Posts Tagged ‘enamelware’

Forthcoming Attractions: Early May 2012

Friday, May 4th, 2012

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vintage orange enamel Cathrineholm "Lotus" kettle with vintage orange floral patterned apron and orange floral print Staffordshire Pottery mug

There isn’t the usual number of items in this Forthcoming Attractions post. It’s just that they really summed up the last few days. We had a magazine photoshoot on Wednesday chez H is for Home. The groovy flower-power apron represents the hours of cleaning we had to do before they arrived – and the fabulous Cathrineholm kettle represents the endless cups of tea that kept us going! It’s not that we live in a dirty house or anything, but there’s a constant battle against coal dust & dog fur.

Both items will be hitting the shop soon – and a further post about the photoshoot will follow very shortly too!

Fine Finel Find!

Friday, April 20th, 2012

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detailed view of red, vintage Finel enamel mug decorated with repeating bird pattern

Perhaps ‘find’ is too strong a word – more a patient track down. We’ve long coveted this particular enamel mug designed by Kaj Franck for Finel.

red, vintage Finel enamel mug decorated with repeating bird pattern

We’ve been holding out for a really good example, in pristine condition. Our wait ended this week when we won the bidding on a well-known auction website. We just love the stylised birds and fiery colours – it really is a stunner!

view of the base of a red, vintage Finel enamel mug decorated with repeating bird pattern

Finel is responsible for some fantastic pieces of enamelware.

red, vintage Finel enamel kettle

Great designers such as the aforementioned Kaj Franck, Seppo Mallat and Antti Nurmesniemi worked for the company.

detailed view of a red, vintage Finel enamel kettle

Their pieces are decorative, functional & well made.

large, vintage Finel enamel bowl decorated with mushroom pattern

We have quite a few pieces dotted around the house including cups, teapots & bowls.

detailed view of a large, vintage Finel enamel bowl decorated with mushroom pattern

This bowl is decorated with a fabulous mushroom design. It was probably intended for the kitchen or dining table, but ours seems to have adopted the role of tea light storage container!

collection of blue vintage Finel enamel bowl decorated with circles in a square pattern

We also like to keep examples for sale in the shop. We currently have one of the teapot/kettles shown above. Also, this lovely set of bowls – perfect for serving starters, salads, curries, desserts – anything really! It consists of one large bowl with the geometric circle/grid design and six smaller bowls in the same vibrant blue.

detailed view of a collection of blue vintage Finel enamel bowl decorated with circles in a square pattern

One more design that still eludes us is the repeating red & white heart shape one – but we’re keeping our eyes peeled!

D is for… Daisy

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

"D is for Daisy" banner

The vintage skirt below was the inspiration for today’s post. It recently caught my (Adelle’s) eye in the window of one of Manchester’s Northern Quarter vintage shops – a real bargain at just £2!

vintage black and daisy patterned skirt

So this post is going to be a feast of fab flowers…

vintage Staffordshire Pottery mug setvintage Staffordshire Pottery mug set

vintage drinking glass with orange & yellow daisy pattern

vintage Figgjo Flint 'Turi' cup and saucer vintage 'Dolly Days' cup and saucer designed by John Russell for Hostess Tableware in the 1960s

A gallery of items that incorporate daisy motifs or simple, stylised blooms.

vintage gravy boat decorated with simple flower motif

vintage flower patterned make-up bag vintage flower patterned oven glove

montage of vintage daisy patterned enamel pots and pans

set of vintage flower patterned coasters designed by Al and Lena Eklund set of vintage flower patterned coasters

vintage Pyrex bowl decorated with green flower motif

These striking patterns often catch our eye on a crowded market stall or auction room full of boxes.

vintage flower patterned tea towel

vintage flower patterned curtains

We had so many examples to chose from – this is just a small selection…

vintage Staffordshire Pottery storage jar

vintage Staffordshire Pottery storage jar vintage Staffordshire Pottery storage jar

vintage Genia Sapper 'Heidi' fabric

vintage flower patterned curtains vintage flower patterned bedspread

vintage Genia Sapper 'Heidi' fabric

…hope you enjoyed our choices!

O is for… Orange

Saturday, July 12th, 2008

Original ink & wash painting by Geoffrey Key entitled Welsh Valley

This week’s blog is a small homage to a glorious colour. O just had to be for orange.

We are big fans, and judging by our popular photos on Flickr and items that always sell well on H is for Home, so are a lot of you out there.

Orange has the wonderful ability to look warm & cosy in the winter or lively & fresh in the summer.

Orange objects really catch the eye. It enables them to shout loudly in a collection of other brightly coloured pieces.

Alternatively, it’s perfect as a highlight colour within a muted decor or against natural materials.

We’ve given a few chairs the orange treatment!

We did a G is for Garden a couple of months ago having just planted out some annuals. Our French marigolds are doing well in the sunshine & showers.

Till next week! x

J is for…

Friday, June 6th, 2008

J is for banner

Composite image of Flickr images of Quistaard designs

1. collection of pepper grinders, 2. Vintage Scandinavian enamelware, 3. Dansk Pot – $2.25, 4. Paella Pan, 5. Dansk Grinders & Shakers, 6. Mostly vintage Finel , 7. My collection of vintage enamel pots from Scandinavia, 8. Dansk – Kobenstyle – Quistgaard, 9. quistgaard pepper mill, 10. Kobenstyle Pot, 11. Untitled, 12. Vintage pots, 13. Jens Quistgaard Bead candleholders, 14. salt & pepper grinders 15. grandmother’s dansk, 16. Vintage Dansk LTD IHQ QUISTGAARD Danish Modern Mid Century Modernism Candle Tiny Taper Holder, 17. danish pitcher, 18. pepper grinder, 19. red dansk kobenstyle stock pot, 20. kobenstyle score

Danish-born Jens Quistgaard was one of Scandinavia’s leading designers with a vast product range that included furniture, kitchen equipment, tableware and more.

He is most closely associated with Dansk International Designs, a company which he co-founded with American entrepreneur Ted Nierenberg.

Their partnership lasted for 30 years, Quistgaard being responsible for the majority of designs produced.

He worked in a variety of materials including iron, steel, ceramic and wood. It is wood, and in particular teak, which most often springs to mind when Jens Quistgaard is mentioned. Classic pieces such as his teak ice bucket, designed in 1960.

Quistgaard teak ice bucket

Also, the Fjord cutlery range designed in 1953, this time teak combined with stainless steel.

Quistgaard 'Fjord' cutlery set

There are plenty of pieces in other materials that are worth looking out for.

We love these vibrantly coloured, enamel cooking pots from the Kobenstyle range of 1954.

Orange Quistgaard 'Kobenstyle' casserole dish

His cast iron candle holders from 1955 combine sculptural shapes with a distinctive industrial quality.

Quistgaard cast iron candle holder Quistgaard cast iron candle holder

Sadly, he passed away this January at the age of 88. However, he left a wonderful legacy which lives on in his designs.

We often have Quistgaard pieces available at H is for Home- just run a word search for Jens or Dansk.

Dansk tea light holders Dansk tea light holders

For more information about Jens Quistgaard and Dansk Designs, try some of the following books & websites:

Scandinavian Design by Charlotte & Peter Fiell (Amazon USA)


Scandinavian Design by Charlotte & Peter Fiell (Amazon UK)

Architonic – Feature of a selection of Jens Quistgaard products

DesignAddict – Feature of a selection of Jens Quistgaard products

New York Times – Jens Quistgaard obituary