Gimme Five! tea towels

'Gimme Five' blog post banner

selection of 5 tea towels

We go through tea towels like nobody’s business! Do you? We treat them really mean. They get stained so easily and lose their vibrancy after a few washes. We somehow manage to set a fair few on fire as well!

It’s such a shame to do that to tea towels – some of them are so beautiful – like works of art. Some people have them displayed on their walls. In fact, we’ve got a few put away ourselves waiting to be framed.

Luckily, for the most part they don’t break the bank; so if you come across some with a particularly pretty pattern, stock up on a few!

  1. Set of 2 very large French linen tea towels (vintage): €40, Cachette
  2. Arca pack of 3 patterned tea towels: £12, Habitat
  3. Tea cups tea towel: £6.50, Etsy
  4. Marimekko Kippis Cheers set of 2 tea towels: £30, Heal’s
  5. The Tea Towel: £9.95, by Distinctly Living, Notonthehighstreet

Gimme Five! Tea towels

'Gimme Five!' blog post banner

Selection of five tea towels | H is for Home

Tea towels are things we all use every day. Because of this they get stained & dirty in no time. And, if you’re anything like me, they’re accidentally set alight! Luckily these bright & cheery examples won’t break the bank.

  1. Chickens by Daphne Padden – To Dry For, £11.95
  2. Typographical tea towel of tongue twisters made in England – Roullier White, £12
  3. Banknote tea towel – notonthehighstreet, £8.50
  4. English dinner tea towel – Victoria Eggs, £9
  5. Heal’s Discovers Woodland Tea Towels Set of Two by MissPrint, – Heal’s £20

Throw in the towel

Throw in the towel banner

detail of vintage teatowel with bird pattern

No, H is for Home hasn’t actually thrown in the towel – we’re just doing a short blog about the humble, but sometimes wonderful, everyday object… the tea towel.

detail of vintage tea towel with bid pattern

It was the acquisition of this example last week which brought it to mind. This vintage Irish linen tea towel was manufactured by ‘Old Bleach’ in the 1960s.

Vintage Irish linen tea towel with stylised bird decoration Vintage Irish linen tea towel with stylised bird decoration

We already had a very similar one by the same maker – we love the period designs with their stylised birds and foliage.

detail of vintage Irish linen tea towel with stylised bird decoration

detail of vintage Irish linen tea towel with stylised bird decoration

They’re both in pristine, unused condition – we think we might get them framed.

vintage tea towel with Kelloggs cornflakes illustration

Tea towels are always popular on the website. We’re always on the lookout for vintage aprons, cloths etc… They’re quite hard to find in excellent condition.

vintage tea towel with calorie design

Here are a few favourites that have passed through the shop…

detail of vintage tea towel detail of vintage Christmas-themed tea towel

detail of vintage tea towel detail of vintage tea towel

detail of vintage tea towel detail of vintage tea towel

…and no blog post about tea towels would be complete without mentioning Skinny laMinx!

pile of tea towels designed by Skinny laMinx

Her designs are fabulous!

detail of red Eep Skinny laMinx tea towel detail of green Skinny laMinx tea towel

detail of green 'Spoons' Skinny laMinx tea towel detail of purple 'grass' Skinny laMinx tea towel

Here are the tea towels we have in store at the moment!

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.