Kitchen Colour

We have accumulated a lot of brightly coloured kitchen implements over the decades, almost all them thrifted. As much as I love to eat delicious food, I am not a motivated cook. But these finds always elevate my mood no matter how Hangry I get.

So I thought I’d bring them out of the cupboards and give them a little glamour shoot.

The biggest prizes are these two Kobenstyle pots by Dansk. While many people think that Dansk is a Scandinavian company, it was actually founded by Americans Martha and Ted Nierenberg. They discovered the work of designer Jens Quistgaard in Copenhagen and commissioned him to create the Kobenstyle series of cookware and tableware. It is one of the most mid-century modern designs. These are vintage, but the line was reintroduced a few years ago.

Another MCM thing I like to collect is melamine. I started out with 1950s pastel plates, but found myself more attracted to the bold 1970s hues and shapes. One of my favourite melamine makers is Rosti. Founded in Denmark In 1944 by Rolf Fahrenholtz and Stig Jørgensen, the company’s most emblematic design, the Queen Margrethe mixing bowl was designed for Rosti by industrial designer Jacob Jensen at Sigvard Bernadotte and Acton Björns design studio in the 1960s.

Rosti merged with the Dutch company Mepal at some point. Most of the Rosti melamine things we have — bowls, pitchers, and other utensils come from this era. Plus they are still making things today.

I always buy them when I spot them. I use the little pitchers as utensil holders (to hold real and non-Rosti tools).

I’m always excited when I come across some non-Queen Margarethe pieces like this juice pitcher and butter container because of the citrusy colours! Yellow and orange are the best!

Here are some examples of our melamine utensils (plus one enamelled yellow juicer). Not all are Rosti, there are some Fiskars and Dr. Oetker’s as well. The tea towel is by Canadian Avril Loretti.

Back to enamel, here are two more beloved things — a Japanese tea pot with a wooden handle and a nice cast iron sauce pan. I was on the lookout for a teapot for decades but because don’t drink hot beverages I was able to hold out until I found the perfect one. It must have been cherished by its previous owner because it had been reenamelled in a few places. I do love when things are given new life.