The elephant in the room

'The elephant in the room!' blog post banner

Vintage Gustavsberg Lisa Larson elephant tile with mugs of cacti

We’ve chosen this fabulous wall plaque that we bought on Monday as the week’s favourite buy. It’s only Wednesday, but we don’t think we’ll better it in the next few days!

Vintage Gustavsberg Lisa Larson elephant tile

This particular elephant in the room is the work of Swedish designer Lisa Larson – produced at the renowned Gustavsberg factory where she worked for over two decades.

Detail from a vintage Gustavsberg Lisa Larson elephant tile

We love the design – the raised, textured decoration forming the elephant and riders’ decorative costumes. The colourway is very attractive too with gorgeous cool blues and chalky whites.

Detail from a vintage Gustavsberg Lisa Larson elephant tile showing signature stamp

The condition is very good; it has the ‘Lisa L’ stamp to the front of the plaque and Gustavsberg paper label to the reverse. Everything a collector would want.

Detail from a vintage Gustavsberg Lisa Larson elephant tile showing the Gustavsberg label

It joins another one of her tiles in the H is for Home shop – a contrasting yet equally fabulous design in the form of a Viking ship.

Saving the Pennies

'Saving the Pennies' blog post banner

Detail of vintage 1950s pottery money box | H is for Home

We bought this great vintage money box last week – made by Dendan Ware in the late 1950s or early 1960s…

Mosaic of four views of a vintage 1950s pottery money box | H is for Home

…featuring a hip young girl saving her pennies for life’s essentials – holidays, clothes, handbags, socialising.

Vintage tin money box decorated with owls | H is for Home

It followed hot on the heels of another recent money box find. We posted this one on Flickr & it’s proved very popular – people just love owls! We’re going to add it to the website soon.

Collection of 3 vintage Arthur Wood piggy banks in various sizes | H is for Home

It’s going to join our family of Arthur Wood pigs who are already enjoying an idyllic free-range life there.

Green plastic vintage money box designed bu Luigi Colani in the 1960s | H is for Home

We love this elephant money box designed by Luigi Colani for Dresdsner Bank in 1963. It’s made from hard, moulded plastic and comes in various sizes & colours.

vintage Carltonware owl moneybox in orange | H is for Home

Back to owls – this vintage money box is from a range produced by Carltonware Pottery in the 1960s. The range features an eclectic mix of subjects including pigs, princesses & pirates – here are just a few!

Vintage Carlton Ware Pottery money box in the shape of an ark | H is for Home

Vintage Carlton Ware Pottery money box in the shape of a pig | H is for Home

Vintage Carlton Ware money box in the shape of a pirate | H is for Home Vintage Carlton Ware Pottery money box in the shape of a monocled gentleman | H is for Home

If you’ve got pennies to save, these certainly beat an old jam jar!

Z is for… Zoo

Vintage comic illustration of a zoo keeper and animals | H is for Home

We’ve reached the end of the alphabet… and ‘Z’ is for zoo. Our virtual zoo is full of animals beautifully interpreted in pottery, glass, textiles, book illustrations and more. All our animals are well looked after… and there’s no entrance fee!!

1960s lion tile designed by Kenneth Townsend | H is for Home
1960s lion tile designed by Kenneth Townsend
Detail from a vintage fabric peg bag | H is for Home
Detail from a vintage fabric peg bag
Vintage glass ram designed by Pavel Pánek for Rudolfova Hut Glass, part of the SKLO UNION Group of Czechoslovakia | H is for Home
Vintage glass ram designed by Pavel Pánek for Rudolfova Hut Glass, part of the SKLO UNION Group of Czechoslovakia
Vintage childrens book cover: 'A Peaceable Kingdom, the Shaker Abecedarius' illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen | H is for Home
Vintage children’s book cover
Vintage childrens book cover: 'A Peaceable Kingdom, the Shaker Abecedarius' illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen | H is for Home
Shaker Abecedarius illustration
Vintage childrens book cover: 'A Peaceable Kingdom, the Shaker Abecedarius' illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen | H is for Home
Shaker Abecedarius illustration
Vintage childrens book cover: 'A Peaceable Kingdom, the Shaker Abecedarius' illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen | H is for Home
List of animals in the Shaker Abecedarius
Vintage Beefeater steak plates by Washington Pottery | H is for Home
Vintage 1960s ‘Beefeater’ steak plates by Washington Pottery
Vintage Staffordshire pottery mug with orange cat illustration | H is for Home
Vintage 1970s Staffordshire pottery mug
Vintage Hornsea 'Aries' mug designed by John Clappison | H is for Home
Vintage 1960s/70s Hornsea pottery mug
Life of St Martin: 'St Martin with dogs' illustrated by Emile Probst, 1966 | H is for Home
‘Life of St Martin’ illustrated by Emile Probst, 1966
Vintage Acupulco chopping board by Villeroy & Boch | H is for Home
Vintage 1960s ‘Acapulco’ chopping board by Villeroy & Boch
Detail from a vintage Acupulco chopping board by Villeroy & Boch | H is for Home
‘Acapulco’ chopping board detail
Vintage 1970s Danish pottery plaque of a snail designed by Ib Antoni for Bing and Grøndahl | H is for Home
Vintage 1970s Danish pottery plaque of a snail designed by Ib Antoni for Bing and Grøndahl
Illustration of an elephant carrying children from 'This is Edinburgh' by Miroslav Sasek, 1961 | H is for Home
Illustration from ‘This is London’ by Miroslav Sasek, 1959
Illustration of penguins from 'This is Edinburgh' by Miroslav Sasek, 1961 | H is for Home
Illustration from ‘This is Edinburgh’ by Miroslav Sasek, 1961
Vintage Cadburys biscuit tin with colourful illustration of birds | H is for Home
Detail from a vintage 1950s Cadbury biscuit tin
Vintage 1950s pottery giraffe produced by Lomonosov of the USSR | H is for Home
Vintage 1950s pottery giraffe produced by Lomonosov of the USSR
Illustration by Dean Mitchell from 'Folk Tales of the World, Australia', 1965 | H is for Home
Illustration by Dean Mitchell from ‘Folk Tales of the World, Australia’, 1965
Little orange felt elephant made in Nepal | H is for Home
Little felt elephant made in Nepal
Vintage pottery owl plaque | H is for Home
Vintage 1960s/70s pottery owl plaque
Vintage Scandinavian teak mouse | H is for Home
Vintage 1960s Danish teak mouse
Tiger print by Wallase Ting | H is for Home
Tiger print by Walasse Ting