Home Furnishing: Table Equipment

( Originally Published 1935 )

Interesting problems of suitability arise in connection with the table service to be used in a home. It should not, of course, be out of keeping with its surroundings. A formal home, where things are done in a dignified manner, should have formal, conventional table service. For the home that is expressive of intimate charm there is delightful table equipment having the same quality. For the very unpretentious home, a variety of wares is available, such as colorful pottery dishes from many lands, heavy glass, bone-handled knives and forks, and peasant linens.

The color and design of the dining room and its furnishing should be considered in the choice of table service, as the dining room is the immediate background for the set table. The table itself should be selected to fit the size and shape of the room. Tables of good proportions and good lines are available in many styles.

The table when set should be a unified whole, a complete picture, with everything in harmony, even the food. The five art components-line, pattern, color, texture, and lighting-are involved in this problem. The principles of art which apply particularly to a table setting are emphasis, balance, and rhythmic repetition. Restraint in emphasis is necessary in a table setting. Not all the articles used should be patterned. If the dishes are lively with pattern why not have plain or almost plain linen, glassware, and silver, since the centerpiece and the food also provide patterns?

TABLE COVERS

The cloth is the background for the picture and must harmonize with the things on it in pattern, color, and texture.

Pattern in Table Covers. Pattern in table covers is not of course necessary, but if it is preferred it should be well designed, of conventional or geometric motifs. The pattern should suit the other parts of the table setting in size and character and should hold its place as background. A naturalistic pattern in the damask used with a conventional or geometric pattern on the dishes, glassware, or silver produces confusion in the total result. Some table covers of lace with patterns attract so much attention that they can not possibly be considered as background.

Color in Table Covers. Sometimes the cloth acts as a link between the table and the rest of the room, perhaps repeating the color of the curtains; at other times it provides a contrast to the room. Whether or not colored table covers are fashionable should make no difference to the artistic person who would like to use a colored cloth. When only white linen was used, decorators found it difficult to harmonize the table with the dining room unless white curtains and other white notes were used. In fact, the table was then often called the "white elephant." Now, the table can be made to fit perfectly into the dining-room color scheme by the use of colored linen. The table cloth should harmonize too with the color of the dishes and glassware. Daring combinations of color should be encouraged because of the brief duration of the assemblage.

Texture in Table Covers.      This subject is generally understood by women; they like to use fine linen with fine dishes, and coarse materials with coarse dishes. The table cloth should suit the occasion also. Formal covers are generally made of fine damask, embroidered linen, lace, or Italian cutwork, in white or cream. Informal covers are to be had in homespun peasant cottons and linens from many lands, Czechoslovakia and the Basque country supplying some of' the best. Doilies, coarse-mesh fabrics, blockprinted material, embroidered textiles, coarse laces, fiber mats, and oilcloth are all informal.

DISHES

Since dishes are the most important part of the table setting and the most difficult to select, one usually acquires them first and then looks for other things to harmonize with them. Whether one buys fine china or simple earthenware dishes much care should be given to their selection. It may take weeks to find distinctive ware that just suits a particular situation. Aside from the very practical matters of cost and durability the art factors are also to be considered. Form, color, texture, and pattern all contribute to the appearance of the dishes.

Form in Dishes.   In form the dishes should carry out the general idea of the setting, conventional or informal. Modern shapes suit the modern mode, classic shapes belong to Neo-Classic or Federal surroundings, and squatty forms usually suggest cottage backgrounds.

Color in Dishes. Appropriate color conduces to a definite effect in dishes, refined colors belonging with elegant things and vigorous colors being suitable with crude things.

In planning a table setting the color of the dishes and the food should be considered together. A bluish green salad bowl is equally interesting with yellow-green lettuce, vermilion tomatoes, or slices of purple cabbage in it. A dish with lavender lining looks well filled with sliced beets, sliced oranges, or persimmons. Placed on a jade-green cloth, it looks as gay as a design by Dufy.

One color decision that has to be made by nearly every home maker is whether to have cream, white, or off-white dishes. Cream color is most pleasing, provided the linens too are cream; but if the linens are white, white dishes are probably best. A very sensitive colorist might feel that the cool color of silver which must be used in the scheme is more harmonious with white linen than with cream. Off-white tones in dishes and linens are good.

Different colors might well be emphasized in the different courses of a meal. One might think of a table as a picture, and realize that it would be interesting to see it varied somewhat for each course. Adjacent color schemes are very successful in dishes and linen used in table settings.

Pattern in Dishes. Pattern in dishes can express whatever idea is desired. Many patterns are simply innocuous, with no attempt at individuality. Gold-edged ware is correct enough, but certainly not distinctive. The fundamental requirement of good pattern, namely that it must follow the lines of the object it decorates, puts rather narrow restrictions upon designs for dishware. For example, a triangular decoration does not fit a round plate. With regard to design on plates, it is pretty safe to state as a rule also that if the border decoration is interesting the center should be plain. A decorated center makes it unnecessary to have more than a line around the edge of the plate. Designs scattered here and there over a dish are quite likely to be poor. Indeed, compactness is usually a good quality in design of any kind.

All three types of motifs, naturalistic, conventionalized, and geometric are used on dishes. Unfortunately there seem to be more naturalistic patterns on the market than any other kind. Conventionalized or geometric designs are superior, because in constructing them the designer considers the shape of the article to be decorated and the shape of the background spaces. Pictorial designs on dishes are lamentable but common, ranging from hunting scenes to college buildings. Affection for one's alma mater is not most appropriately expressed by putting gravy on her dignified facades.

Some of the best designs seen in dishes are in peasant wares. In them there is a directness that comes from applying the decoration freely and joyously without too much mechanical measuring beforehand. The handmade appearance of these dishes makes them very suitable for use with other handmade things. Some of the modern design is also delightful. Often it, too, has a humorous note even in the abstractions. It sometimes deliberately violates the rules of structural unity, but does it well enough to be acceptable.

Dishes decorated with traditional patterns are reproduced for use with period furniture. There are distinct Baroque, Rococo, and Neo-Classic designs in china. Many of the old designs, no matter how authentic, should nevertheless be discontinued because they lack art quality. On the other hand, some are so beautiful that they should always be copied.

Dishes decorated with Oriental designs can be combined with others having either traditional or modern patterns. In fact, Oriental patterns make a transition between the old and the new, often acting as a peace-maker between them.

Texture in Dishes.      Texture, form, color, and pattern are just as inseparable aesthetically as they are technically in dishware. Heaviness in the ware is an invitation to boldness in form, color, and pattern. In addition, the textures of the different parts of the table setting should be harmonious. The texture of dishes depends upon the materials from which they are made and upon the firing process, which determine whether the products are china or earthenware.

Sets of Dishes.   Sets of dishes are not used so much as formerly. Even conservative china shops now recommend diversified table service. The service plates and the salad plates are often different from the rest of the dishes, but the dinner plates, bread and butter plates, and cups are usually alike. It is particularly unwise for a family in a small home to buy a complete set of dishes of one kind. With a limited budget and limited space for keeping the dishes, the set would probably prevent the purchase of any other dishes. When interesting possibilities are so numerous, it is unfortunate to own only one pattern and color. Then, too, there is little chance for personal expression in doing the stereotyped thing. Sets of any kind in furnishings provide a dull and easy solution to a problem that a person with imagination solves differently.

A certain woman with exquisite taste uses different kinds of dishes for each course during a meal, and never uses the same dishes for successive meals or on consecutive days. This means that a plentiful supply of dishes is necessary, of course; but even the woman with a modest income can have enough dishes to provide some changes. Slightly imperfect dishes cost less than others. "Seconds" are quite as good as "firsts" to use in cottages, or even better, as they suggest the unevenness of handwork. Fine variety in dishes is possible for the person who will spend much time seeking just the right ones, as they may vary in pattern and color if they agree in scale and texture. For example, pottery plates from several countries combine very well. An entertaining variety of dishes helps to make a meal time merry.

MANUFACTURE OF DISHES

It is well for any woman to know something about the history, composition, and making of dishes, so that she will know what qualities to expect in different wares. This is a broad subject that would no doubt prove of great interest to all those who have time to read, visit museum exhibits, and possibly collect dishes. The material is condensed as much as possible here, but it is hoped that the reader will not stop with these few lines.

All peoples from the time of the Neolithic age have molded and baked clay articles. Some authorities on ceramic art say that Egypt might be considered its cradle, Greece its nursery, and Rome its childhood home, after which it was neglected in Europe during the dark ages, to be revived during the fourteenth century in Spain. The Moors on the north coast of Africa learned the art from Persia, Arabia, and China and carried it to Spain and Sicily, whence it spread to Italy and the rest of Europe. Porcelain (china), which is the finest work of the potter, was first made in China possibly between 100 B.C. and A.D. 100. It has been imported from China by Europeans since the sixteenth century, even after they too learned how to make it. The Florentines made soft paste porcelain as early as i580; the Germans made hard paste porcelain after Johan Bottger of Dresden discovered its secret in 1709. The English first made bone china about 1750 Both china and earthenware were made in the American Colonies before the Revolutionary War.

Pottery and porcelain objects consist of two parts, body and glaze. The body or paste is made of clay mixed with other ingredients, depending upon the type of product desired. It is then shaped on a potter's wheel, cast, or built up by hand. The degree of heat used in firing depends upon the materials.

The glaze may be glossy, mat (dull), or medium, and either transparent or opaque. Some crackle glazes are produced by suddenly cooling the article so that it contracts unevenly. Salt glaze results from putting salt in the kiln, not on the pottery, however.

The terminology of ceramics is rather confusing to laymen, because many merchants do not use the same terms as the museum experts and writers. In addition German and French writers do not agree with the English and Americans in their use of ceramic terms. In this book American and English usage is observed.

China and porcelain are here considered as synonymous terms referring to all the wares that are in any degree translucent. An entire piece may appear opaque because of its thickness, but if the edges or a thin fragment of it are translucent it is porcelain.

We are now fully accustomed to beautiful porcelain or chinaware and take it for granted, but in the eighteenth century it was so highly prized that many of the factories had royal support, and the nobility generally collected china. China is the name given to this ware by the English, because it first came from China. Chinaware is made mostly of china clay (kaolin) and feldspar. It is baked in a kiln to the fusing temperature, which means that most of the ingredients are nearly melted into each other so that they become almost one substance. A broken piece of china shows that the glaze and the body have merged completely, making a very hard material. The advantage of the hardest china is that it is most durable, and if it becomes chipped or cracked, the exposed break will not absorb dirt but will remain absolutely clean.

There are three classes of porcelain, hard paste, soft paste, and bone paste which is medium. Hard paste porcelain is sometimes called true porcelain. It is very hard, is impermeable to liquids, and is dazzling bluish white. Bone china is medium in hardness and impermeability. Soft paste porcelain is more translucent but less hard, and more permeable than the other porcelains.

Earthenware and pottery are synonymous terms referring to all the entirely opaque wares. The usual test of an article is to hold it against very strong light, and if it is so opaque that the fingers do not show through at all it is considered to be earthenware. Earthenware includes products ranging from clay flower pots to very fine tableware. Earthenware is made of potter's clay, and usually of earth containing lime and sand. It may also be classified as soft or hard, depending upon the nature of the ingredients and the degrees of heat used in firing it. A broken piece of pottery shows the glaze like a separate layer on the outside, and a more porous body than porcelain.

Dishes Procurable Today.      Dishes from many lands are in our shops today, but the United States produces china and pottery equal to the best. England sends china in traditional patterns; Germany produces interesting modern ware; Italy, France, and Mexico offer delightful pottery dishes; and Japan produces popular-priced dishes decorated with European designs. Also many other dishes are to be found, so the person who is interested should shop around before buying.

MISCELLANEOUS WARE

Pewter. Pewter hollowware is more suitable to use in small homes than silver. It lacks the hard severity of silver and has a handmade look. Chinese pewter plates and tumblers are effective with pottery dishes in cool colors. Pewter should be available at a low price, because it is made of an alloy that consists largely of tin, combined with lead, bismuth, or copper.

Aluminum. It is now possible to obtain brushed aluminum dishes that are effective for the informal studio type of home. They, too, should be reasonable in price.

Copper. Copper dishes are delightful in color. Improvements are being made in the treatment of copper so that they can hold food, without being lined with glass or metal.

Wooden Dishes.    The interesting new dishes of wood are suitable for informal homes and informal occasions. They are finished in ways to make them non-absorbent. The wood, being a poor conductor of heat, makes a cup that does not burn the lips. Our Colonial ancestors used wooden dishes during their first century in this country.

Plastic Materials. Various plastic materials are used for unbreakable dishes. They are being improved all the time and will no doubt be generally used some day.

FLAT SILVERWARE

The most hazardous part of buying silver is the selection of a good pattern. The kind of ware that one buys depends upon one's means, but the design may be ugly or beautiful at the same price. Not one of the principles of art or design should be overlooked by the person who is debating the art quality in a pattern. Knives, forks, and spoons have so little space to decorate that the design must be simple and follow the line of the object. If there is emphasis on any part of the decoration, it should be found at structurally important points. For example, a group of three balls at the narrow part of the handle of a spoon has no relation to the shape of the spoon and is therefore poor. Any ornamentation that interferes with the purpose of the ware is especially undesirable. Naturalistic or pictorial patterns do not belong on silverware, of course. Silver flatware with little or no decoration is very satisfactory because it can be used with many types of dishes.

Many new modern designs in silverware have appeared recently. Their photographs in the magazine advertisements are

well worth attention, because some of the best artists of today are designing them; for example, Saarinin's Silhouette pattern is excellent. It is evident that modern designs in silver are necessary to accompany modern designs in dishes. Short-bladed knives, with spoons and forks to match, are interesting and modern.

The woman who is using traditional furnishings will be able to find silverware in the same feeling. All the decorative movements produced their own silver. These are reproduced now, often simplified to conform to the taste of today. Certain Neo-Classic motifs are exactly right to accompany Wedgwood dishes, and certain Empire motifs are pleasing with Duncan Phyfe tables and suitable dishes. The rugged simplicity of the Early American silver makes it very desirable to use with Early Colonial furnishings. Paul Revere, the Revolutionary hero, made some of the originals that are now being reproduced.

An important question for the buyer is whether to have sterling silver or plated ware. This is a very personal matter, but it seems advisable for those with a small income to buy plated silver. The plate is just as comfortable to use, it looks exactly as well, it does not seem too good to use often, it does not entail worry as to its safety, and it is less expensive. It may wear out; but it can be replated, if it cannot be replaced. Constant improvement such as occurs all the time may at any moment produce some beautiful and desirable new ware. It is not advisable to buy heirlooms for one's descendants, as they will probably want to choose their own things. On the other hand, sterling silver is an investment of permanent value. Many persons get real satisfaction out of the ownership of valuable things. Having permanent sterling silverware in a family helps to keep alive memories of festive occasions.

It is not necessary to own a complete set of one pattern in silver. Naturally, knives and forks should be alike, but spoons might be different, particularly in an informal home. It is quite possible to find American, Russian, and Mexican silver that is harmonious even with the fine Danish pieces made by Georg Jensen. In combining a variety of silver articles it is, of course, necessary to have them harmonious in scale, in pattern, and in degree of elegance or simplicity.

History. Owing to its useful physical properties and attractive appearance silver has long been greatly treasured by man. Lack of banks often caused people to put their wealth into silver utensils, which could be melted down when necessary. The word sterling is an abbreviation of Easterling, the name of a German family famous in the twelfth century for making articles of almost pure silver. Sterling now means silver containing 7 1/2, per cent alloy. Silver plating was originated in Sheffield, England, in 1742 by Thomas Balsover.

MISCELLANEOUS FLATWARE

Flatware with bone, wooden, or composition handles is desirable for use with heavy pottery dishes or other informal table equipment.

Tableware of yellowish metal has been made, but is not yet in general use. This type of ware should appear frankly as brass or whatever it is, and should not suggest gold, which would indeed be altogether too pretentious for use in a home. There is a distinct need for brass flatware because its warm color looks well with warm-colored dishes and linens. If it could be sold at a low price, women would be tempted to buy it to experiment with in color schemes. It is onlv custom that holds us to the silver standard in table service.

GLASSWARE

Glassware should be selected to suit the other articles of table service. If one has modern dishes, silver, and linen, the glasses should of course be modern. If the other things are traditional, the glasses should likewise be traditional. Glasses should be delicate or heavy depending on the texture of the rest of the service.

Beauty in glassware depends upon contour, pattern, color, and texture.

Contour. In glassware, as in china, it is important to have interesting divisions of spaces; for example, a stem glass should have different heights in the stem and in the bowl. Certain lines are most suitable for special types of dishes; classic shapes are desirable to use with Wedgwood and similar traditional china.

Pattern. It is not necessary to have pattern on glassware if there is pattern on the dishes and linen in a table setting. If one wants pattern on glassware, good designs are now procurable. A pattern that follows the line of the structure is always the most desirable although the examples in which it does not are only too common. Cut glass reflects high lights which must be considered in the total effect of a pattern.

Color. Colored glassware is not always fashionable, but that should make no difference to the person who seeks individual effects. Colored glassware provides an inexpensive way of adding beauty to the table service. One should consider the possibility of using glasses of several different colors together, provided that they are closely related. Clear glass without any color often helps to harmonize the silverware with the rest of the scheme, and is needed with colorful china and linens. With warm-colored linen and dishes, a yellowish color in the glassware is good; for example, with henna-colored Mexican plates, honey-colored glassware looks very well.

Texture. Texture is very important in glasses. The weight and size of a glass affect the impression of delicacy or strength that it gives. Most persons are well acquainted with fine glassware, but it is only recently that interest has developed in more robust ware. Bubble glass from Mexico and elsewhere is attractive, because the bubbles that occur naturally in the making are retained for their decorative value. It must be admitted that sometimes the bubbles burst, but not too often.

Different Types of Glassware. The quality of glass depends a great deal upon its composition. The principal ingredients are sand, lime, and some alkali. Lime or lime crystal is a dull-finish glass, which is pressed or molded. Flint, lead, or crystal is heavier and more brilliant than lime glass. It is used in making cut glass. Common or bottle glass is a cheaper grade that breaks more readily than costly glass. It has defects such as bubbles, lumps, and a pinkish color from certain chemicals. Handmade glass has the charm of variety in size and shape because no two pieces are exactly alike. The process of blowing this glass makes it distinctive in texture.

Some glass is made by a combination of processes. Glass may be blown by the breath or by compressed air. It may be blown in a mold, that is, while it is being blown it is held against forms that shape it. In making fine glassware hand processes are still employed. Etched, painted, sand-blasted, and cut glass are all available in table glassware. Cut-glass decoration is produced by a sharp-edged wheel. Unfortunately variety in the scale and style of cutting on one article is considered desirable by merchants.

When selecting glassware it is well to ask for interesting new products and also to examine the following kinds: American, Belgian, Bohemian, German, Czechoslovakian, French (La Lique and others), Mexican (bubble glass and others), Swedish (Orrefors and others), and Venetian.

History. However brief it may be, no history of glassware should omit the statement that small glass objects were found in the tombs of the Pharaohs. Later Rome became the leader in making glass. In the thirteenth century Venice was famous for its handmade glass, and the rest of Europe soon learned from her. In the United States, glass making was the very first industry established by the Colonists. This was in Jamestown in I6o8. Wistar, Stiegel, and Sandwich glassware were the most famous in Colonial days. The Sandwich factory invented pressed glass as a substitute for blown glass.

The United States has excellent glass works, so there is no necessity for importing glassware into this country. Some of the best American glassware is made by the Pairpoint, Libbey9 Fostoria, Heisey, Corning, and Morgantown glass works.

TABLE CENTERPIECES

Flowers are the most used of all centerpieces because of their loveliness. Flower centerpieces are discussed in the section on flower arrangement. Fruit too makes beautiful centerpieces, often providing warm rich colors which are specially pleasing in the winter.

Infrequently artificial flowers made of glass, wire, or other odd materials can be found that are so well designed as to form desirable centerpieces. Needless to say, the more unnatural they appear, the better they are likely to be in pattern. Flowers or fruit that could never have grown on land or sea because they are pure design, are the best of all. A new offering is an orange-colored pottery pineapple decorated with diamond-shaped sections, each one bearing a small tin rosette and sprouting shiny leaves of tin at the top. Everyone knows the Mexican pottery fruit and gourds decorated gayly with unnatural dots and dashes. Lest these remarks about artificial fruit and flowers be misunderstood it is necessary to state that about 99.9 per cent of all artificial fruit and flowers seen in the shops should not be used on the table or elsewhere, because they are mere unconvincing imitations of natural fruits and flowers.

Many special flower containers for use on tables are now on the market. Some of them come in sections, so that a small or large arrangement can be made with different aggregates of parts. The sections can be separated and placed around a central arrangement of some kind or scattered over the table. Whether or not it is fashionable, a plain mirror mat is always interesting because of the reflections in it. As designers are becoming more and more clever in planning centerpieces, it is well to search for the latest productions when one is buying such an article.

Holidays and special occasions provide reasons for centerpieces expressive of some definite idea. They can be very interesting and beautiful and are worth the attention of some member of the family. A table centerpiece for a children's party should be very different from that for grandmother's birthday dinner, a bridge luncheon, or a Fourth of July buffet supper. The spirit of the centerpiece should be the same as the occasion for which it is used-intimate, formal, merry, or casual.

Color too helps to give the centerpiece definite character. Sometimes all the colors on the table are repeated in the centerpiece which then unifies the table. The contour of the centerpiece is also of importance; solid masses produce very different effects from airy, jagged, or drooping lines. The centerpiece should have the same feeling aesthetically as the china, glassware, silver, and table cover.