I’ve Been Collecting These Nostalgic Lenox Pieces for 17 Years & They’re So Cute for Spring

Growing up as the child of an avid gardener, my earliest memories are of my mother’s gloved hands working the earth, showing me where to plant tiny Zinnia seeds and how to press the soil over them. And with the arrival of warmer weather, I always anticipated seeing fresh rows of hydrangea bushes, plus lilac and magnolia trees in bloom all up and down my Midwestern street. Spring was my favorite season.

It’s no surprise that, as an adult living in LA, I still love to celebrate the coming of spring. And what better way to welcome the new season than by a change in decor? In honor of the return of the songbirds and new growth everywhere, I just pulled out my cherished pieces from the Lenox Butterfly Meadow Collection. Like daffodils, they’ve been dormant all winter, stowed away carefully in my china cabinet — but now their whimsical, cheerful designs are a welcome sight on my tabletop.

I unexpectedly began collecting pieces of this lively, elegant Lenox collection one February afternoon in 2008, when it caught my eye while browsing for my wedding registry. There, under the bright department-store lights, in the center of the endless shelves were the butterfly dishes of my dreams. More casual than wedding china, and instantly lovable, this porcelain collection featured an array of delicately painted wildflowers, butterflies, and bumblebees, all suspended in nature in a springtime palette of brightly colored hues and pastels. 

Let’s be real — there was no way I was leaving the store without those plates. They’d won my heart. So while the rest of the items I saw were added to a long-winded wedding wish list, these beauties came home with me that night. And they’re still with me today, along with their charming dessert bowl counterparts, sandwich platter, divided serving dish, and butterfly glasses. And I’m just getting started. 

Originally launched in 2000, Lenox’s best-selling Butterfly Meadow dinnerware is known for its signature scalloped edge that makes the charming pattern instantly recognizable. The graceful, fanciful designs themselves are enough to lift the mood of any gathering and elevate a Sunday brunch or teatime with friends (from offhanded casual to slightly more dressy). 

As the original Butterfly Meadow pieces grew in popularity, Lenox has since expanded the line to feature even more serveware and pretty motifs — you can find anything from trivets and teakettles to flatware and glassware. That includes the Butterfly Meadow Bunny collection and its adorable accent plates, matching bunny mugs, and bunny-covered butter dish that make the perfect additions to my Easter table. And for a finishing touch, you can lay all of your beauties out on a Butterfly Meadow Garden Tablecloth.

Lenox pieces are surprisingly more affordable than you might think — a Butterfly Meadow four-piece dinner set starts at just $69.95. And they even offer a Lenox Replacement Promise, which guarantees replacement of any Lenox brand dinnerware or coordinating serveware piece if it’s broken. Like, forever. 

Once I found this darling dishware collection, I never looked back. A landscape of spring laid out in a dizzying array of butterflies, birds, and bees amid dahlias and bluebells bending in the breeze … what more could a city girl want?