china (it's good for it to be touched to prevent stress fractures) and use different pieces for putting out biscuits or anti pasto. It gives your family and friends something to talk about and look forward too as well. It seems to me people like change more than they realise.