Thrifted Lunch Setting for Two

Lunch or a mid-afternoon cup of tea is a break I look forward to every day. I like to make it a bit special with pretty, good quality dishes, a lot of variety and an attractive setting all within a modest budget. If you like to mix and match dishes, you can create many attractive table settings with a few good finds from the Thrift Store.

The setting above is all from my local Thrift Stores and took just a few minutes to pull together.

I like to start with one item/inspiration piece and in this case it was the $3 white and navy checked tablecloth with small embroidered crosses in white and blue scattered throughout the cloth. Since I was making lunch for the two of us (my Hubby and Me) I went with a Mikasa stainless steel flatware set. The pattern is “Harmony” and was a great find as we use it all the time. The pattern is very sleek and goes with any style of china.

I wanted to keep the plate stack simple but add some color to the table. I chose a plain white, porcelain, charger and paired that with a dinner and salad/dessert plate by Port Merrion. These plates are absolutely beautiful and very expensive but two place settings at the Thrift Store were about $4. You can see there is no wear and tear on these plates and they look great on the table. The chargers were about $1 each.

I am a huge lover of tea and take an afternoon tea break most days. Part of the enjoyment is having lovely teapots and creamers and sugars. They make the simple act of pouring a cup of tea into an event. I am always on the look out for a pretty pot. In the picture above you can see a Mikasa Italian Countryside Tea Set that comes with a teapot, cream and sugar and two cups and saucers. The teapot rests on a Lenox Butterfly Garden tray.

Two cups and two saucers came with the set. I found the set in its original box, still sealed for about $5. Doesn’t it look great?

The water goblets are also by Mikasa in their “Park Lane” pattern. These are my regular, everyday crystal and I have been collecting them for a number of years. I love the cut glass pattern of these glasses.

Plain white linen napkins seemed a good choice for this setting but I wanted something a bit special to add to the table. These clear glass napkin rings hold water and have a cylinder that holds flower stems. The flowers stay fresh in the napkin holders and sit on the table at each place setting when the napkin has been removed. Each person has their own little posy for lunch. I used pansies and lambs ears in each napkin ring. They add to the herbal and flower designs of the plates.

The centerpiece flowers are in a clear glass vase and sit on a white and gold trivet adding some pretty color to the table. Fresh flowers are so nice to add to any setting and they keep for a week or longer. All the elements of this table setting can be used in other combinations with other pieces of china and crystal. You can enjoy each and every one for a small investment of time and money.

Lunch this day was a summer salad similar to this one but, of course, I didn’t take pictures of it on those plates…..LOL. This will give you an idea. Chicken salad with blue cheese grapes and herbs on a bed of home grown lettuce with a side fruit salad of field strawberries and watermelon.

Hope y’all enjoy a little luncheon treat of your own.