Rosenthal Vase- Rosemonde Nairac

I was extremely happy yesterday when I came across this vase at a Goodwill store that I had not bothered to visit for a couple of months.

It was one of those Saturdays when I had to nudge myself out the door. Time after time in recent months I had, I felt, wasted gas driving around to thrift stores to only come across the same old tired junk in place after place. There is however the awareness that this business is inherently random and to succeed you have to be consistent and forge ahead. Whenever I have come across a great find it has always taken me off-guard; coming out of the blue in a sense. The usual outcome is to find nothing. That becomes your default expectation. That's a good thing too because otherwise you would be constantly disappointed.

Back to this vase. It was starting to snow; did I really want to drive the extra 10 minutes to the far flung Goodwill to see more cheap brass lamps with pleated shades, old computer keyboards, shelves of clear glass florist's vases, worn teflon pans... yup, 95% of thrift store inventory. Luckily my instincts said, "go for it". After wandering up and down a few isles this beauty caught my eye. Standing proud in it's quality porcelain and striking colours I knew what it was. A mint, 12" Rosenthal Studio-Linie Vase.

In the 1950's Rosenthal and some other German porcelain manufacturers decided to take on modernizing the existing ceramics market. Looking beyond the conservative English ceramics and influenced by the Bauhaus Movement and Modernism, they hired designers such as Raymond Loewy who, from 1952-1961 designed dinnerware for the company.

In 1961 they introduced Studio-Linie and commissioned a series of world famous & influential designers to redefine the shape, form and decoration of it's porcelain. The slogan was and is, "Uniquely of Our Time" and allows for an ongoing definition of contemporary style. This vase looks to me to be from the early 1980's although I have not been able to officially date it.

I love the colours in this piece. Although I am not "a collector" I feel somewhat tempted to add to this vase and create a grouping with other Studio-Linie pieces. The generous white field creates an airiness that allows for combining additional vessels...

I will keep up the good search and hopefully serendipitously find another piece or two...

Household Vignettes

this is a bit of what our house
is looking like these days.

moved the art around, brought in a new display shelf
de-cluttered + lightened up.
feels good.

Marimekko Sheets

Recently I spotted these Marimekko sheets for 1/2 price
at Crate + Barrel.
I finally got around to washing them and
putting them on the bed today.

I love how a minor purchase can give a room
such a significant boost!

Paper Style

These beautiful images are from the lovely Toronto location of the Japanese Paper Place store. Purchases can be made online which opens up a wonderful opportunity to access these products if your hometown doesn't have such a store.

I love the potential all these beautiful papers offer. I find it very inspiring walking around this shop and just enjoying the colors in their organized displays. Seeing blocks of colour is very soothing and settling. Once I get to the patterned paper displays another feeling sets in. These are pre- determined beauty. I don't always know what to do with that... Some ideas do come to mind... lining a coffee table and laying glass on top perhaps.

These organized displays are a feast for the eyes...

I hope to do a series on stores I find beautiful in and of themselves. Well designed a displayed merchandise is a real art and when done well makes shopping a really pleasurable experience. The Japanese Paper Place definitely does it right!

I've Been Seeing Red

Some weeks you seem to find items
with a common thread; be it style, type or... color.

Lately I have been finding great vintage design in
RED.

Seasonal serendipity?

Bring it on...

The Gilead Cafe

I had to have some minor adjustments made to my vehicle this morning. this meant waiting at this beautiful cafe, just down the street from the garage...

it is called the Gilead Cafe and is run by chef Jaimie Kennedy.
all these gorgeous jars are filled with preserved produce that is used in
the restaurant's fresh and delicious food...

I love how simple yet stunning this looks.

it was a lovely way to start the day...