Where do I store all of my dishes?

Whenever I upload pictures of my tables on Facebook or share my blog, friends frequently inquire, "Where do you keep all your dishes?" The simple answer is -- EVERYWHERE! I wish I could say I have a "dish room," but I don't. Instead, I have a Pinterest board dedicated to dream china storage. Ah, life goals.

Our home has a lot of built-in cabinetry, and I make full use of every inch. After my "dish-saster," all my shelves have been reinforced, thanks to my youngest son's carpentry skills. Living in earthquake country makes me a bit more cautious. You can read about the "dish-saster" here: https://www.astheluckycrowflies.com/post/dish-saster If you're a table setter or aspiring to be one, you know it's not just dishes that need storing. There are linens, silverware, glassware, napkin rings, napkins, and serving pieces. As a Fiesta collector, I also have vases, coffee pots, tea pots, and many other items! I admire the incredibly talented bloggers I follow for their organized storage solutions!

Kitchen and Hallway cabinets

How and where do I store my dishes? My Fiesta dinnerware, which I use daily, is kept in the kitchen cabinets. I own nearly every color, so I change them according to the season. Since I also have various patterns of other dishware, I switch those out too.

Spring Pastels

Summer Brights

Colorful Fall

Spring Pastels Summer Brights Colorful Fall

Christmas colors are greens and reds, winter is blues, browns, and whites. St. Patrick's Day is greens, and patriotic holidays are red, white, and blues. All of the Fiesta is stored in the kitchen or close by in cabinets in the family room.

Family Room Storage

In the kitchen, there's a cabinet on the island where I keep seasonal patterns and uniquely sized serving pieces. We enjoy a nice charcuterie spread, so I have numerous small serving dishes for dips, relishes, and cheese trays handy to use.

Different Seasons in my "other" dish cabinet

I mentioned linens earlier. I must confess, I have quite a collection, including tablecloths, runners, placemats, and napkins. I store them in various locations: drawers in cabinets, drawers beneath a daybed, a cedar chest, and in cabinets. My dog, Viola Lee, was assisting me as I put the tablecloths away. Someday, perhaps I will have a larger dresser for much of it and closet to hang the tablecloths.

Glassware is also stored everywhere! In the cabinet above the linens are some of the glassware.

In my dining room, I have my grandmother's dining set, which includes a buffet. It holds all of my silverware and depression glass. Additionally, I have a glass-fronted secretary where I keep my Waterford and Fostoria glassware. The crystal looks stunning as it sparkles through the curved glass doors.

The last location where I keep my china and dishes is the storage area beneath our stairs, affectionately referred to by my family as "The Dish Cave." Initially, it is a full-sized closet, but as you go further in, the ceiling lowers to under 5 feet, and the room is approximately 15 square feet. We have wine racks in the closet section, and when we moved in, my dear husband purchased three Gorilla racks from Costco to store the dishes. Many of the china pieces and glassware are stored in quilted containers with tags on them. My goodness, the pictures make it look more cluttered and messier than it is!

This tiny space under the stairs is also used to store fragile, out-of-season holiday decorations, silk plants that I prefer not to keep in the garage cabinets, and paintings that I rotate with the seasons. Once or twice a year, typically between Thanksgiving and Christmas and in early summer, my dear friend Kissy and I squeeze into the tight space to organize and rearrange everything in their designated containers.

The next question friends often pose is, "How do you keep track of what you own?" I manage everything using a spreadsheet. There are separate tabs for Fiesta, glassware, Lenox, and Franciscan and others. I began with a basic inventory and continually expanded it. This inventory also includes linens, silverware, and other collectibles. I’ve organized tabs to track various items by holiday or season. It's available on my phone, allowing me to review my inventory while shopping.

Tracking Fiesta's Post '86 colors and shapes is organized in a separate spreadsheet. I've shared copies with my bestie and dear friend Kissy, as they also collect Fiesta. There's now an app available for tracking Fiesta, which I have, but I must admit, the idea of transferring the inventory feels overwhelming.

In my mind, I have designed the perfect "dish room" to store everything, by manufacturer, color, season, style -- so many options, it would be almost as fun as setting the tables!