Here are some of my "secrets" to this somewhat overwhelming process for certain people.
THIS China Cabinet I found at an Estate Sale of Helen Deasey's. (Turnage Place Estate Sales, Atlanta). It's made in the USA from E.J. Victor, in fact, it's from the Newport Mansion series (the ORIGINAL is sitting in one of those beautiful old homes in Newport, Rhode Island). I had sold 2 of these years ago, at a price of, GET THIS: $22,800.00!!! Really.
I went to Helen's sale and bought this China Cabinet, a Karges sideboard, and several Baker items. I told my clients to go visit it at my booths at Historic Roswell Antique Market. They did; they loved it. My price: $3400! Win-Win.
I digress; I often digress. To START the decorating process, make sure that the cabinet is level, that it's plugged in behind the piece, AND: make sure that all the shelves are placed WITH THE PLATE GROOVES FACING UP AND IN THE BACK, after that, get out your Windex and clean the shelves better than your cleaning-lady. Spic and Span, clean, shiny.
Now: you should have ALL your things (china pattern, chargers, Grandma's Sterling, crystal stemware,.......have MORE than you'll need to select from your STAGING AREA, which is usually your dining table (with a table pad or towels so your glassware and dishes will not scratch your table).
Ellen, my client, did a great job preparing for my arrival by STAGING her things on her dining table. Since this was a new cabinet, I wanted to decorate it in a different way than she had had before. When I arrived, I asked to see her china pattern. She obliged by bringing out plates, cups, saucers, the works. Her beautiful china had been her mothers, which is: A Good Thing! She also rounded up some of her favourite art-glass pieces, and I had both Sterling and silver plate to choose from. Crystal and cut glass are derigeure to get that sparkle effect. Some of the glass had belonged to Ellen's Grandmother, another Good Thing.
Assess your treasures and start placing! I like to put crystal and coloured-glass on the top shelf, as the light from the canned lights does beautiful things inside the cabinet. I knew I wasn't going to use ALL of Ellen's china pattern,...in fact, in this case, I think I only used 3 plates. If you don't have a lot of crystal or colourful glass vases, it's AOK to use more of your china. Just DON'T put all 12 plates in the back, as your cabinet will look like the ones at the department stores.
Bring out that bling (wedding gifts that have never seen the light of day) and have fun with this. Experiment, trying different configurations (think of the faces of dice,....that works sometimes) and don't be afraid to start over if it's not "blowing air up your skirt," an 'Ellenism' I've added to my vernacular.
My client, Ellen's crystal stemware was already doing its "thang" in a glass-fronted corner-kitchen-cabinet, so we didn't put stemware inside her China Cabinet. BUT: if you want to use glassware, here's what to do:
Place tallest glasses in the far corners (perhaps Champagne flutes). Then, to the right, put the next-tallest (water glasses), and finish a triangle with a pretty wine glass. Remember: far corners of the shelves; it's a nice, orderly look. You would START with stemware in these cases.
If your cabinet does not have plate grooves, you would have had to get: 12 medium BLACK plate stands and 12 large BLACK plate stands. You won't use all of them; you can return the ones that you do not use.......
After about an hour or two, I've played, changing this, replacing that and VOILA:
Mission Accomplished!
So whaddya think? Pretty phenomenal, eh? (I strive for phenomenal). Oh, and another thing: TAKE PHOTOS OF THE FINISHED PLACEMENT. Print it out in colour and put in one of the top drawers. THAT WAY, your cleaning lady will get it right when they dust. And TRUST ME, they NEVER get it right without a photo.
If the china cabinet has glass sides (and they usually do,...keep in mind what the SIDE VIEW looks like:
It's important to consider the SIDE VIEW of the cabinet;
my clients and their guest see this view from their Living Room
I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Feel free to jot me a note with any questions you have. Interior Designers are HAPPY to come to your house and DECORATE. It's what we do. Although my deal is complimentary-decorating every time I sell a china cabinet, expect to pay your designer by the hour with a 2-hour minimum. You're entitled to your opinions, but, if you hire someone, let him/her do their thing.......we're professionals. We're good at this. And it's important.
Send me photos of your newly-decorated China Cabinets. I'll pick the best one around October 15, and post it on a blog. Hell, I'll buy a nice candle to send to the winner. A nice candle,...get it?
Happy Decorating! I hope that you've learned something that you didn't know. And remember:
KEEP CALM AND RE-DECORATE YOUR CHINA CABINET!!!
Cheers,
Mark.
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