Modernist motoring

I'm not sure what the link was between motoring and cigarette smoking back in the 1950s/60s, but I have in my possession these two Scandinavian ashtrays from that era - both carrying advertisement for car related organisations.

The Domino ashtray designed by Stig Lindberg for Gustavsberg should be well-known to a lot of you. However this particular one has the symbol of Scania (or Aktiebolaget Scania-Vabis to be precise). Scania do buses, that's about all I know about them... Other than that, I'd just like to add that I was thrilled to find this piece in a flea market a few months ago :-)

This second ashtray is Norwegian, produced by Stavangerflint and signed 'Kari'. It promotes the Royal Automobile Club of Norway and its hotel in Oslo ('Kongelig Norsk Automobilklub-Hotellet').

I love the way the couple in the car look so chirpy greeting us, even if they're almost running over a black cat... Also they have really dressed up for the occasion of taking a car ride, which is cute, and then there's that little poodle sitting like a statue in the back seat. Priceless.

Scandinavian mid-century pottery on Etsy

...and some German lava-type pottery too. If you like any of what you see here, hop over to my Etsy shop to see more (click here).

Two for tea

My favorite color combo for some time now - petrol blue and amber. These two lovely teapots have been sitting in my local thrift shop for years. And I have passed them more times than I care to remember. Because I didn't think I had room for them. In the end I couldn't resist them any longer and got them, and I made room :-) Now I don't understand why I didn't do it sooner.

Both teapots are unmarked but I have a feeling the yellow one is British and I'm pretty sure the blue one is Norwegian, most likely from Egersund.

Planetveien 12 FOR SALE!

Here I was, thinking this was going to be just an ordinary Friday. I'm very happy to have been wrong on that one; I think this is my longest blog post yet...

In the afternoon I got a mail from a friend with the news that THIS house is up for grabs: Grete Prytz Kittelsen’s modernist gem in Oslo. It was designed in 1955 by her then husband architect Arne Korsmo. Grete Prytz Kittelsen lived and worked there until her death last year.

I was kind of hoping the house would be turned into a museum as it is a very important building in Norwegian architectural history as well as holding Grete Prytz Kittelsen's workshop (the oven she used to make some of her enameled pieces is still in there). The good news is that it will be made a protected building. It will be interesting to see who buys it and for what price... (It’s estimated at 7 to 8 million Norwegian kroners, which is surprisingly modest for what it is and what it contains.)

Here are a bunch of photos borrowed from finn.no and DN, for you to enjoy and (like me) drool over. (Click on them for lager versions).

Have a fantastic weekend!

























Of all the lovely interior photos, I think this one moved me the most. It’s a bit like the holy grail...

Grete Prytz Kittelsen posing for Vogue (no less) in her workshop, 1961.

Still not had enough? Click here for more fantastic photos...

Related posts: Here, here and here.

Arabia cup update: FIESTA is the name

So, my hunch seemed to be right after all; the pattern on this cup is not called 'Valencia' (contrary to popular belief) – it is Fiesta. In case you're as much of a pottery nerd as me, you might find this piece of information interesting ;-) I also discovered that it is a cup for serving hot chocolate. Extra yummy!

PS! The designer of this cup is Ulla Procopé who worked for Arabia between 1948-1968. She also designed 'Ruska' – the best selling coffee set in the history of Arabia.

If you are looking for Arabia stuff, this web store in Finland (click on link) seem to carry a lot of the stuff. This is where I found the name... while looking for something else, of course.

New items in my Etsy shop

I've just listed some new items in my Etsy shop. Keep checking in, as I will be listing more vintage items in the next few days.

Blog break over

After a two month absence my old blogging nerve has started to twitch again. It's great to be back. Here is some of what I've been up to while not blogging:

...drinking lots of coffee from my favorite vintage mug of the moment - a Figgjoflint design,

bought this lovely tea towel at Etsy,

thrifted another huge Bitossi lamp at Fretex (the Salvation Army shop) last week, and today found a shade for it,

been thinking I need to get some Biri natural wallpaper on a wall in the dining area,

purchased three Marcel Breuer 'Cesca' chairs with WHITE wooden frames (no armrests) for the mere sum of $40. Now I just need a place to put them,

made a costume for my son's kindergarten carnival party. Theme: Fairytale forest. The end result includes Ikea hacking, velcro and bandages.

I purchased an enormous (soup?) cup online. Later on I also found a lid in the same design and hoped that it would fit. It didn't.

And today, my latest thrift gem: a large tea cup from Arabia of Finland.
I've wasted hours online trying to find out what it's called, but I think I need YOUR help, my dear clued up readers. All similar items on ebay are listed as 'Valencia', but I don't think that's the correct name. (As far as the colour go and to some extend also the pattern, I think it is close but no cigar.) Can anyone help clear up this conundrum for me?

So there you have it. I hope to be back with some more (shorter) posts soon.