Cathrineholm Pretty and a diy

Cathrineholm, a company near Halden in Norway,  started producing ironwork designs and farm equipment beginning in 1907. After the times changed, the company started to make kitchen items and housewares in lovely bright happy colors in vitreous enamel on metal. This pretty oval pattern is called Lotus, and  was designed by Grete Prytz Kittelsen who was known as the Queen of Scandinavian Design, because she was so influential in the Scandinavian design movement of the post-World War II era, from the 40s thru the 60s.

My doggie has a well-used Cathrineholm metal and enamel bowl to eat his little dog food out of....awesome !



Grete was the nifty designer of this oh so loved pattern, and much much more. Very much of the modern art and design that became that Mid Century Modern we love love love, originated in Europe. Grete was born in Oslo, Norway in 1917, and died at age 93 in Oslo in September 2010.
But.....This pattern is still wildly popular!


This Coffee/Tea pot is listed by Lara111

Clicky to see lots of Cathrineholm prettiness listed on Etsy.

I think you should make these!

pic from How About Orange crafty blog.

All you need is brightly colored paper, glue, rubber bands, x-acto knife or tiny scissors, and  little clear votive glass candle holders, or any small glass tumblers big enough to hold a small candle.
This craft idea is from the How About Orange blog, which is always full of sweet amazing crafty goodness. Clicky here and she will show you how she did this.
Practice, practice ! You can print off a picture of the lotus pattern in black ink, or using scrap paper, try drawing the pointy ovals by hand, if you feel confident.
First wrap scrap paper around the glass for sizing it correctly. Trace the Cathrineholm designs on scrap paper. Best to try it with scrap !
Then, lay the scrap paper on the pretty color paper to cut it to the right size, overlapping a bit in the circumference. Then trace the designs after you space them smartly, & cut out with an x-acto knife or tiny scissors.
Wrap it around your votive and glue sparingly with Aleens or Elmers paper glue. Hold it in place with rubber bands until the glue dries.

Sunburst Industrial clock

A feature of many a Mid Century Modern living room was a big clock that hung over the sofa or over the big wood record player/radio combo console.
Recently I found 50s clock influenced by the iconic Sunburst clock but in a smaller form. It's made of glass and metal....no plastic!

Here's that famous sunburst clock...by George Nelson's company for the Herman (later, the Howard) Miller company. It's available here as a reproduction!
In 1945 George Nelson produced a Herman Miller Catalog, a furniture firm that was looking to break with old traditional designs of furniture and home decor and embrace modern styles.
Some of the most famous home furnishings of the 20th century were designed by Ray and Charles Eames, Harry Bertoia, Isamu Noguchi, Donald Knorr and many more.



Builder and real estate developer Joseph Eichler brought Mid Century Modern architecture ("Eichler Homes") to Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area, and on the east coast. They have huge walls of glass, lots of hard surfaces in concrete and wood, the shine of steel, and polished wood.

Perhaps the most Mid Century Modern town in the US is Palm Springs.......and they celebrate that each February with tours of iconic homes and gardens, screenings of documentary films on the history of mcm design and the designers, the manufacturing process, and the food and drink of the times.Music is a big part of creating the whole mood of the mid century experience and crooners like Frank Sinatra, moody cocktail music like Martin Denny's Tiki Kitsch, and of course, cool jazz of Miles Davis and Charlie Parker.
The style can include the smooth wood of Danish Modern, the shine of chrome and metals, and the softness of bright and bold fabrics. They way things are put together, the way of attaching one piece to another in a home, a radio, a chair, or a blender and decorative objects gives mcm style a touch of Industrial design also.

Just listed in my etsy shop is this petite version of the Nelson sunburst. It has a touch of industrial with its materials of glass, aluminum and wood.



The heavy glass circle is edged in silver and has patina from over the years of time. The hands are bold triangles and it has a sleek sweeping second hand. All the hands are made of aluminum......a metal that was popular to use in all manner of home goods once WWII ended.



It's made by an East Coast clock company that dates to the late 1800s. William L Gilbert used to make wood mantel clocks as was the Victorian fashion, and as times changed, they added many styles to their repertoire.







The housing is metal, it has simple prong plug, and a handy hole on the back for a screw to hang it up.

Happy Cheery Marimekko

Now listed in my etsy shop,funkomavintage, is this superb midcentury modern, mcm, vintage Marimekko print.
It's by Maija Isola who designed many of Marimekko's now classic, legendary fabrics.



Marimekko began as Printex, a fabrics printing company. Finn Viljo Ratia bought it in 1949 and his wife Armi Ratia hired young artists to design fabric for the company. They were wild and bold ! Sales were slow so the company made clothing of the designs.
The first Marimekko clothing was designed by Riitta Immonen, and in 1951 Marimekko held a fashion show in Helsinki.

Now, Marimekko designs are printed on fabrics and all manner of home decor items....from bedsheets to bath towels to wallpaper. Dresses and shirts and accessories are designed using the wild fabrics.
Tote bags, kitchenware, and children's and men's wear come from the design tables of Finland's Marimekko.
All over the world, major cities have a Marimekko shop. They're instantly available by mail via the internets too!

Even Anthropologie had dresses made of Marimekko! It is quite popular again...
today, many of Marimekko fabrics are well-known.
Here's just a few.. These pictures are on the Marimekko website, click the clicky link there <--- Maija Isola's cheerful Pergola pattern (1965) is made into a sweet jacket by Marimekko designer Samu-Jussi Koski.





Maija Isola's Kissapöllö from 1961, is here in a dress by Koski.

Kivet 1959.



Kaivo 1964
and the sweet and wild.....unikko.
Marimekko says: Unikko came about in 1964 after Armi Ratia had announced in public that no floral fabrics are designed at Marimekko. Maija Isola did not accept rules or restrictions and designed in protest a complete collection of bold floral patterns.