Eclectic Holiday China

With Thanksgiving a week away it’s time once again to start thinking about setting the perfect holiday table.


Incorporating a unique piece or two of antique and vintage china with your existing pieces is a great way to add interest to your table setting. A special piece of porcelain such as a compote dish or gravy boat also makes a wonderful hostess gift that can be brought out and enjoyed year after year.


An elegant platter or unique serving tray always makes a beautiful and useful addition to any china collection, while more specialized pieces such as a sugar and creamer or a set of tiny butter pats are a charming way to add that little extra touch.


For a hint of whimsy why not add something purely decorative? Our pyramid of majolica fruits and vegetables or the colorful Italian ceramic pheasant figure are both perfect accompaniments for any harvest feast.

Photos and styling by KS&D.

Cool Calm and Eclectic

We all crave more calm and serenity so why not introduce some into your own environment with these cool eclectic home accessories.


The exotic shape of the onion dome birdcage plays well against the blue and white Chinese porcelain, the elaborate wire scrollwork echoing the intricate floral motifs of the vase and carpet, while from above the tranquil profile of the great poet Dante looks down from an antique plaque.


An elegant mid-century Danish modern blue and white porcelain bowl by Bing & Grondahl rests before a romantically distressed vintage Buddha garden sculpture, which sits alongside a pair of hand blown art glass vases, one a wild riot of free-formed molten glass and the other a vessel of perfect simplicity.

Photos and styling by KS&D.

Eclectic Elements

Blending art glass, ceramics, oddities, artifacts, and elements of nature.


At the heart of this eclectic display the goddess Athena presides over a collection of minerals with the bold graphics of an antique French plate and a nautical English tile providing a suitably noble backdrop.


Tucked among this eclectic treasure trove before an artfully displayed branch of faux white coral sits a charming miniature globe spinning on its tiny brass stand.


The clean lines of the elegant long necked blue and white Chinese porcelain vase echo in the huge vase of free form art glass; the wild molten glass trails providing a foil to the traditional floral motifs of the ceramics.

Photos and styling by KS&D

Eclectic Country Kitchen Decor

Antique and vintage ceramics lend warmth and charm to the utilitarian modern day kitchen, especially when they prove functional as well as aesthetically pleasing.


This enormous Italian art pottery bowl features a wonderful hand painted blackbird motif on the interior, a theme similar to that on the salt glazed pitcher with its unusual curling handle and unique shape. On the other side of the ironstone platter sits an elaborate yet useful Italian majolica canister alongside a simple French Country creamer with pale blue tulip motifs. Other examples of classic French provincial china include the green faience oyster plates with their finely detailed shells, as well as the asparagus plate, also from Sarreguemines, and featuring a sauce well and molded asparagus stalks encircled by a basket weave border.


Baskets are another decorative yet functional accessory perfect for the kitchen. Here one brimming with fresh eggs sits among a number of other useful accessories including majolica oil and vinegar cruets, an English copper lusterware cream and sugar set, a vintage Italian ceramic wall pocket designed as a cluster of onions, and a blue and white floral serving bowl in the elegant Chatsworth pattern. Along the back rests a colorful majolica platter alongside two elaborate Victorian style majolica plates.


The top self holds a massive Limoges porcelain serving platter surrounded by a quartet of Italian white art pottery pitchers and two large white ceramic canisters. Adding a dose of color is a blue and white delft china jam jar along with a whimsical pyramid of majolica fruits and vegetables, the perfect antique accessory for the eclectic country kitchen.

All photos and styling by KS&D.

Eclectic Dessert Buffet

What better way to follow up our recent “dinner for two” post than with a generous helping of dessert? We’ve scoured the butler’s pantry for our most romantic porcelain and fine china serving pieces to create a dessert buffet as rich as any frosted confection.


Anchoring the table’s right end is a charming vintage German apothecary jar overflowing with fresh hydrangea in every imaginable shade of pink and purple. Flanking the bouquet are some beautiful Limoges porcelain compote dishes with intricate gilded floral detailing including a large cake stand layered with a scallop shell compote to create a multilevel serving piece perfect for displaying cookies and other treats. Tucked between all the Limoges sits a elegant antique Austrian porcelain serving basket and a charming antique English china sugar and creamer set.


Front and center sits an intricately painted porcelain tray of unusual shape piled high with vintage German porcelain cups and saucers adorned with colorful clusters of lush ripe fruits. Illuminating the scene from behind is a pair of elaborate porcelain candelabra ornamented with cherubic figures along their bases.


Behind the exquisite Haviland Limoges biscuit jar and vintage pewter coffee pot rests a large English ironstone platter just waiting to be put into service. The set of antique Royal Worcester bowls in the foreground are of ivory china with finely detailed gilded rims. Next to these a stack of small plates includes a set of old English Staffordshire embellished with blue ivy as well as a set of antique platinum banded Lenox. The scene is finished off with a smaller bouquet of hydrangea arranged in a classical vintage Lenox vase.

Photos and styling by KS&D.

The Perfect Summer Color Scheme

Summer certainly is one of the busiest times of year at Knickerbocker Antiques. With the warm weather comes tag sales, flea markets, antique shows, and auctions full of unique and eclectic treasures to be discovered. Between the humidity and temperatures reaching into the nineties there’s nothing more refreshing than coming home to a cool palate of crisp blue and white.


Here a shelf of our rustic cabinet features a display of blue and white china from around the world including an oval platter by Lomonosov, porcelain supplier to the Tsars of Russia, in the Cobalt Net pattern designed for Empress Elizabeth and used at Stalin’s own table. To take off the cold formal edge of the blue and white and impart a nautical summertime feel we’ve added a pair of Venetian art glass dolphin candlesticks and two white coral branches around a Blue Willow pitcher. Filling out the display are two Blue Fjord plates, a delft box, a small Chinese dragon pitcher, and a row of intricate Chinese porcelain cups.


On the upper shelf a simple arrangement of white lily and iris in an antique delft vase continues the color scheme among a group of classical sculptures including a copy of Michelangelo’s David, a distressed antique marble bust, and a graceful female figure. One entire corner is filled by a large art glass vase which fades from cobalt blue to clear to a bold aqua at the rim. A carved gilt corbel turned upside down, and a framed antique French print, lend a metallic sparkle enhanced by glowing votives.


The ornately carved wooden chest on the bottom shelf is surrounded by a number of art and design books chosen to compliment the color scheme with all bold bindings removed in favor of blues, whites, and neutral tones.

Photos and styling by KS&D.

Eclectic European Art Pottery

European art pottery, lushly hand painted majolica in particular, holds a special charm so different from it's finer porcelain counterparts. This long cabinet-top display ending with a huge Italian ceramic serving bowl includes a varied selection of art pottery and majolica items culled from our online shop along with select pieces from our own private collection.
The large wildly detailed platter is a contemporary piece from Portugal that makes a rich backdrop for three vintage Italian floral plates interspersed with a charming set of antique white Italian ceramic pitchers in a modeled grapevine motif. The rose garland apothecary jar to the right is a unique vintage German piece that perfectly compliments the delicate floral motifs of the platter.
An unusual owl tureen sits surrounded by Portuguese and Italian majolica pitchers; while an equally unique white platter peeks out from behind. The matching pair of old Italian bowls flanking the group have especially rich detailing and lavish hand painting.

Photos and styling by Knickerbocker.

Old Oak Sideboard

Even with plans to change the pale gray wall color you can’t help but notice how beautifully the color complements the golden oak of this antique Mission sideboard. The clean lines and simple hardware give the piece a decidedly Asian influence perfect for a collection of Asian porcelain.

The large and elaborate porcelain figure represents the ancient Chinese wise man Sau, seen here watching over the charming figure of a baby with gilded koi fish. The elaborate floral and butterfly ginger jar, beautifully crafted in the cloisonné enamel technique, adds another luxurious dose of color.


Along the top ledge are four blue and white Chinese porcelain cups with intricate bird and branch designs clustered around the portrait of a young eighteenth century lady. This elegant hand colored print overlaps a larger fragmented eighteenth century print chosen at the flea market in Rome for it’s unique subject matter. This romantic work of art centered on an enthroned female was framed shadowbox style to accentuate the ravages of time on the 250 year old paper.

The image of an elegantly seated female is echoed by an unusual old cast metal sculpture depicting a regal noblewoman seated with an anchor. Light from the beautifully carved antique lamp of polish Carrara marble plays off the gilding of an unusual hand carved Italian Rococo scroll mirror, as well as a realistic pair of cast brass antelope antlers and the softly aged patina of a finely detailed brass wall sconce.

Photos and home staging by KS&D.

Opposites Attract

One of the best aspects of the eclectic aesthetic is the limitless freedom to mix and match pieces culled from various backgrounds, cultures, and styles. A great way to draw attention to special pieces is by pairing them with unlikely mates as illustrated here by a collection of fine porcelain displayed on the bare wood shelf of this rustic cabinet.

The intricate detailing of these elaborate porcelain Rococo candelabra is somehow more evident when contrasted against the natural graining of the surrounding beadboard. Not only does the raw wood throw the lavish candelabra into high relief but the porcelain also serves to ennoble the rustic nature of the simple cabinet.

Filling out the elegant china collection are several pieces of fine French Limoges including a beautiful hand painted pink and gold antique bowl, a floral Haviland biscuit jar, a fancy footed compote dish, and a charming pair of antique scallop shell saltcellars. At the center is a wonderfully realistic Italian majolica fruit pyramid adding a touch of whimsy. The blue and white china plates round out the display nicely while contributing a subtle hint of pattern to the mix.

The porcelain and china has been limited to the center shelf allowing for stacks of art books and a handful of unique accessories including a classical bust, an antique horse sculpture, and a fanciful birdcage of wire scrollwork holding a potted vine.

Photos and styling by Knickerbocker.

Antique & Vintage Porcelain & Fine China

Here's a look into part of a large arched china breakfront lining the hall opposite the arrangement seen in a previous post. The gentle sloping arch of the glass fronted door makes a lovely frame for a selection of porcelain pieces featured in our online shop. The lower shelf is almost entirely devoted to an elegant Bavarian porcelain dessert service adorned with lush depicts of ripe fruits.

The upper shelf continues the theme with a collection of vintage German porcelain plates featuring baskets overflowing with fruit along the finely detailed borders. The plates make a lovely backdrop for an intricately hand-painted porcelain pitcher and cup set covered in realistically rendered clusters of acorn and oak leaves.


Photos and styling by KS&D.