The Art of Setting the Table in Sandy Springs

The home of Michele Glazer Hirsh is a refined mélange of heirlooms, carefully chosen antiques, family memorabilia, contemporary art and pottery, and tabletop collectibles. All this creates the ambiance of a welcoming salon, a warm gathering place with comfortable furniture and lots to see and enjoy. Hirsh, a well-known Atlanta realtor, modestly describes her residence as “a French traditional, with easy living on the primary floor” — but it’s much more than that.

A panetière, a French breadbasket, held many loaves at one time.

Many of Hirsh’s prize possessions were acquired in her world travels, including a trip to Vietnam with her daughter, Molly, who is currently a student in medical school. Among tableaux of interesting objects are intricately decorated magnifying glasses, a congregation of handmade and vintage tzedkah boxes, and rare books and other ephemera in English, Hebrew and Yiddish. Hanging above an armoire is a panetière, a provincial French bread safe that once held many loaves. Scrapbooks and albums artistically preserve delicate photos, letters and valuable documents that are enduring links to family history, which Hirsh highly values. The abundance of beauty creates an aura of hominess and amity.

Hirsh takes visitors into the dining room, where lively gatherings of friends and family often dine on British hand-painted ironstone dishes, along with Waterford water goblets, a large crystal epergne centerpiece, Wallace Grand Baroque sterling silver flatware and serving pieces specifically designed for every imaginable culinary use. The large table accommodates a silver sugar cellar with a cobalt blue glass insert, a double-lidded silver biscuit basket, an asparagus dish and an unusual silver asparagus server. The décor also includes a pair of large Chinese porcelain vases on a sideboard and a vintage tureen on a nearby glass table.

Glazer inherited 103 pieces of these hand-painted English ironstone dishes from her mother.

Hirsh is an admired hostess, famous for setting a gorgeous table. Much of her tableware is inherited from her parents or was gifted to her by loving friends and family; however, she occasionally adds unique pieces that she finds at estate sales, favorite antique and silver shops, and occasionally the Scott Antique Markets. “I own several sets of dishes, but my largest set is hand-painted English ironstone, which has 103 separate pieces. I also have a collection of silver Kiddush cups. There are at least 30 because that’s how many I need when I host a seder.”

Downstairs, in a large pantry, Hirsh stores an extensive collection of dishes, serving plates and bowls, tableware, and food-related decorative items. Many pieces have been in her family for generations, yet all are in excellent condition and ready to be used. Two decorated matzoh plates belonged to Hirsh’s maternal grandfather, Rabbi Meir Tabaksman, who immigrated to America nearly 100 years ago (his framed immigration certificate hangs on one wall). He eventually became a mohel and shochet (ritual kosher slaughterer) in Memphis, Tennessee. Rabbi Tabaksman once owned a small piece of property in early 20th century British-occupied Palestine, which the family eventually sold to be part of a large project in modern Israel. (The intriguing saga of Hirsh’s immigrant family — she and her siblings are first-generation Americans — deserves its own story!)

This Vienna Royal porcelain set is at least 70 years old.

The tour of Hirsh’s home and her many outstanding collections ended with lunch served on an octagonal breakfast room table, set with a charming Herend tea set. It’s not often that one has the opportunity to dine in a sunny spot with Hirsh and her visiting California-based twin sister, surrounded by intriguing objects. Hirsh hosts lots of gatherings, especially for those near and dear to her, and she seems to be related to half of the “old Atlanta” families. Still, she’s always happy to meet and befriend new people. Nodding to her sister, she reflects, “Best of all, we’re friends with people we’ve known all our lives!”