Chipping china

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I bought Mikasa’s English Countryside dishes a couple of years ago. Some of the pieces have chipped like mad - large dinner plates are the worst, bowls don’t chip. I’m fed up and ready to replace them. Any recommendations for sturdier dinnerware? I’m thinking of Lenox Butler’s Pantry:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.lnt.com/sm-lenox-butlers-pantry-dinnerware--pi-1895669.html[/url]”>http://www.lnt.com/sm-lenox-butlers-pantry-dinnerware--pi-1895669.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>or something from Villeroy and Boch, such as:</p>

<p><a href=“http://eshop.villeroy-boch.com/us/shopping/tableware-country-audun-fleur/show_101068/assortment_25[/url]”>http://eshop.villeroy-boch.com/us/shopping/tableware-country-audun-fleur/show_101068/assortment_25&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>My husband is tired of white.</p>

2

<p>I love the Villeroy and Boch. Can’t advise you on the chipping.</p>

3

<p>Don’t you hate it when husbands have opinions about this kid of stuff. :D</p>

<p>Bone china is by far the strongest china (it actually has a high bone content) but it is very expensive!</p>

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<p>I have two sets of Villeroy and Boch that we have used everyday since the kids were tiny, and I think only one plate has chipped! They have survived hundreds of dishwashings (and dishwasher emptyings by young hands) and still look brand new. I think I broke one mug. It’s practical as well as beautiful.</p>

<p>Just thinking back…that’s 20 years for one set, 10 for the other. Wow. I still think of them as fairly new dishes. :)</p>

5

<p>Another vote here for Villeroy & Boch. We’ve also had two sets over the past 22 years and only a couple of minor chips have appeared, one in a small plate and one in a bowl. We love them.</p>

6

<p>I’m glad to hear that the V/B holds up so well. Does anyone want to advise me on how to mix and match the pattern(s) I’m considering? There are four versions of Audun, and the idea is to buy one pattern for dinner plates, another for salad plates, etc.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=8536&CategoryID=6521&PageID=5049*1*24*-1*-1*-1*3[/url]”>http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=8536&CategoryID=6521&PageID=5049*1*24*-1*-1*-1*3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I’m thinking of using mostly the Fleur pattern (yellow with some black) and some of the Promenade (black/white crosshatched patten with narrow yellow band), with maybe just a few accent pieces in the patterns with pictures.</p>

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<p>Sounds good! I’d probably want to visit a store and mix and match after seeing the actual dishes. I really like the Fleur and Promenade patterns, too…</p>

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<p>Another Villeroy and Boch user with - now that you mention it - absolutely no chipping ever. I never even thought of that until now. We have the French Garden and a coordinating solid yellow.</p>

<p>I also have some Lenox Autumn that have never chipped. They were gifts from my mother and not used terribly often.</p>

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<p>I’ve never chipped my Wedgewood, but we don’t use it every day either. :)</p>

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<p>I was tempted by the French Garden pattern, too.</p>

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<p>Are you talking everyday dinnerware? If so, I’ve given up on the pricey stuff. It gets dropped, nicked, banged, left behind at other places, etc. I buy inexpensive (usually Oneida) brand everyday dishes. By the time they get chipped up, I’m usually sick of them anyway. Last time, I found a clearance…service for 12 for about $40 (and I got extra plates for when the chips came too…quite the deal). That was about three years ago, and I figure in two years when I’m sick of them, I’ll buy another set. OH…and hopefully by that time it will just be DH and me…and less chance of chipping :)</p>

12

<p>I am planning to use these every day, but also for (rare) formal use, because I have only 6 place settings of formal china and, therefore, never use it. And it was discontinued years ago, and buying more from the replacement places would cost a fortune, and the colors are wrong for me now.</p>

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<p>We have the Switch 3, which has four different styles that coordinate. You can do casual to formal, and they pretty much all work with each other: <a href=“http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=8535&CategoryID=6521&PageID=6521*1*24*Villeroy+%26+Boch*-1*-1*6[/url]”>http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=8535&CategoryID=6521&PageID=6521*1*24*Villeroy+%26+Boch*-1*-1*6&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I like the Switch 3, booklady, and would consider it if blue were a color we could use.</p>

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<p>Yes, we use the Villeroy and Boch for everyday. That includes 20-year old guys stacking them on their desks, in the sink, etc etc etc. No chips. I guess it’s a miracle :). They are definitely nice enough to use for more formal situations, which we do.</p>

<p>We bought them at an outlet originally and the V&B outlets seem to be pretty much around any of the major outlet locales.</p>

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<p>I was thinking of trying to find an outlet. How much do you save? Lots of stores sell for 50% off MRSP, are outlets lower?</p>

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<p>French Garden is my “new” pattern (10 years old) , but my first, and favorite still is Amapola. (20 years)</p>

<p>When we remodeled our kitchen in our old house, we had an artist copy the Amapola flowers above the stove on a tile back splash and around our wainscoting in the kitchen dining area.
It was gorgeous. Then we moved, of course.</p>

<p>These dishes are idea for everyday. Strong, lightweight, and fit with any occassion.</p>

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<p>I looked up the Amapola pattern, which seems to be discontinued. It’s beautiful! Your kitchen must have been spectacular.</p>

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<p>It was lovely. Wish we could have taken it with us when we moved. </p>

<p>The pattern has been discontinued, but you can still get pieces from Internet sources, although they are much more expensive than they were originally. Can’t find a mug, though - the only piece that has broken in all these years. Cups and saucers, but no mugs.</p>

<p>It shouldn’t be too hard to locate outlets online for your pattern. They usually aren’t that close to cities or good-sized suburbs, so I wonder if the cost of the gasoline to get out there would eat up whatever you might save on the dishes.</p>