One Last Table with Family Heirlooms: Before We Leave Maine for the Summer

As summer winds down here in Maine, I’m starting to think about packing up and heading back to Vermont for the fall. I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to summer just yet, though, and before we leave, I wanted to set the table one last time with some of the beautiful pieces that make this old family home feel so special.

Earlier this summer, I leaned into classic red, white, and blue, but this time something softer—a table that still feels like summer while giving just the slightest nod to the season ahead. So I’m mixing two of my mother’s collections: her delicate pink and white Limoges with brown and white transferware, along with her antique crystal glassware and a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers in the center.

I’ve never paired these two china patterns together quite like this before, and that’s part of the fun. The soft pinks and warm browns feel just right together this time of year, and honestly, I’m curious to see what happens when I put them all on the table together. Sometimes the combinations you haven’t planned are the ones that end up surprising you most.

When Summer and Fall Meet at the Table

I knew I wanted to use my mother’s brown and white transferware for this table. It’s one of my favorite collections to bring out as we move into fall and winter, and I’ve styled these beautiful pieces in so many different ways over the years. I inherited my mother’s extensive collection, much of which now fills the hutch here at our Maine home.

Sitting right alongside it in the hutch is her delicate pink and white Theodore Haviland Limoges china. It’s a much smaller collection and one I haven’t styled nearly as often, although you may remember it from my cozy fireside table for two. In my parents’ later years, these were the dishes they used every day, for breakfast, dinner, whatever was being served. They weren’t tucked away waiting for a special occasion.

As I was looking at the two collections together, the combination suddenly felt just right for this time of year. The pink still feels soft and summery, while the brown transferware hints at the fall days ahead. With one season beginning to bump into the next, why not let them meet on the table too?

I love the softness of the pink against the warm brown, and there’s something quiet and comfortable about the pairing that feels very much like a Sunday at home. So that’s where I’m starting: two of my mother’s collections, mixed together for the first time.

Let’s get styling and see where it takes us.

Layering the Table with Family Heirlooms

With two very different china patterns to work with, I decided to start with the place settings and let those guide the rest of the table. Before thinking about flowers, linens, glassware, or a centerpiece, I pulled out a selection of pieces from both of my mother’s collections —dinner plates, bowls, teacups, and saucers—and started laying them out together on the table.

I wanted to see how the pink and gold Limoges and brown and white transferware played off one another before deciding exactly how I would use them. Seeing everything spread out also gave me a chance to experiment with the different shapes and patterns and begin building the layers one piece at a time.

Mix and Match or Keep the Place Settings Together?

At first, I thought I would mix the two patterns within each place setting: a brown transferware dinner plate with a pink Limoges bowl, and then perhaps reverse the combination at the next setting. While I loved the idea, once I started layering the pieces together, I felt like the individual patterns were getting a little lost.

Instead, I decided to keep each place setting uniform, with a complete brown and white transferware setting next to a pink Theodore Haviland Limoges setting, alternating the two around the table. It immediately felt cleaner while still giving me all the layers and collected character I was looking for.

And now you can really see both of my mother’s collections. The patterns complement one another without competing, and I love the way the soft pink and warm brown look sitting side by side. With the china decided, it was time to start adding the next layers to the table.

Letting the Family Heirlooms Lead the Table

With the Limoges and transferware in place, I knew I wanted to continue setting the table with more family heirlooms. As much as I love colorful vintage glassware, this table called for something quieter, and something that belonged with the story I was already telling.

Choosing Antique Glassware for the Table

I chose two very different styles of antique crystal from my mother’s collection: tall, slender champagne flutes and short, rounded dessert glasses that would traditionally have been used for something like fruit or sherbet.

I especially love the two shapes together. The champagne flutes bring height to each place setting, while the little dessert glasses sit low against the china, creating a completely different silhouette. Both are clear and simple, so they don’t compete with the pink Limoges or brown transferware, but together they add just the right touch of elegance to the table.

Sometimes it isn’t the color of vintage glassware that makes the difference; it’s simply the shape.

Adding Vintage Butter Pats to Each Place Setting

If you’re looking for something small and fun to collect for your table, vintage butter pats are one of my favorites. These little plates were made to hold an individual pat of butter, keeping it separate from the rest of your plate, and they’re such a charming old-fashioned detail to add to a place setting.

I have them in different patterns and colors, so this was another opportunity to mix things up a bit. I’m using some of my mother’s blue and white butter pats along with simple white ones around the table. That unexpected little touch of blue looks so pretty alongside the pink Limoges and brown transferware, and I love that they don’t all match.

A Little Something Unexpected: Brass Knife Rests

I also added my brass whale knife rests to each place setting. Knife rests are one of those wonderful old table accessories you don’t see very often anymore, but they’re both decorative and practical. They were designed to give you a place to rest your used knife between courses rather than laying it directly on the table or your plate.

The little brass whales add another color and material to the table without overwhelming it, and they’re always a conversation starter. Between the butter pats and knife rests, these small details add just enough personality to the more traditional family heirlooms and make the table feel a little less formal and much more fun.

A Foraged Centerpiece Between the Family Heirlooms

On my way home from the beach yesterday, I started noticing all the wildflowers and grasses growing along the roadside and decided they were exactly what this table needed. I gathered a loose mix of purple and white blooms, Queen Anne’s lace, dried grasses, and seed heads, leaving plenty of the green leaves in place to keep the arrangement full and natural.

Back at home, I arranged everything in my mother’s antique white porcelain teapot and added the matching sugar bowl and creamer alongside it. The simple white tea set works beautifully with both china patterns without competing with either one, while the flowers bring in those colors we’re seeing outdoors right now: bright summer purples and greens mixed with the whites and warm browns that are beginning to hint at fall.

I especially love that the centerpiece is simply made from what was growing around us here in Maine. It cost nothing, took only a few minutes to gather, and feels just right for this table and this little moment between the seasons.

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In the end, I’m so glad I kept the two china patterns separate at each place setting. The pink Limoges and brown transferware look even prettier together than I imagined, and the clear crystal, brass, and foraged flowers gave the table just enough contrast without taking away from either collection.

One Last Table Before Vermont

And with that, our last table of the summer here in Maine is set. I’m so glad I brought out my mother’s Limoges, transferware, and crystal and enjoyed these family heirlooms together before we pack up and head back to Vermont.

Next stop—fall in Vermont! I’m ready for cooler mountain mornings, vintage finds, cozy layers, and all the decorating that comes with my favorite season. I’ll see you there, friends!

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