Hotel Silver adds understated elegance, the possibility of a good story, depending on how you found yours. The best way to find hotel silver is to simply be aware and on the lookout for it. You would be surprised by the timing or places where it might appear. Antique stores and estate sales are obvious bets, but when you least expect it, you will start seeing it if you are on the lookout. I was once in New York, staying at the Plaza Hotel during it’s final week before construction was to start to convert part of it to condo. Talk about the right place at the right time, it was a jackpot for hotel everything, being sold for pennies on the dollar, with MY last initial on it. Pure luck. I have been collecting it over the years and absolutely love my mismatched collection in the works. A surprising treasure trove of hotel silver is Bergdorf Goodman on 5th Avenue… they have an entire DEPARTMENT full of the good stuff, up on the home floor.
it is most definitely worth checking out when in New York.
just a few examples, above and below of what they have
Hotel Silver can add elegance and glamor to any room. It is charming and it has a story to tell. Would I like to hear some of those stories! The toast racks and barware in the 2 photos above, from Bergdorf Goodman , are so charming, and increasingly available as people take less and less time for sit down breakfasts or entertaining at home… The salt and pepper shakers can be used for other often used spices like cinnamon sugar, and I have even seen them used on bedside tables for scented powders for linens. Some of the smaller silver trays are great on a bathroom countertop.
These handsome Claridge’s pieces are for sale in Dallas at Madison~ wouldn’t those look chic in your home? Super cool, I love the subtle elegance of those pieces. They are even dated.
The Difference Hotel Silver Can Make:
Trust me when I say that the coffee pot in the above picture made a simple bakery-bought breakfast taste way better and very 5-star, via appearance alone. A dining experience incorporates all of your senses, don’t ever forget that. Hotel silver is the ultimate special touch for entertaining; minimal effort on the host’s behalf creates forever memories for the honored guest. Would you rather see the Mr Coffee pot or this hotel service on the table? What a difference it makes… and hotel silver keeps coffee HOT.
Toast racks make great cocktail napkin holders on the bar or letter racks on the desk…
Stretch the boundaries beyond the conventional uses for these items, pull them out of storage and assign them new everyday uses. When you see hotel silver at estate sales, grab it, especially when it is not a hot trend and prices are undervalued. Silver value is on the upswing.
Lynn Goldfinger, the owner of the Paris Hotel Boutique, wrote an interesting post about the Waldorf Astoria “Amnesty Program”, an attempt to recover some of their hotel “history” from relatives of hotel guests who might have lifted a hotel memento back in the day. Lynn raises a good point- perhaps pieces were acquired from hotel auctions that sold the old pieces in order to buy new…
Lucky girl, to clean up on some original Plaza Hotel silver… nice way to start a collection. Great idea!
Very fortunate indeed to get a bit of the double P silver, hand towels, a few formal plates, etc — and newly into my marriage when I had just become a Price.
Great post, sorry i wasn’t able to add any expertise for you. But it looks like your knowledge is much greater than mine in this area. But that is what has kept my interest in antiques for so long. There are just so many things you don’t know very much about no matter how long we have been in this business.
It probable hurt my business some by trying new and different things rather than staying with the tried and true.
What a fun thing to collect. As we say many times about antiques, if they could only talk and tell us all of the things they have seen through the years. But then with hotel silver, maybe we don’t want to know some of those stories.LOL
You are too funny, Charles. The hotel silver could give us great reads in the style of Dominick Dunne – I would love that!
I agree, and when I had spare time in my younger years, I loved placing pieces here and there! I have a mint julep cup for toothbrushes (from a yacht club), I have a small silver hotel tray I keep keys on in the kitchen (helps my daughter And me get out the door), and I have a bar tray under a lamp in the guest powder room. As my daughter gets older, it helps keep our small home look refined, but not too formal. Love your posts, Courtney!!
Thanks, Bleakney. I bet your home looks tres chic with the creative use of those nice pieces. Can’t wait to see it.
OMG I love your pieces!! I love using a toast rack for the mail. You are so creative. And that you scored some pieces from the Plaza is the best part!
yes, the very best part! Tks for stopping by, AC
I am getting the toast rack out PDQ! Elegant organizing thanks to you!
ha, thanks Rita, I love all of the fun ideas I get from you as well!
Hi Courtney, just ran into this article–great story! Thanks for the mention as well!
Lynn
Of course, Lynn, I love your site and your inventory! 🙂