 |
 Whether you are planning an romantic dinner for two or a Sunday dinner for ten it's lovely to have great dinnerware and stemware to serve even the simplest meal on. (Courtesy of Cheryll Gillespie) |
It's Spring and you can tell because we all seem to have that itch to clean and to get organized. I started on my cupboards this weekend, pulling out anything with less than six in a set.
I love opening the cupboards and seeing a tidy and organized set of selves. Matching plates stacked neatly, glasses all in a row and grouped by set,... you know what I mean or do you? Perhaps your cupboards need a little TLC this weekend and your dinnerware a makeover.
Did you know that you need a dinnerware plan? Whether you are planning an romantic dinner for two, a Sunday dinner for ten or just an cup of tea with a girlfriend it's lovely to have great dinnerware and stemware to serve even the simplest meal on. As they say in the design world “presentation is everything”.
|
The first step is inventory. Clear out all the cupboards and dinnerware storage rooms, including your special events dishes, such as Christmas. This is a great time to wash out the inside of the cabinets and line the shelves with an anti-slip rubber mesh. Now groupall of your dinner and stemware by event, sets, or grouping like-items together. All the mismatched or stray items can be boxed to take to the cottage or given to charity. Now, take a look at what is left, we need a plan.
Let's begin with the basics; even if you have enjoyed your kitchen for many years, every once in a while it's good to go back to basics. Good basics are all white! I love white tableware - having all your dishes white makes it easy to mix and match and to replace pieces as things break or wear out. Besides, moving forward into 2009 and 2010 white will become a major trend in residential kitchens.
Just as fashionistas have us layering our clothes, kitchenistas and chefs alike have us layering our dishes - white on white. Don’t panic, if you love colour you are absolutely invited to throw a little colour in with all your white, to spice it up. But first, you need to fill your cupboards with a complete set of white on white and then as time goes on, when you find a spectacular colourful piece or pieces you can bring them home to spice up the table with. For example, imagine a table set with fabulous white square or round dinner plates then a layer of bright red salad plates, laid on top and then a beautiful yellow bowl as the final layer.
There are so many inexpensive yet absolutely amazing dishes out there, it can be hard to resist, but if you stick to white for the basics you can bring just about any one home.