You are my Sunshine!

Yellow vintage Cathrineholm kettle | H is for Home

We bought this yellow Cathrineholm kettle with a view to it going into our webshop, but as soon as Adelle saw it emerge from its brown paper packaging, she went all Gollum from Lord of the Rings on us. “Come to me, my precious!”, she exclaimed. The chances of it ever being re-sold slid away rapidly as the golden enamel glow filled her eyes!

Gollum holding the ring from Lord of the Rings

It was added to our shelves of vintage Scandinavian loveliness – high up so it couldn’t easily be removed!

Yellow vintage Cathrineholm kettle with cup & saucer | H is for Home

Another design we’ve been waiting to get hold of for a while is this Op Art crockery by Seltmann Weiden. We had it in stock previously and sold it all. This time we’ll sell some, but keep a piece or two. By coincidence, they appeared in the same week. They work very well together don’t they? The perfect combination for a bright and cheery afternoon tea we think.

Charity Vintage: Orange Cathrineholm coffee pot

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Orange vintage Cathrineholm coffee pot for sale on eBay for Charity by & in support of St Luke's Hospice, Sheffield (Ends 22 Feb, 2015 19:31:11 GMT)

We should, in reality, be keeping this beauty to ourselves – but hey, it’s for charity! It’s a vintage Cathrineholm coffee pot in the white on orange Lotus pattern.

It’s up for sale by & in support of St Luke’s Hospice, Sheffield* and it’s in really lovely condition. The starting price is only £39.99, but I’m sure it will have a bid by the time this post is live. Cathrineholm coffee pots in this colour and condition regularly sell for around £135 – and the prices keep going up!

We’ve bought & sold a lot of Cathrineholm over the years and have blogged about the range and its designer, Grete Prytz Kittelsen on a few occasions. We’re absolutely gutted that we let a pair of salt & pepper pots go a few years ago – they’re really rare and have only ever come across two sets on our vintage travels.

*St Luke’s Hospice, Sheffield cares for adults of all ages throughout Sheffield who have life-limiting illnesses and support their families. They’re a charity, and all their services are free of charge.



Bookmarks: Grete Prytz Kittelsen – The art of enamel design

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Grete Prytz Kittelsen - The art of enamel design book with a selection of Lotus enamelware

Grete Prytz Kittelsen – The Art of Enamel Design by Karianne Bjellå Gilje explores the work of one of our favourite product designers.

Grete Prytz Kittelsen - The art of enamel design book title page

It was written not only with Greta’s close cooperation, but with extensive contributions from her – in the form of interviews, added text, selection of images and so on. You really are getting to know the artist intimately.

portrait of Grete Prytz Kittelsen standing

Greta was one of the foremost Scandinavian designers of the Mid-century Modern era – in addition to which, she also collaborated with many of the other great names from the period.

Grete Prytz Kittelsen-designed jewellery

She had “a thorough knowledge of materials, vast technical skill, independence and originality.”

red Grete Prytz Kittelsen-designed necklace

Her work has directly touched the daily lives of countless thousands with her ranges of beautiful yet practical kitchen & tableware.

green Grete Prytz Kittelsen-designed enamel tea set

She’s rightly praised for making good design accessible, as she simplified the production process wherever possible, thus keeping retail prices affordable.

sculptural Grete Prytz Kittelsen-designed necklace

She’s immediately associated with the iconic Lotus cookware produced by Cathrineholm of Norway in the 1950s – ironically, the repeating leaf pattern of the Lotus range was the work of another designer – Arne Clausen.

selection of Cathrineholm Lotus enamelware

She was responsible for the form & colours of the range – and apparently preferred the enamel without the additional decoration.

Cathrineholm Lotus catalogue

Her range of products is vast – pots, pans, plates, cruets, bowls and cutlery.

Grete Prytz Kittelsen-designed salad bowl and servers

There are decorative objects too, such as candelabra & vases…

Grete Prytz Kittelsen-designed square plates

…and not forgetting the beautiful jewellery – we just love her jewellery!!

blue sculptural Grete Prytz Kittelsen-designed necklace

The book is very well written – comprehensive, entertaining and informative.

sculptural Grete Prytz Kittelsen-designed Cathrineholm bowls

It’s full of wonderful archive images, product advertisements & brochures.

Grete Prytz Kittelsen working in her studio

Also, fabulous photographs of her work – which is some feat, as the beauty of enamel is very difficult to capture in print.

colourful Grete Prytz Kittelsen-designed bangles

The book concludes with a wonderful reference section, including a fully illustrated catalogue of works and chronology.

Grete Prytz Kittelsen jewellery catalogue

It’s a must-have book for anyone who shares our passion – or is not yet familiar with her work.

sculptural Grete Prytz Kittelsen-designed boomerang necklace

[Many thanks to W.W. Norton & Company for the review copy]

Charity Vintage: Cathrineholm milk pan

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vintage Cathrineholm milk pan for sale on eBay for Charity by & in support of Midleton Elderly Aid
(ends 23 Oct, 2014 18:10:56 BST)

This vintage orange on white Cathrineholm milk pan is currently being auctioned on eBay for Charity.  It’s been listed with just a single photograph which shows a bit of scorching to the wooden handle. However, the enamel looks to be in very good nick. It’s for sale by & in support of Middleton Elderly Aid over in Leeds.

Unfortunately, they’ve spelt Cathrineholm wrong and haven’t mentioned the Lotus pattern. Hopefully potential buyers will find it despite this. Perhaps this is why it’s top bid is still only 99p despite being on eBay for Charity for two days and counting. The current going rate on eBay at the moment, for examples with a bit of wear & tear, is about £20.

Currently, in addition to the milk pan, Midleton Elderly Aid also have listed a matching medium-sized saucepan and skillet/frying pan – both in similar condition. If you bid on and win all three, postage costs will tumble!

*Middleton Elderly Aid intends to promote independence amongst the over-60s population of the Middleton area through a range of activities and services.