by Helen Kain | Feb 5, 2026 | Antique china, Antique glassware, Home, Pink and Red, Recent, Valentine's Day, Winter Tablescapes
There is something irresistibly girly about this table — in the best possible way. Pink enamelled antique Venetian glass provides the requisite Valentine colour, fashion illustrations flirt from every place setting, and the overall mood feels lighthearted, romantic,...
by Helen Kain | Jun 12, 2025 | Antique china, Antique glassware, Blue, Pink and Red, Recent, Spring Tablescapes
With strawberry pink peonies at their peak, I couldn’t resist a pull-out-all-the-stops table, featuring French blue and gold-rimmed china— Gilded Age glamour with a decidedly relaxed edge. The soup cups pull it all together with their cheerful posies. Made by...
by Helen Kain | May 29, 2025 | Antique glassware, Makers Behind the Magic, Recent, The Hunt is On, Vintage glassware
During the Great Depression, when dinner tables were scanty and budgets tight, American glassmakers offered something extraordinary: a glimmer of beauty in the form of coloured glass. Whether it came free in a box of oats or as a treasured wedding gift from a...
by Helen Kain | Oct 23, 2024 | Afternoon Tea, Antique glassware, Brown, Fall Tablescapes, Green, Terracotta
It’s game bird season, at least in plate form. Over fifteen years ago, this antique Limoges game bird set flew in from Country Dining Room Antiques. It comprises two sets of six different birds surrounded by gilded depictions of leaves and pine cones. The...
by Helen Kain | Oct 16, 2024 | Afternoon Tea, Amber, Antique glassware, Fall Tablescapes, Terracotta
Dahlias are a relatively recent discovery for me. Perennials have been the backbone of my garden (and tablescapes) for time immemorial. Hydrangeas do more than their share of heavy lifting, but perennials begin to look pretty shabby by August, when dahlias really...
by Helen Kain | May 25, 2024 | Afternoon Tea, Antique china, Antique glassware, Spring Tablescapes, White, Yellow
Afternoon Tea is a delightful treat. I try to enjoy at least one whenever I’m in England, but it’s also fun to experiment with different recipes to serve at home. One lovely spring day, I pulled out Wedgwood Prunus plates for an afternoon tea with...
