China Choices, and Breakage

[Samster]

This is the truth. Just like linens - - the cheapest linens go on and on but the expensive ones get destroyed and ruined when they are new right off the bat. Mother Murphy's law.
Vintage china lasts, and you want to enjoy it, so use it! Breakage happens. It is not the guests, it is the chief dishwasher (moi)
Here is your quote for the day:
"Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God." Mary Manin Morrissey.

Great quote! Made me think....

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

This is the truth. Just like linens - - the cheapest linens go on and on but the expensive ones get destroyed and ruined when they are new right off the bat. Mother Murphy's law.
Vintage china lasts, and you want to enjoy it, so use it! Breakage happens. It is not the guests, it is the chief dishwasher (moi)
Here is your quote for the day:
"Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God." Mary Manin Morrissey.

Great quote! Made me think....
.

After reading everything in this thread it got me thinking about breakage.
I don't think we have ever had anything but wine glasses broken here.
Anything in the dining room realm that has broken has been mishandled by us while wet or us rushing to put stuff away.

 

[hawley]

If you're using the words 'cherished' and 'breakage' in the same sentence you may not want to use that china. The dishes I use are locally made and came with the inn. I have no particular attachment to them. However, the dinner size plate is hovering around $30 each for a replacement. The only person who has ever broken a piece of the service was a housekeeper we had a few years ago. She dropped ALL of the cereal bowls on the floor in one swell foop. I did not replace them with the same pattern, but got a complementary bowl instead at a much lower price.
It's nice if the breakfast service 'goes' with the inn. My pottery plates would not go in a lacy Victorian setting at all.
If you're looking at 'rustic' I would definitely think 'mix & match' with the plates having something in common. All florals, all white, something like that and have them about the same 'weight' so they look good together. I would love to do a mix & match here..

Actually, the Old Country Roses I have are not cherished in the sense of having sentimental value. They are also not being used and I think that's a travesty. I was raised by the generation that thought you should only use your best stuff on special occasions and there's so much stuff around here for which the occasions apparently weren't special enough.
I was thinking "cherished" as, meaning that they were either of considerable monetary value or that you might find difficult to replace, due either to patterns being discontinued, not readily available or having too high of a cost. I would definitely not put anything that was personally important to me to use in the inn if I couldn't handle it being broken or turning up missing, but I was wondering was everyone else's take was on that.
I like the mix and match with a common thread, good idea.
.

That is a beautiful china and would work in several different types of B&B. Use it if you like it. Buy replacements as needed.
I have a victorian home so I went with an english china in blue willow pattern. It works with the whole house, but wouldn't work in many homes.