| Accessorizing a China Cabinet |
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I really should have added the decorating or accessorizing of china cabinets to my article about the biggest decorating mistakes. For some reason many people think that their china cabinet is simply a storage piece. Well, you are partly right. The main storage space is below in the cabinet with the “opaque” wooden doors. The glass cabinet doors above usually close over glass shelving and accent lighting. Glass shelving and accent lighting is used in department stores to display fine china, porcelain knick knacks and even jewelry….all things they want you to think are beautiful and then they want you to buy them. In your home, the upper portion of the china cabinet is meant to hold all the special china, crystal, and objets d’art you have collected over the years. It is NOT a place for tax papers, recipe boxes, tablecloths and stacks of dishes. OK, have I ranted long enough?? I think so because I’m tired of it myself!
When it comes time to “dress” your china cabinet, I want you to think of it differently. This is an opportunity to show off some of your favorite things. It is also a chance to see what additions you might need to really bring the whole display together. That means shopping. And, shopping around for little “deals & steals” on these types of things is fun. I also want you to consider changing out the décor in your china cabinet for the seasons. That doesn’t mean you need a dinnerware set for each season. It means you might enjoy changing out the “accessories” to your dinnerware each season. It’s just a suggestion for those of you who enjoy this whole process. If you want to get it done once and let it sit, let’s move on.
The first step in getting your china cabinet in order is to remove everything and start over. Eliminate the items like those I mentioned earlier that have no place behind glass doors! Next consider your china or dinnerware or perhaps a lovely collection you’d like to display. In most arrangements, it’s best to place the largest, most dominate pieces first.
If you have a collection of flower vases they would probably go in first because of their height. Maybe you have china with the completer set of a pitcher and covered casserole or other special items that could be focal points. Sometimes it’s just the dinner plates that go in first because of their size. When you place whatever items you are putting in first, do it with style. Center the flower vases in the windows of the china cabinet doors. Put the completer set items right in the middle of the entire cabinet, making them the center of attention.
F or dinner plates, place them on plate stands so their lovely pattern or shape can be shown off. Spread them evenly throughout the shelving and get ready to do some layering because using dinner plates only on an 8-10” shelf will make them look lonely.
But remember, you have the entire place setting to work with!
In this display, the dinner plate is the background, the uniquely shaped dessert plate shows up nicely in front of it when placed on a plate stand. Add the cup and saucer and a special soup bowl and the shelf looks complete.
Stack your display on multiple shelves and your china cabinet really starts to take shape!
Ok, you’ve made great progress and it’s time to step back and think about what else you could add to give your fine display some pizzazz. Over the years I have added silk flowers in and among the dinnerware either just lying on the shelf or in tiny glass vases. Interspersing a collection of salt & pepper shakers would be nice. I’ve seen porcelain figurines, trivets, wine glasses, greeting cards, ornaments, all sorts of things added to these displays to make them special.
As you can see, I added framed black and white photographs to the center of my display. The photos are of my grandparents, who gave me the china that is displayed. In other words, the addition of photos to the cabinet make sense, they complete the story I’m telling.
I didn’t add flowers to these displays because my grandmother didn’t like flowers…odd, but instead I placed lace doilies on the center shelves that held their photos further emphasizing the center area and as well as the antique quality of everything in the cabinet.
With the addition of the lace I stepped back and felt confident my display was complete. I closed the doors to the china cabinet and stepped back one final time to make sure that the photos were placed correctly to be seen through the double doors. Because of the configuration of this particular china cabinet, anything placed directly in the center gets hidden by the wood frames of the doors, so sliding things a bit left or right is always needed.
Once you have your display complete, I’m sure you won’t want to rush right out and change it. Just remember that adjusting things for the holidays can be a lot of fun and it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.
For instance, I pulled together this fun Halloween display by using the leftover paper plates, cups and napkins from last year! Add a pumpkin, black cat or bat, and you’ll have the kids “howling” at your show of Halloween spirit!
At every holiday, I use the center section of my china cabinet for a display. My collection of carved Santas looks great with my holiday china around them. Valentine’s Day can be fun as well as Easter, or just think about altering your accessories for the seasons instead of each holiday. Whichever way you go, I hope you enjoy the fun of decorating and creating a beautiful china cabinet.
Shari
Comments (7)
  written by Trina, April 02, 2009
I love the look of the china cabinet,
Question: One day I was watching a show called 101 things not to do in decorating.They said Greenery and flowers are out and should not be use in decorating. I was just wondering what you thought about this? As for myself I like and still use flowers when ever I can. Trina
 written by Marie, April 03, 2009
Like Trina, I, too, want to see flowers or some kind of greenery used in decorating. I think they breathe life into the room and make it seem warmer. BUT ....
When using artificial plants and flowers, they should look realistic.
 written by etameca, July 30, 2011
Shari, I really love this tutorial! My mom and sister have been into china cabinet accessorizing for years, and it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I got bitten by the china cabinet bug. Unfortunately, I don't own one, but a couple of years ago bought the most adoreable Edwardian china from Home Goods (my home away from home
 ) I now want to buy a nice curio cabinet to set up a display, and thanks to your video, I feel confident that I can do that nicely.I'm gonna have my mom and sister look at this, because I think that it would make their displays go much easier for them. Also, I'll probably add a silk plant to my arrangement. Now, I can't wait to purchase a curio cabinet. Thanks again! I appreciate your help so much!
 written by Shari, July 31, 2011
Thank you so much for the wonderful comments. I hope your mother and sister enjoy the article!
 written by jgoose, January 11, 2012
Love this article and found it very helpful. Just finished putting stacks of dishes below, and am on a quest for plate holders. Also, what about serving bowls? Can they be displayed on racks too? I have some really beautiful hand painted ones as well as the lead crystal ones. What about stemware? Just partial sets as with the china? My husband has collected beautiful stemware from many countries, and I'd like to display as many as possible...can stemware be overdone??? Thanks for your help and your wonderful website!!
written by Shari, January 11, 2012
Serving bowls can be displayed, but you need to find those special plate racks that are deep so the bowl will fit and stay stable. I love stemware mixed in with the dinnerware. You could put one piece of stemware with each place setting or do several areas of a grouping of stemware. If you put out too mnay, they may get lost in a sea of glass.I wonder if you need a different cabinet specifically to show off the stemware?
Shari
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Question: What would you use, in your specific case, Shari, as an addition to the top of the cabinet? Would you maybe look at the photos that you have included inside, and come up with a 'prop' from one of them?