Breakfast Patterns

  

Sometimes the best thing about spending a weekend in the country is the blissful opportunity to sit in a sunny spot and have a healthy breakfast- 

How about fresh blueberries, homemade granola or scones, freshly-squeezed orange juice, and a pot of hot coffee?  

Isn't it unfortunate that we save one of the best things in life for once-in-a-while?  Jennings is passionate about porcelain, and is a firm believer that even if breakfast is just coffee and cereal, beautiful breakfast dishes get the day started right.

This is the pattern that Jennings uses for breakfast dishes, Mottahedah's Duke of Glouscester.

Cumberland

Another Jennings favorite is Nymphenburg porcelain.  This pattern is Cumberland, created in 1765 as the first electoral court service by the Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg.

Quite a spectacular way to keep one's oatmeal warm.

Nymphenburg Bavarian Royal created in 1792.

Nymphenburg's Enchanted Forest breakfast cup created in 1760.  This rustic pattern is based on trompe-l'oeil, and portrays a typical working situation at the Nymphenburg factory.  It was common for the artisan to nail the copper engraving he was referencing to a wooden board that faced his workspace.  The Enchanted Forest service shows this entire arrangement.  The small depicted wooden boards contain views of imaginative landscapes.

Herend's Indian Basket, was introduced in 1850.  Formerly named East Indies Flowers, because much of the porcelain of the Orient was transported to Europe by East Indian companies, this pattern is beloved for the Japanese style arrangement of the flowers.

Bernardaud's Constance

Jennings recommends that a pattern which might otherwise be too "busy" (or expensive) to choose as a dinner service, might be the perfect candidate for a breakfast service.  

Hermes

Wedgewood's Wild Strawberries

Highly patterned porcelain has always been expensive, and hand-painted motifs especially so.  But if a pattern really speaks to your heart, consider choosing it as a breakfast service.  Depending on how many people you normally seat for breakfast at your house, you can often get away with purchasing fewer pieces.  Have your muffin and eat it too.

                                                

For those who dine in front of the computer in the morning, this sweet 9-piece mid-century Italian breakfast set listed on 1st Dibs might be just the thing. 

Herend's Rothschild Bird, Blue Border

Rothschild Bird was created by Herend in the 1820s.  The story goes that in the early 19th century, the Baroness Rothschild lost her pearl necklace, which was found and rescued by her gardener, after he saw several naughty birds playing with it up in a tree.  Since Bella likes playing with $20 bills, I'm thinking of commissioning a pattern called Money-eating Horse.  

                                                                     

In her book, Living a Beautiful Life: 500 Ways to add Elegance, Order, Beauty and Joy to Every Day of Your Life, Alexandra Stoddard suggests that an easy way to establish a civilized morning is to set the table or set up a breakfast tray the night before.

Toast and jam would be much yummier on Bird by Raynaud

or Arcades, by Philippe Deshoulieres

Antique Forest Leaves

These designs from Anna Weatherly look as beautiful displayed on the wall or in an open cupboard as they do on the table.  The patterns are modeled after 16th, 17th, and 18th century botanical art.

Midsummer

Si Kiang #1

Si Kiang by Raynaud is available with 6 different figure patterns in the center.

This large breakfast cup, Audun Ferme is by Villeroy and Boch.  As I recall, Easy and Elegant Life had a post on breakfast cups some time ago.  Read that terrific post here.

This pretty breakfast cup and saucer is by Gien.

Gien also has a breakfast set in this pattern, Millefleurs.

This breakfast cup and saucer set is by Robert Haviland & C. Parlon

Who says you have to buy a king's ransom of Flora Danica?  If you adore beautiful china, but just can't bring yourself to spend Junior's college tuition on it, a single place setting for your own breakfast might be a compromise.  Then Junior can finish your set for you when he becomes a cardiologist.

This thermal coffee pot from the German company, Alfi, is used by fine hotels to keep coffee (stylishly) hot.

And while we're at it, Sur La Table's snazzy toast rack is only $14.95, and does double duty as a letter holder.

Les Maisons Enchantees by Hermes might make your petit dejeuner very special.

Breakfast Reading:

                

Habits and Other Curiosities

My favorite parts of Ian Fleming's books, are when he gives us a rare glimpse of Bond at home.

For a reader, some of the best information about a character comes from the writer's description of his personal habits and taste.  In the movies, Bond was dressed by Brioni from 1995 until Tom Ford took over in 2008, but Mr. Flemming never tells us in the novels much about what Bond wears.  Perhaps it's fitting that Bond only mentions the labels worn by his enemies.  

Mr. Bond starts the day with the London Times and two large cups of very strong coffee (from De Bry in New Oxford Street) brewed in a Chemex coffee maker. 

A dark brown French Maran egg, boiled for three and a third minutes, is served in a blue egg cup by May, his Scottish housekeeper, with whole wheat toast, Jersey butter and a choice of Tiptree ‘Little Scarlet’ strawberry jam or Norwegian Heather Honey from Fortnum and Mason, on blue Minton china. 

Elsie de Wolfe wrote, "You will express yourself in your house, whether you want to or not."  Meaning that we often communicate more through our habits, rituals and the ephemera we collect, than through our words.  What do your habits say about you?

Kyle

I love this photographic series by the Atlanta-based photographer Jason Travis, who captures illuminating and often funny portraits of people and the stuff we carry around with us.  The collection is called "Persona," and has been published in book form, but you can still see a portion of the series here.

Julia

Now I'm going to go clean out my purse.




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