An apple a day

Vintage teatowel detail showing fruit & vegetable illustration | H is for Home

Where were we with our nature-influenced design blog posts? We’ve been slightly sidetracked with the opening of our new shop.

tea towel detail showing fruit and vegetables | H is for Home tea towel detail showing fruit and vegetables | H is for Home
Details of a vintage 1960s/70s calorific value tea towel

We’ve previously looked at fish, birds, flowers and leaves – today it’s the turn of fruit & vegetables.

tea cup and saucer; 'Eden' design by Meakin | H is for Home Figgjo Flint butter dish | H is for Home
‘Eden’ design by Meakin & Figgjo Flint butter dish

Vintage footed strawberry plate | H is for Home1950s strawberry bowl

They’ve been used as inspiration in artwork, illustration, decorative objects and unsurprisingly kitchen and dining wares.

pottery spice pot with apple decoration made by Hornsea Pottery | H is for Home pottery milk jug produced by Goebel Pottery | H is for Home
Hornsea Pottery & Goebel Pottery

Lidded Arabia orange marmalade pot | H is for Home Vintage Arabia apple preserve pot | H is for Home
Pair of Arabia preserve pots

Apples have always proved a very popular decorative subject, particularly strong during the 1960s & 70s it seems.

Wooden apple | H is for Home Blue glass apple | H is for Home

We love this glass apple designed by Ingeborg Lundin for Orrefors in 1955

Glass apple designed by Ingeborg Lundin for Orrefors | H is for Home

Comfort me with apples slipware pottery charger | H is for Home

Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love – Song of Solomon, 2:5, King James bible.

Bill Charmatz vintage illustration of bowl of fruit | H is for Home Bill Charmatz vintage illustration of a stock pot | H is for Home

Cookbook illustrations from the 1950s are a firm favourite of ours.

And obviously you’ll need something to put all this fruit & veg in!!

Vintage cane fruit bowl | H is for Home Vintage Rye Pottery fruit bowl | H is for Home

These are two nice recent finds – a 1960s globe cane fruit basket and a 1950s Rye Pottery fruit dish.

Watch the birdie!

Detail of birds taken from a vintage tin | H is for Home

In our last blog we were musing over the influence of nature on artists & designers. Also how nature has been interpreted in book illustrations etc. We randomly began with ‘fish’ as a sub-theme, we’re going to continue, equally randomly, with vintage bird illustrations.

detail of teatowel with bird decoration | H is for Home detail of teatowel with bird decoration | H is for Home

1960s Irish linen tea towel

vintage storage jar with colourful parrot decoration | H is for Homekitchen storage jar

The items featured are again predominantly vintage finds from the 1950s, 60s & 70s. They include artworks, books and domestic wares.

amber coloured glass bird | H is for Home Brown glass robin | H is for Home
1960s Wedgewood glass birds

Check out the fantastic bird series produced for Iittala by the Finnish glass designer, Oiva Toikka started in 1973. They’re still being made today having amassed a range of over 300 designs.

John Clappison Hornsea mug with blue owl design | H is for Home John Clappison Hornsea mug with yellow owl design | H is for Home John Clappison Hornsea mug with toucan design | H is for Home John Clappison Hornsea mug with Libra design | H is for Home
John Clappison designs for Hornsea Pottery – mugs & hen ashtray

John Clappison Hornsea ashtray with hen design | H is for Home

small pottery dish with bird decoration | H is for HomeMexican pin dish

1950s cocktail drinks tray | H is for Home 1950s cocktail tray detail | H is for Home
1950s cocktail tray

We’re really pleased with this recent biscuit tin acquisition, picked up in a mixed box at a nearby auction.

vintage biscuit tin with colourful bird decoration | H is for Homefantastic 1950s graphics
vintage biscuit tin with colourful bird decoration | H is for Home vintage biscuit tin with colourful bird decoration | H is for Home

Mid century books can be a rich source of high quality, period illustrations.

Birds of Britain book cover | H is for Home

We dipped into our vintage cookery book collection again and came out with some little gems.

Collection of Stork margarine cook books | H is for Homecollection of 1950s Stork margarine recipe booklets

Bill Charmatz chicken illustration | H is for Home Bill Charmatz chicken illustration | H is for Home
Bill Charmatz illustrations
Detail from the front cover of Esquire Cook Book | H is for Home
Esquire Cook Book front cover. First published in 1956

Charley Harper illustration of an owl wearing a chef's hat | H is for Home Charley Harper illustration of long tailed birds | H is for Home Charley Harper illustration of a chicken on a drum | H is for Home
Charley Harper illustrations

Charley Harper illustration for 'Dinner for Two' Betty Crocker cook book | H is for Home

We hope you’ve enjoyed looking at our avian delights. Stay tuned for flowers, foliage, landscapes and much more!