This weekends' catch

After a bit of a dry spell as far as thrifting is concerned, things seem to be picking up a bit. This Saturday I found some great stuff at two of my local thrift stores. The first little beauties that caught my eye were these little Ultima Thule glasses, I think they're meant for schnaps. We don't drink a lot of that here, but especially the men in my family like some aquavit with their Christmas dinner, and these will be perfect. I absolutely LOVE this series by the great Tapio Wirkkala, and pick up everything I find. So far, I only have the dessert bowls and these two, but hopefully some pieces will turn up soon. The tumblers are high on my wish list, they look so amazing with water and ice cubes.

 

These are some lovely glass pieces. The one in the back to the left is a full two kilos! I have no idea about the origin of these three, but the bowl in the front is a typical scandinavian 60s design. The vase in the back to the right has a bit of a 70s vibe. Love the heavy base with the bubble!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rocket- vase is a swedish mid- century design from the 60s, by artist Inge Samuelson for Sea glasbruk. It came in various colors, this one is a smoky grey.

 

This Haldensleben vase may be my most handsome West german so far! I was so thrilled to find it, I think it's a gorgeous piece. It fits perfectly in my neutral- toned little collection, I'll definitly look for more pieces within this color range. (The other two are Scheurich)

 

 

 

 

Moving on to the second store, I was equally thrilled to find this gorgeous ceramic lamp. Isn't it great? I don't know who made it, but I'm pretty sure it's norwegian and made in the 60s. It has the most amazing red glaze, with hints of dark brown to accentuate the shape and some yellow close to the top. The shop owner pulled out a couple of Scheurich vases from the back just as I was leaving, saying she thought they might match my new lamp, and boy was she right!!! The red one has the Inka pattern, the beige one I haven't seen before. I was a bit sceptical at first of this one, but fell for the flower and how they look together.

 

 

 

 

Remember the green planter from a previous post? I found its companion in that same shop. They have THE most delicious green glaze, the images don't do them justice. I'm still curious about the origin of these and have to investigate some more.

 

 

Finally, a green Scheurich. I'm not quite sure if I'll keep this one. It might end up as a gift. After all, I'm not a reseller, so I have to start narrowing down what to collect and go for just what I'm after. Oh, but the temptations....

 

 

Glass, gorgeous glass...

Inspired by Dana's post about the wonderful effect of glass, over at Mid2Mod, I'll throw in a few of my own mid- century glass favorites from Norway and Finland.

The Festivo- line of candle holders were designed by finnish artist Timo Sarpaneva in 1966. I remember when my dad arrived from a business trip to Helsinki with a couple of these as a gift for my mom some time in the seventies.

 

 

I guess I'm a hopeless nostalgic, I find myself drawn to stuff from my childhood, things that bring out fond memories. This bowl and plate from the "Greenland"- line by norwegian artist Arne Jon Jutrem was on my mom's coffee table.

What I always regarded as a typical 70s design actually date from the mid fifties. Designed for Norwegian manufacturer Hadeland, the line won a gold medal at the "Triennale di Milano" in 1954. The pieces are really heavy, and are characterized by the myriad of bubbles in the emerald green glass.

 

 

I love the Ultima Thule line! Tapio Wirkkola designed these gorgeous pieces for ittala in 1968, and they are still in production. When this design was unveiled in the 1960s, it represented something new in the glass industry and contributed to Iittala’s international breakthrough.

Thousands of hours were spent to perfect the glass-blowing technique that’s required for the ultima thule collection, whose unique pattern is created when the molten glass burns into the surface of the wooden molds. The resemblance to ice is striking, when the sun shines through the glass it glows like wet, melting ice. Oh my goodness... I've managed to get my hands on 4 dessert bowls (have a look here), but I'm constantly on the lookout for more pieces. The decanter is truly gorgeous and very high on my wish list!

 

 

 

Ultima Thule by Tapio Wirkkola

I just had to go back to the charity store after work today to see if the Ultima Thule dessert bowls were still there, I've thought about them since Saturday, regretting leaving them behind. What was I thinking?? There might have been a few more on Saturday, but I'm pleased that I'm now the proud owner of a set of four. They set me back only 100 kroner, the equivalent to $17 or £10,80. That's great design at a great price, supporting a great cause.

Tapio Wirkkola designed these beauties in the 1960s, inspired by melting ice. Aren't they gorgeous? They truly look like they're made of ice.

They seem to float above the surface, touching the ground only by three icicles. When the sun shines through them, the glass looks like melting ice. Amazing...