Entertaining Ideas from Thomas

[Above, Thomas Jayne on his NOLA balcony, courtesy NYSD]

A few months ago, I had a great time researching a silver story for Southern Accents. In addition to everyone's favorite blogging scholar, Emily Eerdmans, and Beverly Bremer Silver Shop's resident historian, Joseph Brady, the wonderful Thomas Jayne was immensely helpful to me.

Thomas is remarkable because he is an interior designer with a Master's degree in American Architecture and Decorative Arts from Winterthur (he also completed fellowships at the Met and the J. Paul Getty Museum). But equally important, he has a terrific sense of humor and knows how to have good time. After all, he keeps an apartment in New Orleans.

So, I asked Thomas what he thinks about using silver coffee and tea services in the 21st century. Many people receive beautiful old silver from a grandmother or great-aunt but rarely use it because it seems like a huge hassle or feels too fussy. However, since everyone is eating-in these days, it could be fun to put the vintage pieces to use.

He says, “The way to use a tea service today is relax the setting with an interesting combination of elements but still enforce a sense of occasion by its use.”

Thomas prefers to serve in a space away from the dining table to add variety to an evening gathering with friends. “Center the service in a beautiful part of your home and make it a fun occasion with a bit of old fashioned ceremony,” he advises.

Like many older silver services, the set he inherited does not include a tray, but he prefers to mix materials to take the edge off the formality. He may place his pots, creamer and sugar holder on a wood tray or add a straw basket for cookies. “What I have done in preparation for using ours is to fill two thermoses, one with coffee and one with hot water, then when the party is about to begin, I fill the coffee pot with hot water to warm it up, then replace it with coffee.”

Thomas has thoughts on fresh ways to display silver too. Apart from bedrooms, where he says tea sets look incongruous, the designer recommends displaying them wherever the service would really be used—on an occasional table in a library, great room, or garden room, as a focal point in a pantry, or on a butler’s tray.

BTW: Vogue’s Book of Etiquette, 1969, encouraged young brides to acquire sterling silver and use it frequently. “The service of afternoon tea is based on one major premise—the hostess must pour the tea herself. Whether it is made in the kitchen and brought in the pot or if a more elaborate procedure with a kettle and tea caddy is followed, the hostess must pour the tea from the pot to the cup.”

The complete story with Erica George Dines beautiful photography is in the March-April Southern Accents. The silver service, above, and a vast array of estate silver is available at Beverly Bremer. Image three, with the silver cups, is courtesy Leontine Linens. Image five via NYSD.

Thermos available at Antique Mystique