We’ve got a varied selection of vintage homewares heading for the shop again this month.
There are some lovely children’s items. Various vintage games with beautifully illustrated boards & cards – and this gorgeous little Vulcan sewing machine which looks virtually unused. Of course they don’t have to be the preserve of the nursery or play room. We’ve got vintage children’s books & games dotted all over the house. Some of the artwork can be just superb.
Moving onto more grown-up matters and a bit of Denby Pottery – two of our favourite patterns as it happens. Namely “Arabesque”, designed by Gill Pemberton in the form of this gigantic coffee pot. Also an example of the very hard to find “Trees” pattern with this purple lidded soup bowl. The shape is also attributed to Gill Pemberton, but the fantastic psychedelic pattern with it’s candy striped ploughed fields & spotty sky is the work of Diana Woodcock Beckering. It was only produced for one year, hence its rarity.
Another pottery pattern that we’ve always liked is “Fiesta” by Barker Bros, with its utensil & crockery outline design – very 1950s in feel and similar in style to the classic “Homemaker” range. It sits alongside the Cathrineholm kettle in this photo. Mid century modern fans will know that the designer was Grete Prytz Kittelson, but that’s only half the story. She was indeed responsible for the shape & colour – in fact she preferred to leave them plain, but the company decided to add the repeat “Lotus” leaf design. This was the work of Arne Clausen – he doesn’t always get the credit, so we like to give him a mention.
This enamel pan is unmarked and we’ve not tracked down a maker/designer as yet. It dates from the 1960s/70s and is a lovely deep olive green colour – the contrasting orange lid finial is a nice touch. It sits on some floral fabric from the same era. It’s a pair of curtains to be accurate – ready to hang as they are or perfect for up-cycling into all manner of vintage, crafty loveliness.
Next we have a bit of industrial chic which Justin is very much into at the moment. This work lamp was produced by a company called “Nettle” and dates to the 1940s or 50s. It’s got a great look with hard rubber casing and the sculptural wire cage to protect the bulb – and there’d be no need to worry about it reaching the desired location from your plug socket as the lead is about 30 feet long!!
You’ll notice a very sweet little vintage milk bottle next to the lamp – it even has its original paper lid asking for bottles to be returned. We think a group of vintage milk bottles looks lovely on a windowsill, the sunlight highlighting the different shapes & colours. They also look great with a few cut flowers in – anyone out there live in Cottenham?
Last but not least is the side table that the items are all sitting on. The blonde wood looks like beech and the table has classic 1950s styling – the kidney-shaped top sitting above three splayed legs. We’ve actually got a pair of these which is very desirable. They’re just missing a penguin paperback, lamp and nice cup of tea!
