Rosalinde for a New Generation

In a post last week, Cherry Kay of Entertaining Women included a wonderful phrase about family dishes passed down to her:  "I am blessed to shepherd them for a season."  I love the image that evokes of enjoying and caring for family treasures, then passing them on to others.  Last weekend we were in Houston to celebrate my father-in-law's 88th birthday and to see my grandchildren in a church musical.  I took the opportunity to play with my daughter's dishes, starting with the beautiful Haviland china in the Rosalinde pattern passed down to her by her paternal grandparents.  Our plan was to set a modern-looking table with this vintage china pattern.

We started with bright green chargers my daughter found at Crate and Barrel.  The rippled chargers echo the plates' scalloped edges and bring out the green in the pattern.

The Gorham Chantilly silver was also passed down from the same grandparents.  They had an extensive collection, because they frequently hosted dinner parties for their university colleagues and friends, so the silver was divided between my daughter and my son.  I contributed the pink napkins, bought on clearance at Macy's recently.

Here's a closeup of the delicate china pattern.  My in-laws collected both American and French versions, which differ slightly, but both include the gold rim. I believe the French-made pattern has a cream-colored rim.

And one of the silver pattern...

The crystal also came from her grandparents, but is of more recent vintage.

Here's an attempt at a bird's eye view.  The silver metal vases and crystal candlesticks are my daughter's.

Pretty pink petals!

Here's a look at the whole table.  The bright chargers, simple flowers, and the bare table lend a modern feel to this pretty vintage china.

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope you will leave a comment before you leave to visit all the wonderful tablescapes at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch!