Ray and I have discovered an easy way to make dining at home feel special. In both Texas and California, we have two different sets of matching vintage dinnerware that we use for our everyday meals. In California, where I am now, we have a lovely set of Mikasa Duplex Yellow Poppy dinner and salad plates by Ben Seibel along with matching solid yellow cups, saucers, and bowls. These were designed and sold in 1974-1975. In Texas, we have Mikasa Duplex Buckskin dinnerware that was also designed by Ben Seibel and produced between 1977 and 1989. Both sets are bone china and are oven and microwave-safe. They both also add a lot of pizzazz to our meals because the matching dishes are not only pretty but also give our table setting a unified look.

Ray, an inveterate antique collector, came up with this idea. I started seeing eBay boxes arrive first in Texas and then later in CA and then he showed me the two different dinnerware sets he’d bought. He has impeccable taste so there’s never a question of whether or not I’m going to like something he picks out. I always do. I also love that I have a husband whose life centers around design ideas that add color, shape, and beauty to every part of our lives. How lucky is that?

I can’t quite express how nice it is to use this lovely vintage dinnerware No matter how simple the meal, everything looks and feels a bit more festive. I had an art history textbook in college entitled, Art is a Visual Experience. Living with Ray is very much a visual experience as well, and our vintage dinnerware is just one tiny aspect of that experience. And, yes, of course, this makes me exceedingly happy.

Below is the lunch I had today using our Yellow Poppy salad plate with its matching yellow bowl, cup, and saucer. Isn’t it lovely?