Getting Organized - Part IV of a Series (Tableware)

This post is all about where I keep my tableware and accessories. For me, it's all about loving what I have and using what I love. However, selling vintage and antique items with two of my sisters in our local antique mall certainly can help justify an impulsive purchase for more tableware, in that I can reason, "I can always sell it". Blogging has further fueled the flame of my love for tableware because I have only recently begun using my real-life tablescaping as subject material.

In my first photo, below (Great Room wall sectional #1), I keep china from my former marriage, crystal stemware, some ironstone and a few other glass and porcelain pieces.  The lower drawers (1 and 2) are linens, the 3rd drawer (not visible) has larger platters stored. That wall sectional is on the left side of our fireplace in the sitting area of our Great Room.

Great Room wall sectional #1

Our Great Room, as well as our Dining Room, was originally furnished with Henredon campaign pieces. It's a nice traditional/transitional furniture line, and it's especially nice in that it can be arranged in different ways. We have 3 sectional wall units, as well as a credenza (in the photo immediately below). The credenza was formerly in our Dining Room standing alone, but is now the central section of a larger wall componentry in our Great Room.  All situated on a large wall area right of the fireplace sitting area, we placed wall sectionals 2 and 3 flanking either side of the credenza.  The flat screen TV rests on top of the credenza. My credenza has part of my dishware in the center, flatware and some better metal serving utensils on the left, and linens on the right.

TV/Great Room Credenza

Wall sectional #2, left of the credenza, has more dishware, flatware, serving and occasional pieces.

Wall sectional #3 (not pictured) has only a few serving pieces in it, alongside some small electronic devices and books.

In my Dining Room, I have a few areas of storage, some open, some not.  I definitely have more potential for this room, and intend to make it more useful in the future. Currently I have a small, Asian cabinet with dishware and serving pieces (drawer holds coasters, plate easels, a few linens).....

Dining Room storage cabinet

....I also have a bar cart with some serving pieces in the Dining Room........

DR bar cart

....as well as my French vitrine, which stores my metals and a few pieces of glassware (the bottom shelf has more metals stuffed inside).

DR vitrine

Moving to my Living Room, I have an Asian credenza that also houses much of my serveware that I use frequently.

LR storage credenza

In my kitchen area upper cabinets, I have my everyday dishes and glassware, as well as my holiday dishware and serving pieces.

Everyday, work horse dishware - looks bare compared to other cabinets, doesn't it?

L to R:  serving pieces, holiday dishware, glassware

Serving pieces in cabinet above double oven

I also have a few of my lower cabinets in the kitchen area reserved for serving pieces. I love my cabinets on my center island in my kitchen - they open on both sides, and they have pullout trays.  Visibility is very good, even though the trays only pull out in one direction from one side, not both.

Lower cabinet, pull-out tray for serving pieces; baskets layered over pans on shelf above

At the bar area, I have the last of my serving pieces that are on the main floor, including casual pitchers and ice bucket, glassware, and more baskets.

Bar area: casual pitchers, ice bucket, glassware, baskets

The majority of my linens not used frequently are stored in my Guest Room, on the second floor.  They are in two pieces of furniture: a 5-drawer chest, and 3-over-2-drawer dresser / bureau.  They are full.

This next part is not pretty.  Not Pretty at all.  We head for the basement, where I have numerous other dishware, glassware, flatware, and even linens stored.  The bottom boxes and tubs are NOT easily accessible, only somewhat organized, but very full of potential for a better system.

Basement tubs and paper boxes: among items for resale are more dishes, glassware, flatware and linens

It's in this basement area that I'd love to be able to set up industrial shelving units and a) unload the rest of my dishware, glassware, etc with dust-proof organization and b) get the rest of the stuff in better order, on shelves, so I can eliminate stacking / restacking every time I want to get to the bottom of something.

Basement tubs and paper boxes: among items for resale are more dishes, glassware, flatware and linens

In this post, you've gotten a behind-the-scenes look of where I'm storing things currently.  By documenting this, I hope to motivate myself within the coming year to get myself just a little better organized.  I'd really like to have more of my tableware better situated, and maybe this post will be the incentive to getting that goal achieved. There's nothing like accountability to reader friends once you put it in writing.

If you missed my related posts in this organizational series, you can find them quickly at these links:
Getting Organized - Part I of a Series (Paper)
Getting Organized - Part II of a Series (Bath)
Getting Organized - Pt III of a Series (Great Pantry Design)

I am linking with Alma from the Tablescaper with this post.  Alma is celebrating her 5th year blog anniversary, and she has posted Part 5 of her series, "Where Do You Keep it All?".  Oh my word, if you haven't visited her, you must!  I always thought my love of dishes and collections were getting to be a problem, but a visit with her and a few of her readers who have linked to her latest installment have me convinced I have no problem at all!

Sharing:
We Call It Junkin'
Savvy Southern's WOW
Ivy & Elephants
Inspiration Exchange
Mrs. Olson' SYC
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Nancherrow's Fridays Unfolded
Thrifty Things Friday