Large China Cabinets- Yay or Passé? - Page 7

Tigriss · ‎03-12-2010

@DREAMON wrote:

We have an open kitchen and dining room. This is on the wall between the 2 rooms. I have dishes and bakeware stored in there. My tablecloths and napkins are in the drawer.
I change it up for seasons...I like it and I use the pieces stored in there because I can see them and just open the door and quickly get them out.

I do like this one, but it isn't really a China cabinet. It seems to be more of a cupboard. I would either put dishes in it for daily use or like what I have a similar one used for, displaying my fabric in my sewing room so I can clearly see what I've got and don't have. My sister inherited her MIL's to display her wedding China that gets used rarely. She also got a curio cabinet for knick-knacks and the like from the MIL. When the MIL is gone, so is the furniture. Right now it keeps the peace, but neither my sister or BIL care for it cluttering up the house when they have very active children and have no need for places to display unused things. Awards for the kids have a storage place and are worked into scrapbooks as they are replaced with new ones. We are more of the less is more generation. Purging is a regular thing. Memories can't be replaced, so holding on the physical embodiment of them is not needed. There are small things that are held onto, but not gobs like in previous generations and the forced continued collection of them on the following generation out of guilt or whatever....

Texasmouse · ‎09-27-2010

I love china cabinets! They have a "homey" feel to me. I don't care if they're "passe".

This is a timely post for me. Years ago, I had an antique Jacobean dining room set that included a buffet but no hutch to display anything. We moved into a house that didn't have a dining room (just an eat-in kitchen) so we sold the dining set. That was about twenty years ago and although many things have changed in my life and I have moved several times, I never again had a dining room or dining room furniture.

Fast forward to the present, where I am again in a house with no dining room. DH and I bought a beautiful round pedestal table with an extension to make it oval, which came with six chairs. We didn't buy a hutch or china cabinet because we had gotten rid of a lot of things in this last move and I really didn't have anything to put in one as what I did have all fit in my kitchen cabinets. I only had one set of dishes, which were used every day.

Well, eventually, I decided I wanted to buy a set of Christmas dishes because I missed having the ones I had gotten rid of when the holidays rolled around, so I bought a service for eight. Since I had nowhere to display them, I just kept them in a lower kitchen cabinet, the only spot that had room, but it was difficult getting them in and out of there so I told DH that I wanted to get a small china cabinet to fit against a 35" wide section of wall that divides our eating area from our living room and if I should find something that fit the bill, I would store my Christmas dishes in it. Well, lo and behold, I found this one at a home consignment store last week and it meets the criteria perfectly! It was labelled a "curio cabinet" but it actually has one set of glass shelves when using it as a curio and another set of wooden shelves for using it as a china cabinet. It also has two small lights at the top.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@Sooner wrote:
If you want to get rid of one, do it. You can pick up another one at a used furniture store or garage sale for not much money.

I don't see the old dark wood ones making a huge comeback in my lifetime. It's like a lot of the furniture from the 1890's that have no place in modern homes. It just doesn't fit. In the home or in the lifestyle.

It's not sad, it's just that time marches on. If you love yours keep it, if not, get rid of it and do something different! It's just furniture and dishes, nothing to be burdened with if it becomes a burden or a worry!

Not everyone wants a modern home or a modern lifestyle.

And many of the large dark wood ones are being painted in the more trendy black or ivory, and are simply stunning when redone.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@faeriemoon wrote:
Just chiming in because people have mentioned that the piece in the OP is too big; but I love humongous furniture. I have a baker's rack in my kitchen ithat is 9 ft. tall.

Another faerie weirdness, I know...

I definitely think the size of the room/house will dictate the size of the furniture. Very small furniture in a large space looks odd to me.

If the room can accommodate it, large pieces are wonderful. Just more of a good thing! LOL

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@Texasmouse wrote:
I love china cabinets! They have a "homey" feel to me. I don't care if they're "passe".

This is a timely post for me. Years ago, I had an antique Jacobean dining room set that included a buffet but no hutch to display anything. We moved into a house that didn't have a dining room (just an eat-in kitchen) so we sold the dining set. That was about twenty years ago and although many things have changed in my life and I have moved several times, I never again had a dining room or dining room furniture.

Fast forward to the present, where I am again in a house with no dining room. DH and I bought a beautiful round pedestal table with an extension to make it oval, which came with six chairs. We didn't buy a hutch or china cabinet because we had gotten rid of a lot of things in this last move and I really didn't have anything to put in one as what I did have all fit in my kitchen cabinets. I only had one set of dishes, which were used every day.

Well, eventually, I decided I wanted to buy a set of Christmas dishes because I missed having the ones I had gotten rid of when the holidays rolled around, so I bought a service for eight. Since I had nowhere to display them, I just kept them in a lower kitchen cabinet, the only spot that had room, but it was difficult getting them in and out of there so I told DH that I wanted to get a small china cabinet to fit against a 35" wide section of wall that divides our eating area from our living room and if I should find something that fit the bill, I would store my Christmas dishes in it. Well, lo and behold, I found this one at a home consignment store last week and it meets the criteria perfectly! It was labelled a "curio cabinet" but it actually has one set of glass shelves when using it as a curio and another set of wooden shelves for using it as a china cabinet. It also has two small lights at the top.

This is sweet @Texasmouse!

The best of both worlds. Compact in size for your small space, but a beautiful way to display something you want to have seen and used.

faeriemoon · ‎03-14-2010

My china cabinets are built into the wall of my dining room. I do store my china and crystal glasses in them because we entertain a lot, and it's convenient. My dining room hutch, is used more as a decorative display area.

CAMOGIRL · ‎09-14-2010

Do not recall the last house I was in that I saw one. Now, I know a couple people that took the top part off and just use the bottom part as like a sideboard in the dining room or eat in kitchen. Also, as a cabinet in like a family room or game room for storage. New paint and new hardware can do wonder to any furniture piece.

If one is a book lover, I can see it used as a library type cabinet full of hard cover books. I think I would use mainly books though with minimal decorative items - a little more of a simpler look and not so much a collectible look.

I would most definitely replace existing hardware to update the look though - something with some character to it and a litttle heft to it also. Take away the china cabinet look completely.

-Texas Hill Country-