When Tom and I got married, we combined two households like most couples do these days. We actually did pretty well with furniture as we had plenty of room in our first apartment, but the kitchen was another story – two toasters, more frying pans than we needed and two sets of dishes and glassware.
Because I was in that honeymoon phase of our relationship, I agreed to get rid of my fun, colorful Crate & Barrel dishes for his plain, white dishes. We’ve eaten off of those dishes for 9 years now. The simple white dishes are perfect for every occasion, but I really wanted to see more color when I sat down at the dinner table. I know that must surprise you, right?
I bought my first few sets of Fiesta dinnerware last month when it was on sale at Kohl’s. I combined that sale price with a 30% off coupon I found online, so I feel like I got a great deal on it. I absolutely love the look of my table now.
I bought four sets – Scarlet, Shamrock, Peacock and Sunflower – and we mix and match the plate and bowl colors. I (occasionally) set the table with the square wooden chargers I picked up at Goodwill (LOVE the wood mixed with the bold colors) and cloth napkins made from the left over fabric used on my charmed wreath. I just used my pinking shears on the edges of the napkins, so they are completely no sew. The zig zag cut makes them easy to wash and dry without fraying. The adorable napkin rings are from my friend Lisa’s Etsy shop – Shop24.
The cute placemats I picked up for $1.50 each at Ikea. I really needed something that was easy to wipe down with the kids, and I thought these were super fun. They look cool with my green vintage chairs, too.
For our wedding anniversary this year, my mother-in-law sent us a turquoise Fiesta pitcher. I love to use it on the table as a vase. Doesn’t it make even the most inexpensive mini carnations look darling?
I know that collecting vintage Fiesta is a big deal for some people. I’ll probably stick with the newer stuff since it’s cheaper. Maybe I’ll add in a few vintage pieces here and there if I find a great deal. I still need to pick up four more place settings to complete what we have now, and I’d like some serving pieces, too. I’ll have to keep looking for good sales at Kohl’s!
Do you have any Fiesta ware? How do you style your table with it? It seems like excellent quality dishware, so I’d love to see how yours is holding up.
The table setting looks so fun! Love it!
You’ve hit the ball out the park! Inicedrble!
I started my Fiestaware collection with our wedding ten years ago, and now we’re up to 15 place settings! My mom buys me a new color each year for Christmas. Would you believe that in ten years, only one item has broken?? This stuff is amazing!! Love my Fiestaware!
What a lovely idea! Does she surprise you with the color, or do you make requests?
Your table looks so cheerful and happy! I have the plum Fiestaware and I love it. We didn’t register for China for our wedding since we knew we would never use it. Instead we registered for Fiestaware. We have several place settings and serving dishes.
I’m pretty sure Fiestaware IS considered China! 😉 So, I think you registered for china that you actually use!
We registered for our Fiestaware for our wedding 5 years ago. We have lost a few pieces due to drops on tile floors and a very strong toddler, but I still love it to this day and it holds up so nicely. My grandmother had a few pieces that I snagged and while I love the looks of it, it is currently collecting dust in my hutch – I am thinking of passing it on as we are trying to downsize and keep knick-knacks to a minimum…They are beautiful pieces.
Don’t just look at it, use it! When we married (11 years ago) my hubby told me we would eat off China everyday. I thought he was screwy-nuts! But, a few years later, I found a lovely every-day china, and just last year I started with Fiestaware. It makes everyday a celebration!
I love my fiestaware and have a lot of different colors. I started collecting it about 15 years ago since my everyday wedding china was down to few pieces that hadn’t been broken or chipped. They lasted over 20 years and I still have several serving pieces etc. I began with just a couple of place setting,eventually getting enough for hubbby, 4 children and myself to all use it. I love collecting old pieces at yard sales for pennies on the dollar and I also unique pieces at the Pottery Barn Outlet…I’ve collected many unique piece like the adorable salt & pepper shakers, gravy boat, platters,cream & sugar (with minature pitcher that looks just like the big one, cookie jar and a collection of some from a restaurant sale out that look like a huge bowl and a plate together… few years ago (when my children were a lot younger) Walmart had some plates that looked just like the fiestaware, so I bought some to protect the good ones from getting broken…love my fiestaware!!
Yes!I have been collecting Fiesta for about 15 years. I have tons of it, and I love it! I I haven’t had quite the luck some of your other readers have had though…we’ve broken quite a few pieces. I’m sure part of that is having 3 kids who clear the table and load/unload the dishwasher. 🙂
I have that pitcher in the same color as yours!
I’m moving into my apartment next month and getting all set up with my dishware. Your place setting is beautiful!
What a rough job you have! You are forced to stir yourself and go buy cool stuff! Then she must show it off to the folks who already love her taste in like everything! Lo, how to suffer!!! 🙂
I’ve had my Fiesta for 10 years without losing a piece…including dropping a plate onto my granite-tile counter and it chipped the edge off the tile, but the plate was! 🙂 I don’t have enough cupboard space in my kitchen to hold all 12 place settings, so I rotate them in from the pantry based on the season (right now it’s turquoise-orange-yellow-light green). I love, love, my colorful dishes. 🙂
I like the idea of rotating them based on the season! I occasionally set a specific palette, but limiting what is on-hand for people to grab would do that (and allow me to add some other fun colors I’ve been drooling over/on!)
I registered for Fiestaware when we were married TWENTY years ago! I still have it and still love it–tho the dishwasher has been hard on it in the last 8 years that I’ve HAD a dishwasher. I got ALL white, with accents of the pink that was available in the 80s: mugs, serving bowls, lunch plates, small bowls. (To coordinate with my favorite vintage glasses from my grandmother’s home.) When we lived in Tacoma, there was an AWESOME shop that sold unusual pieces, so I have some great vases and unusual, large bowls. Still love it despite, the dishwasher issues on the pieces we use daily. Even the dog eats out of Fiesta! I’ve also added some turquoise pieces since that color became available. (again, goes with those fave glasses featuring pink and turquoise flowers) And I have vintage pieces in a variety of colors scattered as accents throughout my house–most of which were purchased years ago, when less expensive. I’ve used broken pieces to make mosaic pots for plants and a mirror for my kitchen. It’s a long-time love! (And I think about buying it in more colors for daily use–but my cupboards are pretty full.)
I love the mosaic idea!
I love the chargers!!
Oh my gosh, I just bought my first Fiestaware right before Thanksgiving with a 30% off coupon at Kohls. I bought the 16 piece sets online in Turquoise, Scarlett and Lemongrass. I LOVE the bright colors and can mix them with my white dishes. Your table looks so fun. I hope to add some pitchers to my collection.
Add Chocolate and Marigold and you have my (12 piece) setting. Oh, we just added one Plum too. I’m thinking of Indigo or Shamrock, but the Turquoise, Scarlett, Lemongrass, Chocolate, and Marigold look SO GOOD together. See what you think of adding a darker setting (like Chocolate, Plum, or Indigo). I really find that it sets off the bright colors so well!
I love my Fiestaware! Occasionally Macy’s has good deals too. Happy shopping!
This stuff is amazing, Lindsay! I started my Fiesta ware collection when I was still single. When I got married, I continued my collection since I really like fiesta ware with lots of different colors. Also, my mother gave me turquoise Fiesta pitcher just like in the photo. I love it very much! Thanks for sharing! 😀
Yes on the Fiesta Ware; just bought it last year. My girlfriend has had her’s for over a decade, and I never loved it until I moved to New Mexico and saw all the lovely (bright) color combinations! I now have Peacock, Scarlet, Marigold, Lemongrass, and Chocolate. Personally, I love the way they look in the china cabinet (where we store them (and use them from everyday) in our tiny apartment), but the Lemongrass and Marigold tend to make my food look “blah.” Still, I keep playing with other colors at the store and I can’t find anything else with the color-punch in the stacks in the cabinet. We started adding some Plum and I’m thinking of the dark indigo blue too. Love the way food looks on the medium and darker shades!
As far as styling, for four or fewer place settings, I usually mix things up. With five or more, I tend to place a full setting in coordinated colors (at each spot, so one color per person). I use bright plaid cloth napkins (and am currently working on adding words to some bright solid napkins, so that our household can re-use napkins for several uses. They just grab a word that grabs them (like: eat, enjoy, thanks, bounty, etc.).
On certain holidays or times of the year, I pull dishes out and set them within a theme. I have found my red, brown, turquoise, green, and yellow to be very versatile for holidays. I can create patriotic, fall, St. Patrick’s day themes with ease.
Looking at your photo gives me more ideas of how to “style” my table. Honeslty, for the day-to-day living in a small apartment, the best look for my kitchen is “use as few dishes as possible and clear the table afterwards.” But, when we move into a new home, I plan to put more creativity into action!