How about getting a table runner that would match them well? here are a few options:

http://deciture.com/shop/decor/world-market/blue-floral-paisley-table-runner/

http://deciture.com/shop/rugs/world-market/whippoorwill-table-runner/ (a little brighter, but would bring out the blue)

Hope this helps!

I understand your dilemma and why they aren't what you would have chosen. If they're meaningful to your dad, can you invite him over for a nice dinner and set the table with the Haviland? He won't care that they aren't just right with your silver ware, but he will feel great about you using them. Then store them away until the next time Dad comes over to eat.

Not suggesting this for your situation, Erin. But a neat idea for a broken heirloom!
A very nice gentleman we met at a recent artisan event.
https://www.liamshardjewelry.com/

I'm not going to rip into you for not feeling the sentiment..(. but you've reminded me of why we won't leave anything to anyone AFTER we are gone).... with that said, you can see if other members of the family appreciate and want it.... you have the right to have and use anything you feel like in your home, dear. If there is a sibling, niece, or nephew who loves it, giive it to them. Then, if you dine at their home, you will swell with pride because you payed it forward....

You could get a couple other china pieces for contrast and hang them on the wall in a plate collage!

Wow, everyone's had such nice things to say, and great ideas! Will definitely consider working in some gray with the table setting, and maybe a runner too. Thanks you guys!

My Dad passed away a few years ago and when my Mom had to move into a much smaller place, she asked me if I wanted her wedding china (similar to yours only in pink flowers).......its a huge set for 10 people.....they are totally not my style at all. I am an ultra modern kinda gal. Anyway, I asked my 17 year old daughter if she wanted the set and she did! So I got lucky in that the sentimentality gets carried down, but I am not stuck with them for very long. We bring them out when Mom visits for Holidays like was suggested above.

we are going through the same thing now. My Mother in-Law passed away end of January and we are already moving my Father in-Law into assisted living. They had really nice China, but it's not a 100% complete set, and we already have 2 stoneware sets we have been using. For my husband family, his sister doesn't seem to take it as something to pass down and would have to ship it across country anyway, so we are just going to donate it. We are going to be using a lot of other things he won't be using though.

I like the ideas others gave you in how to incorporate them into your decor :)

Why not mix them with some solid color dishes and see if that helps, you don't have to use them everyday but it might be fun to see how you can mix them up with something else for fun. Ilove changing up my table settings all the time and the more you do it the more ideas you get.

@PatriciaColwell - that is a great idea.
If you take a few pieces and mix it in with more "modern" pieces ... say a solid blue plate, solid whites, grays, silver or pewter chargers ...
It's hard to tell how much they go/don't go with what you have, as your table looks to be a classic oak oval (though, you've mixed it with more modern-industrial chairs) and I spy a bit of blue and white in a far chair too? so mayhaps you are moving in a more eclectic vein, design wise?
The Havilland would be lovely for a "dress-up" tea party or shower. Especially with a blue and white toile tablecloth, lacy napkins, and all the fol-de-rol you can find or borrow.
I got "stuck" with my grandmother's Franciscan apple ware when she died. No one else wanted them and I took them more out of respect than desire. However, they grew on me and now I feature them proudly. Tastes change. That, plus death and taxes, are the only sure things :-) Hang on to them for a few years, you never know.
If it doesn't work out, you can always send them to a place like http://www.replacements.com/ where they help fill in classic china pieces like this and it will be a treasured purchase.

I have the same set ,my grandmother got them for me when I got married 1990 ,I do not use them hardly ever .I will save them for my son and his wife someday.I think this set was a weekly item you could purchase from the groceries stores at that time adding a new piece every week ,In fact I am positive it was .My grandmother also purchased a set in green for my sister.

My Grandmother gave me the same set when I graduated from H.S. In '83. They were lost in a house fire a couple of years which made me very glad that I had displayed them in a china cabinet and enjoyed them for several years prior. I guess my point is, do something with them that makes you smile.

I am always surprised at the things I thought I'd never use, I wound up using. (And that the next generation found incredibly cool.) So glad I kept them! These would be great on a casual white cloth, mixed in with more rustic gray/white pieces. The juxtaposition would be really striking, without being formal. Would love these with small glass vases of lavendar (with the gray leaves) marching down the table. Or even with pieces of grayed driftwood as a centerpiece. Let your inner artist roam free.

My Mom has this entire set, and yes I remember it coming piece by piece I think from Loblaws back in the 70s. It's not my taste either but luckily my girlfriend loves it so it will find a home with her. I think it goes fine with the silverware you posted. I would put it on some white woven placemats so your wood table still shows, and mix it with solid white place settings. Haviland dinner plate with white salad plate, white dinner plate with haviland salad plate etc. Maybe use a silver tray under a centerpiece to go with the silver border on the china.

You seem to love blue in the rest of your furnishings...China just appears stark against your table. Have you considered a set of blue or blue-gray placemats or tablecloth? Just guessing you don't want to use on a daily basis.

Use them for holidays and cherish your memories, it does not matter if nothing matches.

Oh I LOVE them. ❤️. If you ever decide you don't want them... Let me know. ❤️

This is such a common problem among people our age ... our grandparents/parents are dying and they pass down something that used to be very popular in their day (collecting china and weird little tea cups, etc.) to people that do not use them today ... that is not how we live. They are simply a dated thing of the past that people are afraid to get rid of because of the sentimental value. The thing making it even harder to get rid of is because most of our older generations didn't have any money, this china is really the only thing they had to pass down so you feel really guilty getting rid of it .... it's like you're in essence looking at it as something that is really worthless for all intents and purposes yet this was like their most prized possession ... that is painful, at least it is for me. The problem is they are difficult to sell because they basically have no real monetary value as the market is flooded with this kind of stuff that everyone is trying to get rid of.

My advice would be ... if you're not going to use them, offer them to anyone else in the family who may feel differently, and if they don't want them, them find a way to try to get any money you can for them and move on ... maybe they will be actually used by someone else who needs them and creates their own memories with them. If you want to keep them, then just mix and match and try to make them work even if it's just for special occasions ... just decorate around them.

Either way, the bottom line is your grandmother I'm sure would want you using things that YOU like, and your memories of your grandmother are the real value ... not her old plates.

This is a good excuse to purchase a cabinet with glass front doors to "display" them and your other family treasures such as the prettiest vases and candle holders or candy dishes or cookie jars or canister sets when not being used for their intended purchase. Pick a larger, taller cabinet, even one with drawers or solid doors below the glass doors, and you can use it for items you want to store but not display. You don't need to arrange the all the dishes -- just stack most of them -- perhaps, getting a single plate stand to hold one plate or serving platter to be seen.

You could save the set for your daughters or nieces to begin their independent lives some day or offer the dishes to a family member that you know actually does like them.

You could check used furniture places such as the Habitat for Humanity Restore Store for a bargain on a cabinet.

I'm a mid mod person , too, and was given the same set as a wedding present. It is fiftyish, in a different way. I've used it for many family dinners over the years, mixed with simple white pieces. Unlike gold trim sets, this washes beautifully in the dishwasher, and its more compact size takes less space in the washer and drawer where I store it.

I use simple everyday place settings and white or navy on the table.

At least I know my daughter wants it later, as I asked her. It appeals to her traditional taste, and she has great memories of the occasions when it's been on the table.

If she didn't, I'd have no trouble finding a home for it. One sister and a sister in law have the same set.

You've already said it's not your taste. Keeping things out of obligation is a common problem that Marie Kondo addresses very clearly. I am the former owner of handed down china and silver. I want dishes and flatware I can toss in the dishwasher, dishes I can put in the microwave. That's modern carefree entertaining. In my case it was extremely expensive china, so in addition I was afraid to use it, $125 for a dropped teacup, don't want that kind of pressure. In the 15 years since I sold it, not once have I regretted that decision.

They WERE. A weekly grocery item you could buy every week! That is how I got mine! ❤️

Erin, what'd ya do? Enjoying reading as I have also inherited some....they can look nice on a wall in whatever room....

I had no idea there were so many more comments on this thread since Houzz wasn't sending me notifications. Sorry! I had a nice family dinner a few months ago and was able to use them. I tried to lean more rustic with some linen napkins I made and keeping the table bare. If you love something, you just make it work. I appreciate all the kind words and input!

Looks great! Dark blue would also update it.

Thank you, I agree!

Nice... I think I see a post office unit... :)

my mom mentioned once that she wasn't sure what to do with her china set since she didn't think anyone would want it. that surprised me since I always assumed I would get it. I was born when my father was in the service in Germany. he brought back a complete service for 12 with extras including soup turine, candle sticks, coffee and tea pitchers and dessert set. she only used it when we were younger for Christmas and Thanksgiving when extended family was there.

I say use it for family dinners or if you do want to sell, make sure all your family knows before you let it go.

I regret things of my grandparents leaving the family because I didn't know the were being sold or donated. sometimes even small, not valuable things bring the fondest memories. one of those for me was a snow globe from yellowstone park when they went there for their honeymoon. it really was the only thing in my grandmothers house that I remember playing with. sold at a garage sale I'm sure for less than $1.

Pair them with modern white pieces and yellow napkins and silver carafes and Gravy boat and salt pepper shakers