by Helen Kain | Sep 18, 2017 | Antiques, Fall Tablescapes, Green, Summer Tablescapes, White
Tableware attracts me for all kinds of reasons, and in this case, it was the beautiful detail consistent with the Aesthetic Movement from which it sprang. Essentially, the Aesthetic Movement meant “art for art’s sake”; simply that something...
by Helen Kain | Feb 23, 2017 | Antiques, Green, Pink and Red, Spring Tablescapes, Yellow
Spode has been a prolific producer of lovely ceramics since 1776, when the original company was incorporated. I have a lot of their wares, from antiques, to vintage, to the very modern. Partial Service Dinner Plate I’ve long loved a...
by Helen Kain | Feb 7, 2017 | Antiques, Pink and Red, White, Winter Tablescapes
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. I’ve always had mixed feelings about this particular holiday. As a child, I loved making Valentines to give out at school – snub-nosed scissors snipping at lace doilies and red construction...
by Helen Kain | Jan 24, 2017 | Antiques, Black, Blue, White
Now this set of plates is just plain fun! They were made by HBCM (Hippolyte Boulenger-Criel Montereau) France sometime between 1920 and 1950. They’re colourful, whimsical and humorous – everything I like in tableware. The series (of which I managed to...
by Helen Kain | Jan 19, 2017 | Antiques, Brown, Spring Tablescapes, White, Yellow
The days are definitely getting lighter. We are almost a month beyond the shortest day, and have passed the “dead of winter”, which I recently learned is the point at which there is more of winter behind us than in front of us. All that is very...
by Helen Kain | Jan 7, 2017 | Accessories, Antiques, Ballgown, Blue, Green, Pink and Red, Purple, Spring Tablescapes, White, Yellow
As we settle in for a major winter blast in New England, it’s heartening to review some pictures I took last spring of a garden-themed table setting. The plates have multiple colours, but it was the amethyst that really jumped out – perfect for lilacs and...
