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Terry Kovel set this table with a beautifully traditional Thanksgiving theme. The focal point is Spode china in the 'Floral' pattern, which was introduced in the 1830s. Image courtesy of Kovels.com

From Kovels: Great tips on setting a Thanksgiving table

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
Terry Kovel set this table with a beautifully traditional Thanksgiving theme. The focal point is Spode china in the 'Floral' pattern, which was introduced in the 1830s. Image courtesy of Kovels.com
Terry Kovel set this table with a beautifully traditional Thanksgiving theme. The focal point is Spode china in the ‘Floral’ pattern, which was introduced in the 1830s. Image courtesy of Kovels.com

BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Collectors who are setting a table for Thanksgiving can look to Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel for inspiration. Their plate, glassware and serving pieces reflect their different collecting styles (and ages) and here are their choices.

Terry Kovel’s table is traditional. It starts with blue and white porcelain plates in the Floral pattern introduced by Spode in the 1830s. The sterling silver flatware was a wedding gift to a family member just after World War I. The pattern is Trianon. Pieces are marked “I.S. & Co.,” the mark of the International Silver Co., and the patent date, 1921. The water goblet is pressed glass from the 1880s. The silver-plated figural napkin ring, made about 1880, is decorated with Japanese fans. Terry bought the sterling silver open salt with a cobalt blue glass liner while on her honeymoon. It was made in England in the 1830s. She paired it with a Victorian silver salt spoon and a Georgian-style pepper shaker. Serving pieces include a Victorian silver ladle and a Georgian long-handle stuffing spoon, both with English hallmarks, a hefty Victorian silver cold meat fork, and a silver fruit spoon made in the early 1800s that was engraved and gold washed during the Victorian era. The gravy dish, cover and underplate are cobalt blue porcelain decorated with gold chinoiserie and a bamboo-shaped handle. It was made by the Ott & Brewer Co., which operated Trenton, N.J., from 1871 to 1892. Terry also uses a cut glass relish dish from the Victorian American Brilliant Period.

Kim Kovel favors a midcentury tablescape. The dinnerware was designed by Eva Zeisel (1906–2011) for Hall China Co. The organic Tomorrow’s Classic set of shapes is one of Zeisel’s most popular. The plate pattern is Dawn, 1952, and the butter dish and vase are Fantasy, 1952–57. Water goblets are Block Crystal’s Watercolor-Green pattern from 1984. Classic Greek and Roman architecture is reflected in Kim’s stainless steel flatware with handles in the shapes of flattened columns—Doric capitals for spoons, Ionic for knives and Corinthian for forks. They were designed in 1992 by architect Robert Venturi for SwidPowell (a studio founded in 1982 that commissions international architects to design tabletop pieces) and made by Reed & Barton Co. Also reflecting columns are the candlesticks, designed by Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007) for Baccarat. They’re called Bougeoir Nusku from Baccarat’s 2002 Rencontre Collection. The backdrop is a tablecloth woven in the 1950s.

Antiques enthusiasts can add one-of-a kind freshness to their tables with unexpected pairings of new, vintage and old accessories.

Terry Kovel is America’s foremost authority on antiques and collectibles. She is the well-known columnist and author of more than 100 books on antiques and collecting. With her daughter, Kim Kovel, she co-authors the best-selling annual “Kovels Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide.” Both Terry and Kim are collectors.

About Kovels.com:

Kovels.com, created by Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel, provides collectors and researchers with up-to-date and accurate information on antiques and collectibles. Kovels’ Antiques was founded in 1953 by Terry Kovel and her late husband, Ralph. Since then, Kovels’ has published some of America’s most popular books and articles about antiques, including the best-selling “Kovels’ Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide.” The brand new 2015 edition is now available in bookstores and in the online shop at Kovels.com. Ralph and Terry were featured in three TV series about antiques and collectibles, The most recent was “Flea Market Finds with the Kovels” on the HGTV cable channel. The Kovels’ website, online since 1998, offers 900,000 free prices and includes a free weekly email, “Kovels Komments.” It give readers a bird’s-eye view of the market through the latest news, auction reports, a Marks Dictionary, readers’ questions with Kovels’ answers and much more.

Visit Kovels online at www.kovels.com

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ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Terry Kovel set this table with a beautifully traditional Thanksgiving theme. The focal point is Spode china in the 'Floral' pattern, which was introduced in the 1830s. Image courtesy of Kovels.com
Terry Kovel set this table with a beautifully traditional Thanksgiving theme. The focal point is Spode china in the ‘Floral’ pattern, which was introduced in the 1830s. Image courtesy of Kovels.com
Reflecting her love of modern design, Kim Kovel created this elegant midcentury tablescape using dinnerware designed by Eva Zeisel for Hall China Co. Image courtesy of Kovels.com
Reflecting her love of modern design, Kim Kovel created this elegant midcentury tablescape using dinnerware designed by Eva Zeisel for Hall China Co. Image courtesy of Kovels.com
Large (18 x 23in) Copeland Spode flow blue turkey platter with hand-colored decoration, English, sold for $989 on Feb. 7, 2010 at Myers Fine Art. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Myers Fine Art
Large (18 x 23in) Copeland Spode flow blue turkey platter with hand-colored decoration, English, sold for $989 on Feb. 7, 2010 at Myers Fine Art. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Myers Fine Art
Elite Works Limoges French porcelain game service, 20 pcs including large scalloped platter, 11 dinner plates and eight side dishes, manuf. 1920-1932. Sold via LiveAuctioneers for $1,320 in Jeffrey S. Evans' Oct. 1, 2013 auction. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Jeffrey S. Evans
Elite Works Limoges French porcelain game service, 20 pcs including large scalloped platter, 11 dinner plates and eight side dishes, manuf. 1920-1932. Sold via LiveAuctioneers for $1,320 in Jeffrey S. Evans’ Oct. 1, 2013 auction. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Jeffrey S. Evans
Doulton Watteau flow blue turkey platter (21 x 17in) with six matching plates. Sold for $1,334 by Strawser Auctions on May 24, 2012. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Strawser Auctions
Doulton Watteau flow blue turkey platter (21 x 17in) with six matching plates. Sold for $1,334 by Strawser Auctions on May 24, 2012. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Strawser Auctions
Wheeling Pottery 'La Belle' flow blue turkey platter and 12 plates, circa 1893-1910. Sold for $1,150 at Burchard Galleries' Jan 22, 2006 auction. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Burchard Galleries.
Wheeling Pottery ‘La Belle’ flow blue turkey platter and 12 plates, circa 1893-1910. Sold for $1,150 at Burchard Galleries’ Jan 22, 2006 auction. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Burchard Galleries.