Storing Thrift Store China
Welcome to the Blog today. I’m so glad you’re here. I get a lot of questions about how and where I store the china that I pick-up at Thrift Stores. When I first started collecting it was pretty easy to find a space in the cupboards to store new pieces. As I continued collecting over a number of years it became a little more difficult to find good storage places that still made the china accessible. So now I’m going to share with you the system I’m currently using.
You can see from the picture above that I have a large bookcase or two with openings that accommodate a regular dinner plate sized piece of china. I just moved these to a different space…a room that is used for a combination of activities. You can also see on the top of the bookcase I have displayed a number of pictures found at Thrift Stores along with some other objects d’art. There is a beautiful wooden goose in black and white, distressed. It is hand carved and I love the shape of the neck. You can also see a pottery jar in brown and cream, an astronomical antique, and another pot in grey and creams.
From a distance you can see that the room also holds an antique dresser and mirror. There is a floral crewel rug on the floor that pulls in a large number of colors from roses, to yellows, to greens.
The other side holds a reclining, upholstered chair and beside it is a refinished end table and lamp. A quiet spot for reading or perhaps to pull colors and china together for a table setting.
These bookcases hold seasonal china such as Hallowe’en china, Spring and Winter china. Lots of pieces of white and off-white china are also part of the shelves. I have a little bit more organizing to do here but the bulk of the move has taken place.
You can see more pictures and items on the top shelf.
More pottery, pictures and objects are displayed on the top shelf in this section of the shelving. Lots of colors are displayed in the china below.
Here’s a side view of the storage shelves. Nestled against the wall they take up very little space and provide wonderful storage for the china. It’s easy to see what’s available and choose an appropriate color, pattern and shape to go with a tablescape.
Taking you back a little further you can see another purpose of this room. I have my Yoga mat here where I try my best to do yoga every day. On the other side of the room, not shown, I have a treadmill and a gazelle that we use for exercise. I try hard to spend a good hour here every day. Even thought the room is definitely multi-purpose it is a pleasant place to spend some time. It has a wall of windows on one side of the room that lets in lots of natural light. These pictures were all taken at night and when the rest of the room is finished all show you everything in sunlight.
This is not all the dishes I have as some are still stored in cupboards and cabinets but this certainly holds a lot of dishes. Hope you enjoyed the dish tour. Have a great week.
Great idea for china storage and you can enjoy your collection as well! I just started doing yoga myself and it sure does make you feel great.
Yoga is the best and keeps you flexible. Also good for your breathing. It’s a nice quiet space that sparks some creativity. Thanks for stopping by and sharing. have a great week.
Lynne
How nice to have an all-purpose room for your dish storage. I can just picture you on the treadmill contemplating your next tablescape. Those attractive dark wooden bookcases sure set off your plates and certainly beat the wire racks which I have.
Wire racks are super practical for storage, Jan. I use them still and they work. The wooden ones are more attractive if your storage area is in the middle of a room you’re using for other things. I do think about tablescapes when I’m exercising. /that probably makes me just a bit weird. LOL thanks for stopping by and have a great week.
Lynne
It would be so nice to have a separate room in which to store all of the porcelain I’ve collected over the years as well as those objets d’art that are so much fun to decorate with but take up so much space when not in use. Unfortunately, I live in a one-bedroom apartment, so several times a year at the change of the seasons must pack up and put into rental storage anything I can’t sensibly use in seasonal vignettes in my apartment.
Sounds like you have a system that works for you, Teddee. It’s all about adapting and sounds like you do a great job. I have boxes in my garage that I have to go through because I did not do a great job of labeling them when I packed them up. Thanks for sharing your storage method for seasonal changes. Have a wonderful week.
Lynne
Thanks so much for the visuals! I’m trying for built-ins similar but with adjustable shelves. How wide and deep is a cubby?
Hi, Robin, we got these shelves at a store that specializes in unfinished furniture. Then my husband sanded, stained, and built a base to raise them above the base molding. Each section is 13″ high by 13″ wide by 11″ deep. The case is three sections high by four sections wide. then we added a picture rail to the top of each case for displaying smaller paintings with room in front for other display items. Hope this helps and good luck with your project. Thanks for stopping by and sharing. Have a great week.
Lynne
Oh, Lynne! This is such a genius idea for storing your china. You’re able to see it quickly and find exactly what you want. Besides that, you have a lovely corner to just sit and meditate for a bit. I can’t wait to see the rest of it. Oh, and if that goose ever needs a new home…let him/her/it know there’s one waiting in Indiana!
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I am enjoying the new storage in the new space. It helps to be able to see what you have. I still have to clean out the other side of the room and make it more presentable but that is a project for the coming weeks. The goose is definitely a favorite and has a Daddy I’ll be showing soon. He’s happy to know he would have somewhere to go. LOL. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful week.
Lynne
Great idea for storing china. You’ve got some lovely pieces. Thank you for sharing this post at the Will Blog for Comments #14 linkup.
Thanks, Jennifer, when you have as much Thrift Store china as I do you really need to come up with storage solutions. LOL. Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
Lynne
I really like this shelf idea and you can see everything at once.If I just had one more room ! I have cats who ran down a shelf and broke four pieces of glassware once. It’s hard if you can’t see the china in boxes or storage; plus you forget what you have sometimes. I have a method that may help someone else. I use colored adhesive dots that indicate the season on boxes or storage bins.
What a great idea, Myrna, thanks for sharing it with everyone. I love having things out so that I can see them but I still have my share of seasonal boxes. Storage is such an issue for everyone. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.
Lynne
Hi Lynne,
I think the way you have stored everything is wonderful. I really like how each item has its own designated place, making everything look very organized. The pictures and pottery displayed on top add a nice touch to the overall design.
Thank you so much for sharing it with us at The Crazy Little Love Birds party #12!
Thanks, Stephanie, having the china displayed so I can see it certainly makes things much easier. the more things I can have out of boxes but in an organized fashion, the better I like it. LOL. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.
Lynne
What a great idea, I hope to have more one of a kind dishes for blogging recipes as time goes on and I have more storage space. Thanks for sharing with WTJR, we all appreciate it.
Thanks, Melynda, having some choice in china makes it much easier to set up a variety of table settings that reflect different genres and moods. Always a pleasure to share. Hope you have a great week.
Lynne
Great storage. I would love to have a wall of shelving like that. How nice to see at a glance where everything is! My new favorite thrift store has a china cupboard that I covet–but I currently have no place to put it!
That is always a problem, Kathy. I see things all the time that would be great but I don’t have room so have to just imagine it in my head. I love to look at photos that use pieces similar to what I have to give me ideas for furniture placement and use. It’s the next best thing to purchasing another piece. LOL Have a great week.
Lynne