To be entirely honest, I always had a tiny itch of misgivings about the Metlox. I love the design, but I couldn't quite figure out how a collection of Aztec, paired with the beautiful granite gray Russel Wright American Modern the kids got me for Christmas, was going to look with my larger collection of Russel Wright Iroquois Casual in ripe apricot and avocado yellow, which will be in the same room. The warmth of my existing collection and the cool starkness of the proposed new gray and white collection seemed an incongruous pairing. I am admittedly a decorator first, and then a collector, so how everything looks together is important. No jangling juxtapositions for me! I'm certainly not into matchy-matchy, but I can't be happy if a space isn't cohesive, and I wasn't feeling the flow when I pictured the room with those two collections of china. And then, out of the blue, came the perfect solution.
My SIL sent me a link to a set of china on Craigslist, and the minute I saw it, I knew that Harvest Time, with its gray and rust colored leaves on a white background, along with coordinating Accent pieces in burnt orange were going to look perfect in my dining room. Even better, after researching Harvest Time, I decided it would hold up to daily use as well as my Iroquois Casual, because it was advertised for its durability in the same way the Russel Wright line was.
Here is my latest Craigslist find, along with some of the Russel Wright I already had:
I got a coffee pot with lid, a sugar bowl and creamer, a divided vegetable bowl, a small burnt orange coordinating Accent bowl without the leaf decal design, four plates and seven cups...a great start on a full set in just one stop...and at a great price! The lucky streak continues...
Pronunciation Guide
My SIL sent me a link to a set of china on Craigslist, and the minute I saw it, I knew that Harvest Time, with its gray and rust colored leaves on a white background, along with coordinating Accent pieces in burnt orange were going to look perfect in my dining room. Even better, after researching Harvest Time, I decided it would hold up to daily use as well as my Iroquois Casual, because it was advertised for its durability in the same way the Russel Wright line was.
Here is my latest Craigslist find, along with some of the Russel Wright I already had:
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| My new Iroquois Informal Harvest Time by Ben Seibel (1958) with my Russel Wright Iroquois Casual in the background |
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| The new Iroquois Informal Harvest Time paired with granite gray Russel Wright American Modern |
I got a coffee pot with lid, a sugar bowl and creamer, a divided vegetable bowl, a small burnt orange coordinating Accent bowl without the leaf decal design, four plates and seven cups...a great start on a full set in just one stop...and at a great price! The lucky streak continues...
Pronunciation Guide
lovely! i still have not committed to dishware further than my everyday use set of TS&Taylor in the "Cathay" design (almost the whole set purchased in one bang, which helps). of course i would love a nicer set for entertaining, i'm just waiting for something to grab me. nothing has yet, so i feel you!
ReplyDeleteOoo I love Fall colors as that's my fav time of year!
ReplyDeleteI have a set of vintage-ish black French hex shaped dishes, don't know the name, and Mom's "good" china which is a dark gray and silver. I have no more room, so as much as I pine for other sets, I put my foot down as I have no space.
I'm picky about the colors matching too. I think it helps keep costs down by sticking to certain colors, (limits compulsive buying which I have an issue with), and a room looks "better" (in MY opinion) when colors or styles match.
Mom collected everything with abandon, and I love that she did it, but I'm so choosy!
@stacey: Oh, I love Cathay! That would be my pattern of choice if I used blue and green. All the shapes in that pattern are so typically mid-century. And isn't it great to get a huge chunk of your collection almost in one swoop? That kinda seals the deal, doesn't it? Now I'm committed. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Dana, I have several pieces of this China and would like to sell it. Have you completed your set?
Delete@1950sarh: You're so blessed to have had a mom who had such a great sense of style and bought such cool stuff. My mom, bless her heart, had no sense of style whatsoever. She decorated with whatever my grandmothers were tired of using, so "cohesive" wasn't really in her vocabulary...LOL
ReplyDeleteThe new dishes look great, excellent choice. I had considered starting to collect the Salem Biscayne, until I saw the Star Glow pattern from Royal China and jumped. My dream is the Marcrest Stetson Green Pine, but it's a tough find, unlike the blue pine which is everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThat's gorgeous stuff! Is it expensive where you are?
ReplyDelete@monogirl: Star Glow is so perfectly mid-century. It's great. I wasn't even aware that there was a Green Pine by Marcrest Stetson. I really like the simplicity of the pinecone/bough. Some of the botanicals/florals of the period were a little sappy and sentimental by today's standards, but the Green Pine leans to the edgy, stylized side, which I find very appealing. I think the gray leaf in the Harvest Time is kinda unexpected and has the same effect.
ReplyDelete@Barbara: Considering that I bought it off Craigslist from the owner, rather than at a thrift store, I thought the price was more than fair. I got 18 pieces, all in pristine condition, for $60, which included the large pitcher with lid, which is usually pretty pricey. I'm not sure how that stacks up with prices in other parts of the country. I'd be interested to know.
ReplyDeleteI want those for Fall!!! Zootsuitmama
ReplyDelete@Zootsuitmama: Aren't the colors wonderful?
ReplyDelete$60 is a fabulous price!!!
ReplyDeleteI've been looking on ebay - to buy your stuff individually would have been really pricey. The set for $60 was a great deal. Have you seen the cookware???
ReplyDeletehttp://cgi.ebay.com/BEN-SEIBEL-IROQUOIS-HARVEST-TIME-Skillet-RARE-and-MINT-/180608224708?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a0d16cdc4
I've seen quite a few of these pieces at Lone Star Antiques in Watauga on 377.
ReplyDelete@Barbara: I was really happy with the $60 price. :) I have a skillet and a saucepan on my eBay watch list, but they may have to wait, because I just bought the samovar a few minutes ago.
ReplyDelete@erica: Wow, thanks for the heads-up. I bet I know where I'm going tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my blog, neighbor. I hope you'll become a regular. I just visited your blog, and your recipes are fantastic. I'll check in often. Maybe we'll meet out thrifting someday.
Oh, I have to ask - is the orange a "bright" orange or more of a "rusty" orange?
ReplyDelete@Barbara: It's a rusty orange to me...very similar to the Russel Wright ripe apricot. Some people call it brown, but I don't see how they get that. Brownish orange, yes...but just brown, no. If I'm not mistaken, the Iroquois Accent pieces that go with it are called burnt orange.
ReplyDeleteWe just picked up 22 pieces from a consignment store for $99 - Love the mid-century story and it goes well with glasses we had thrifted earlier. Thanks for the information and the pictures! Yancey and I love thrifting as well as part of a mid-century home makeover. Will have to dig into your site more later! Braxton
ReplyDelete@Braxton: Welcome to my blog. I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed it and will be back again. Congrats on the great consignment store find!
ReplyDeletefound your blog while searching for the harvest pattern. love it! i just picked up 7 cups/saucers, dinner plates, salad plates & fruit bowls and an oval serving platter for $28 at our local goodwill. i loved it before i knew anything about it & i'm even happier with my find now that i've done a little research!
ReplyDelete@jacqui: Hi...and welcome to my blog. I'm so glad you found it and liked the content. You got such an amazing deal on your Harvest Time pieces. I'm really excited for you! I don't know if your search turned up the other posts I did on Harvest Time and Ben Seibel, but there are several. Here's one about getting the samovar on eBay. It's my pride and joy!
ReplyDeletehttp://mid2mod.blogspot.com/2011/01/big-love.html
I hope you become a regular reader, share your finds with us and comment often!
Looking through some of your old posts. I joined the blog just a couple years ago. If we ever do get together you're going to think you met your twin. I have this Ben Seibel set as well along with alot of Russel Wright Iroquois which are my everyday dishes. I'm keeping it my china cabinet right now, and have hardly used it because I think of them as my Thanksgiving dishes that I plan to use if my mother ever lets me do Thanksgiving :) I'm selling my Red Wing Crazy Rhythm right now because I've decided I need Franciscan Starburst too. I too have a thing for Toikka birds - have 6 or 7 of them. Have the orange Modbox mailbox and Bucketfeet bird shoes - both of those ideas I got from you, so thanks.
ReplyDeleteI have the Ben Siebel Tea Samovar Harvest Time Informal collection, but no base no warmer, im going to list it on my ebay store soon. I came across this blog when trying to price it, but couldn't. It was listed on auction sites, but the didnt put the sold price public lol, so that was a bummer. The more I do research on this piece i'm falling in love with it, so my husband said I should get rid of it before i start collecting the whole set haha. I more fond of pink roses or french style, but I absolutely adore the harvest time collection. Glad to see and meet others in love with these vintage pieces <3 Great Blog!
ReplyDelete-Ruby with AlamoDeals #Texas