Pattern potpourri.

Sometimes I wish I were a textile designer or a printmaker or a letterpress artist, because I've always wanted to take all these patterns and prints I see on vintage housewares and do something magical with them. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to it, but for now, here's an assortment of some particularly pleasing patterns I've seen recently on etsy. Click on the picture to check out each past present.

A midsummer night's green.

I very nearly bought myself a pair of black suede boots at the mall the other day before I caught myself. With temperatures in Atlanta still hitting the upper 90s, I don't think I'll be wearing boots for a couple of months. So since everything here is still lush and verdant, I thought I'd post a few items in honor of the color green before we all switch over to black, gray, winter white, and what is apparently the color of the fall season, purple.

Top row (L to R):

1. set of 8 Homer Laughlin bowls and extra serving bowl, $24.50 from Jen's Closet
2. fondue set, $10 from Aunt Sissy's Attic
   
3. 4 coffee mugs, $15 from Modish Vintage
   

Middle row (L to R):

1. Pyrex mixing bowl, $12 from Soulful Hues
   
2. 6 glasses with wheat design, $10 from Miscellania Mania
   
3. enamel pot, $22 from White Elephant Vintage
   

Bottom row (L to R):

1. vintage modern swing arm lamp, $38 from bluebellbazaar (reserved)
   
2. 6 tumblers, $8 from geo pillow
   
3. Shenango creamer, $11.95 from LadyFran
   

Russel Wright.

Today I'm featuring Russel Wright (1904-1976), an American industrial designer and 20th century household name. As the creator of the most widely sold American ceramic dishware in history (his American Modern dinnerware line, above at bottom, manufactured by Steubenville Pottery of Steubenville, OH, sold over 250 million pieces between 1939 to 1959!!), he was, according to the New York Times, "Martha Stewart before she was." Working with wood, spun aluminum, stainless steel, paper, plastic, and ceramics, Wright designed modern furniture, dining accessories, and textiles for easy and casual living, and along with his wife/merchandising genius Mary, revolutionized the way Americans lived.

In addition to his American Modern line, Wright designed the "Residential" line of melamine plastic dinnerware (above, at right), manufactured by the Northern Plastic Company of Boston, Mass. It was the first and most popular line of melamine resin plastic dinnerware, better known as "melmac," and received the Good Design Award from the Museum of Modern Art in 1953. Wright also created the "Casual" line of china (above, at left) for the Iroquois China Company of Syracuse, NY, which was more durable than American Modern. Recently many of his designs have been reissued by Oneida. Read more about this modern American master here, here, and here.

Here are several pieces, available on etsy and ebay, designed by Russel Wright.

Top row (L to R):

1. nesting salt and pepper shakers (Casual China, Iroquois), $25 from etsy seller Lavender RickRack
   
2. 24 piece dining set (American Modern, Steubenville), $150 from etsy seller RetroCycle
   
3. brown bowl and 3 plates (Casual China), currently $3.99 from ebay seller lottiesattic
   

Middle row (L to R):

1. 60 piece dining set (Queen Anne's Lace pattern, Knowles China), currently $49.99 from ebay seller acidstamp
   
2. bread plate (American Modern), $6 from etsy seller Uncommon Eye
   
3. creamer (Casual China), currently $5 from ebay seller 1maus
   

Bottom row (L to R):

1. pitcher, buy it now for $32.59 from ebay store The Alabama Pedlar
   
2. 4 cups and saucers (Casual China), $25 from etsy seller Lavender RickRack
   
3. nesting cream and sugar set, $6 from etsy shop Beatgrrrl's Basement

[photos at top from the Russel Wright Design Center]

Shiny happy home.

Here's another home full of lovely little things and splashes of bright color everywhere via desire to inspire.I could totally live here too. The difficulty of decorating with found objects and mismatched vintage housewares is the tendency toward overpowering tackiness and a general sense of clutter. Understatement and balance are key. Here, simple and spare furnishings, a neutral paint color (what's more neutral than white?), and bare walls are punched up with small doses of bold and pastel colors, large patterns (floral, geometric, and ethnic), and whimsical touches like the rainbow flags above the sofa and in the bedroom. What could be happier?

Here are some bright and happy housewares, inspired by the desire to make your home a brighter, happier place! All from etsy.

Top row (L to R):

1. tin canisters (set of 4), $12 from Grey Brocket's Home
   
2. apothecary jars (set of 4), $10 from beatgrrrl's basement
   
3. petal bowls (set of 7), $30 from edelweiss vintage
   

Middle row (L to R):

1. milk glass mug by Hazel Atlas, $6 from Bliss vintage
   
2. tablecloth, $25 from thriftypyg
   
3. mug, $6.95 from Teelady
   

Bottom row (L to R):

1. pitcher by Anchor Hocking, $40 from Callooh Callay
   
2. bowls by Fire King for Anchor Hocking (set of 6), $25 from Vintage Ella
   
3. glass bowl, $8 from Virginia Vintage
   

Kaj Franck for Arabia.

I just bought this bowl (well, not this bowl in particular) off etsy yesterday. It's an enamel bowl with a mushroom design designed by the great Finnish designer Kaj Franck for Arabia, Finland's oldest ceramics manufacturer, where he was the head of the model design department from 1946 to 1961. You can read more about Kaj Franck here and here. Below is a collection of Arabia ceramics and enamelware compiled by Meet Me at Mike's. And below that is a letterpress mushroom coaster from Wiley Valentine via design*sponge.



[photos from (top to bottom): flickr user lafemmededada; flickr user meetmeatmikes; and design*sponge]

Blue and white dishware.

It's not Flotsam Friday, but I was so inspired by Mackenzie Sala's blue and white dishware post today over at the design*sponge guest blog that I had to cobble together a collection of my own, all vintage, all from etsy.

Top row (L to R):

1. Pyrex Horizon Blue 2.5 quart bowl, $16 from Jolly Polly Pickins
2. 4 polka dot cups and saucers, $12 from Vero Vintage
3. Pyrex New Dot bowl, $12 from junkculture
   

Middle row (L to R):

1. 4 teacups, Lakeview pattern by Nasco, $17 from RetroCycle
   
2. 4 dinner plates, $30 from lucky stone vintage
   
3. mug, $6 from Peacock Modern
   

Bottom row (L to R):

1. 3 plates, Wild Rose pattern by Homer Laughlin, $9.50 from Vintage Junque
   
2. 2 sets of teacups, saucers, and dessert plates, $45 from Tea For All Reasons
   
3. 2 plates, Willow design from Johnson Bros., $6 from My Sunshine Vintage

Be sure to read her guest blog here. And check out Mackenzie's blog on all things weddings at Something Old, Something New!

Speckles sublime.

These pictures of Scargo Pottery from Lena Corwin's trip to Cape Cod remind me of dishware from Anthropologie and a pitcher I purchased awhile ago at My Favorite Place. Don't all these speckles make you smile?

Top row (L to R):

1. Confetti dinner plate, $14 at Anthropologie
   
2. pitcher, $28 from etsy seller JNpottery
3. Confetti soup bowl, $15.50 at Anthropologie

Middle row (L to R):

1. pitcher by Brusche USA, currently $10 from ebay seller swansonh
2. serving tray, $15 from etsy seller sweetrice
   
3. pitcher (from the Lifestyle line by J & G Meakin, a British pottery manufacturer, and the same one I have!) currently $7 from ebay seller allasantiques716
   

Bottom row (L to R):

1. set of 10 tumblers, $10 from etsy seller caseyjackdogs
2. mini pitcher/creamer, $3 from casualsimplicity
   
3. dinner plate (Lifestyle by J & G Meakin), $9.99 from DC's Attic
   

Flotsam Friday: Yellow.

Every Friday I'll choose a color or category at random and highlight several items that fall within that parameter. I figure no one wants to read a lot of text on Friday, am I right?

Top row (L to R):

1. ceramic bowls with yellow scallop trim in the Royal China Jubilee pattern (set of 6), $16 from etsy seller Edelweiss Vintage
2. napkins with lemon yellow trim (set of 8), $13 from MarcellasExcess
3. covered casserole dish in the Daisy pattern from Pyrex, $15.50 from Jen's Closet

Middle row (L to R):

1. enamel pot, $25 from Nice
2. canister set, $12 from Valerie's Vintage House
   
3. ceramic bowls with center floral design (set of 4), $9 from FunkeyFinds

Bottom row (L to R):

1. floral vinyl placemats (set of 4), $18 from Jess James Jake
2. frosted glasses (set of 4), $16 from Harlow's Closet
3. cream and sugar set, $10 from Olive Vintage
   

Linear by Raymond Loewy for Rosenthal.

The name Raymond Loewy may not ring a bell, but unless you're blind or have been living in a cave, you've seen his work everywhere. The "father of industrial design" designed the logos for the U.S. Postal Service, Exxon, Shell, and Nabisco, to name a few that are still easily recognizable. Other famous designs include Air Force One, the Greyhound Scenicruiser bus, NASA's Skylab space station, and the Coca-Cola bottle. You can read more about Loewy and see more of his work here, here, and here. In the late 1940s, Loewy created several fine china designs for the German porcelain manufacturer Rosenthal, including the set of 8 plates (pictured above) from the Linear collection, available for $39 from one of my favorite etsy sellers blue bell bazaar.

[The photos of the Shell sign and the Scenicruiser are from flickr users metropol21 and GaryQ respectively.]

To buy or not to buy.

The creative and ingenious Sarah Cihat of Rehabilitated Dishware is featured in a NYT article today along with several of her dishware picks. Her own line of dishware features ceramics found in thrift stores that she redesigns and reglazes with her own whimsical and quirky designs and new colors. You can see some of her designs here. The philosophy behind Rehabilitated Dishware is that "each piece represents a rejection of more brand new products filling shelves and storage closets." I find it slightly ironic, therefore, that someone who wants to make a "subtle statement of the importance of recycling and the renewed value of unwanted things" would be featured in a shopping column about brand new dishware. I'm including Sarah's picks here as eye candy to show what's being done in dishware design today and also highlight the choice we have, when making even the seemingly most mundane decisions (like buying dishware, for example), to reuse and, to use Sarah's phrase, rehabilitate.

[photos from the New York Times]