It’s no surprise that I love to set the table. I often use the glasses from my grandmother’s house in England which are our everyday — she bought so many that we all have a set. They are simple, thin-rimmed wine glasses with an elegant shape. I haven’t been able to find a similar set, but I think that it’s easy to use the same principal of having your foundation glassware and then padding it with fun finds: colored glass, etched, and incomplete sets or specialty glasses found on your travels.
I seek out glasses which are non-fussy and not t00 precious but do have an eye for the delicate/feminine vs. the clunky goblet. So many of my grandmother’s glasses in France look very special but are 90’s Anthropologie which are elevated by their setting and the plates/napkins/linens. Indeed, glassware is important but should remain neutral enough that you can use it in a variety of circumstances and not feel that you need too many complete sets (unless you are a fanatic like me!).
I love champagne glasses and have a complete set (12) of #4 which is my favorite pattern from Williams-Sonoma and comes in every type of glass you might need, from martini to tumbler; I think that they are pretty and timeless and special without being so special (given that they are from a larger company) that you worry if one breaks — very replaceable! I also love numbers 1 & 3 for special occasions and 2 is a classic — Simon Pearce is great! Below I have some fun vintage (or similar style) colored and etched glass which I love to collect, even in small numbers.
(1/2/3/4 (similar, better??)/5/6/7)
And last, some household classics. Most of my collections are clear and blue — the terra cotta in the photograph below are from our trip to Cuba in 2012. They are for a special after dinner drink which is made from honey, lemon, hot water and rum and knocked Will & I sideways in a memorable fashion so had to be collected even though I use them more often as little bud vases!
(etched glasses, blue glasses, blue tumbler, blue stems, moroccan tea glasses)