Spaces: No-name room

Since renovations to the house are ongoing, I don't have any final full-room photos to share...and may not for a while. In the next few posts, I thought I'd show you a few corners, walls, and nooks and  here and there throughout the house.

These shots a room between the formal living room and the family room/dining area. We haven't decided quite yet whether to make it an office or a breakfast room. but for now it holds some of our favorite things.

My Remploy dropfront desk, full of pewter and silver treasures

Frank Lloyd Wright brass picture, vintage gooseneck lamp,
Bitossi bird, studio pottery, mid-century "flash cards,"
and various Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian pewter and silver

My daughter's vintage camera, Carstens floor vase,
and repro George Nelson clock

A favorite Ib Kofod-Larsen chair

Corner built-ins with some favorite Scheurich pottery,
Festivo candleholders, Frankoma pieces, along with
 vintage glass beaker and mortar and pestle
from my grandfather's drugstore

Scheurich, thou art Temptation (Repost)

Do you have something (other than chocolate) that won't quit calling your name, whether you need it or not?

Scheurich fat lava is that voice in my ear...temptation with a capital T. Honestly, I have all the fat lava I need. In fact, I have more than I need. A few pieces are languishing in the closet, because I simply don't have a spot for them. I've been saying for days that I'm going to list them on Craigslist, but the truth is that I'm not quite ready to part with them.

Yet I sat at the computer last night, poring over Etsy listings like some kind of crazed clay addict...even putting several pieces in my shopping cart. C'mon, encourage enable me. Which ones should I buy?

(Technical issues resulted in search engine problems for almost two years' worth of my older posts, so I am reposting the ones I consider most informative. Though some of you have already viewed them, they will be new to others of you. Originally posted 9/28/2013)

Scheurich 203-26

etsy.com - Retro Fat Lava

Scheurich 206-26

etsy.com - Veryodd

Scheurich 237-15

etsy.com - EdibleComplex

Scheurich 284-14

etsy.com - Retro Fat Lava

Scheurich 401-28

etsy.com - RetroMinded

Scheurich 493-10

etsy.com - Greta Allan Gallery

Scheurich 203-26

etsy.com - JunkHouse

West German pottery: Scheurich

The Scheurich company was established in Kleinbeubach in 1954 by Alois Scheurich, who had formerly been a parter in Scheurich and Greulich (S&G), a distributer of ceramic and glass items.

Although Scheurich was a latecomer to the ceramic business in Germany, from the 1950s through the 1980s they produced and exported more ceramics than any other company in that country. Some of their products were specifically made for foreign markets and marked as such.

As a result of high production, there is a broad range of quality in Scheurich pieces, but the company experimented with glazes more than any of the other ceramic factories of the time, and some of their results were extraordinary. Some forms were produced in over 200 glazes, and some glazes were used on a large number of forms.

As a general rule, Scheurich forms tend to be simpler than some of the other companies, but to some collectors, that simplicity is desirable. Nevertheless, Scheurich offered the widest range of forms and glazes of any other company. Heinz Siery designed many of the Scheurich forms.

The clay used by Scheurich was white or beige, and the bottom ring ranges from tidy to ragged, so those features do not provide definitive identification. Likewise, there is no easily identifiable marking. Most often, the form and height, as well as W. Germany, appears in a circle inside the clay ring. In the highly textured "lava" styles, the marking may be obliterated by the glaze. Pieces in the 70s and 80s, when some of the company's best glazes were created, sometimes displayed the company name, while pieces in the 90s sometimes had a three-ring logo. The company also used paper stickers.

Most of my West German pottery is Scheurich. You can see it on Pinterest.

From potsandpots.com and ginforsodditiques

etsy.com - vintagemoodsNL

etsy.com - 20thCenturyEurope

etsy.com - Eclectivist

etsy.com - cherryforest

etsy.com - 1001vintage

etsy.com - BichenVintage

etsy.com - Fatlavart

etsy.com - RetroFatLava

etsy.com - Veryodd

etsy.com - VintageVektor

etsy.com - BlkrBolstadLoppis

etsy.com - RetroFatLava

etsy.com - Veryodd

ginforsodditiques.com

ginforsodditiques.com

Scheurich...again

I can't stop buying vintage West German pottery by Scheurich. It is my absolute favorite maker. Looking at a listings of fat lava pieces, my eye goes straight to it, even when I don't yet know the identity of the manufacturer.

The purchase of this vase will complete the changes I've been making to the shelving unit atop the partial wall dividing my living room and bedroom. They've been receiving some fine tuning ever since I moved in, and as soon as this vase arrives from Germany, I'll have things the way I want them, at least till I see another Scheurich piece I can't live without.

Stay tuned for a post about the updated look.

Scheurich vase #209-18

Original paper tag

Manufacturer's marking

Scheurich, thou art Temptation

Do you have something (other than chocolate) that won't quit calling your name, whether you need it or not?

Scheurich fat lava is that voice in my ear...temptation with a capital T. Honestly, I have all the fat lava I need. In fact, I have more than I need. A few pieces are languishing in the closet, because I simply don't have a spot for them. I've been saying for days that I'm going to list them on Craigslist, but the truth is that I'm not quite ready to part with them.

Yet I sat at the computer last night, poring over Etsy listings like some kind of crazed clay addict...even putting several pieces in my shopping cart. C'mon, encourage enable me. Which ones should I buy?

Scheurich 203-26
etsy.com - Retro Fat Lava

Scheurich 206-26
etsy.com - Veryodd

Scheurich 237-15
etsy.com - EdibleComplex

Scheurich 284-14
etsy.com - Retro Fat Lava

Scheurich 401-28
etsy.com - RetroMinded

Scheurich 493-10
etsy.com - Greta Allan Gallery

Scheurich 203-26
etsy.com - JunkHouse

Vase-o-mania

I've been in a bit of a frenzy lately...a vase-buying frenzy. First, I picked up a beautiful 5 1/2" (13.97 cm) bottle/vase by Giovanni de Simone to display the larger 8" (20.32 cm) one I bought back in February. The new one is signed and dated 1964.

Bottle by Giovanni de Simone

Next, I found a 12" (30.48 cm) West German piece by Bay that I had to have. The shape of that handle and the color combination of brown, green and orange were just too wonderful to pass up.

West German pitcher/vase by Bay

Just when I thought I'd give my eBay account a rest, I saw a spectacular 12" fat lava piece by Scheurich that I wanted, but I thought it was a bit overpriced. Luckily, the listing had the Make Offer feature, so I thought I'd give it a try. To my surprise, I didn't have to wait long for a response. The seller accepted immediately, and I became the proud owner of this lovely vase.

West German fat lava vase by Scheurich

I had a bid in on a Wirkkala Pollo vase...yes, the one that keeps eluding me...but I was outbid.  I am determined to continue my quest for one at a bargain price and won't give up till I get it.

Christmas wish list: Etsy

Last week I featured Christmas hints from eBay aimed directly at those near and dear to me who are willing to dig deeply into their savings accounts or IRAs, cash in some insurance policies and/or take out loans to be sure I have a very merry Christmas. :)

This week, I'm adding some Etsy finds...just in case they considered my last list too short.

Blenko decanter by Joey Myers - $195
etsy.com - anothertimeantiques

Russel Wright Eclipse glasses - $275
etsy.com - pardonmyvintage

Scheurich fat lava floor vase - $425
etsy.com - christophermodern

Large 10 1/2" Pollo vase by Tapio Wirkkala - $800
etsy.com - vetiverhome

Jens Risom sofa - $2950
etsy.com - barkingsandsvintage

Hans Wegner hutch - $3990
etsy.com - dejavulongbeach

More fat lava

It's a inexplicable phenomenon, but as soon as I learn about something, I start running into it everywhere. Until a couple of weeks ago, I didn't even know that fat lava pottery existed. Then when we went to a furniture auction Thursday night, sitting atop a teak mid-century credenza were two really nice pieces of West German pottery.

By the time lots #206 and #207 came up for bidding, most of the mid-century crowd had gone home, and I was hoping none of the fancy-schmancy antique folks would be interested. Apparently that was the case. The first piece started really low, and although it got a couple of half-hearted bids, I ultimately won it at a very reasonable price.

I was able to get the second piece too...and at an even better price. I'm going to have to research the markings. I think they both might be Scheurich, but I could be wrong. After all, I'm a complete novice at identifying fat lava.

Scheurich?

I think the new ewer it will be beautiful with this pot the SIL picked up recently at an estate sale. 

Fat lava planter by Bay

Fat lava

For quite some time I've been fascinated by brightly colored West German pottery, but I'd never taken time to read about it till my SIL brought some home from an estate sale over the weekend. A cursory search turned up some websites that seemed promising, so I returned to them today for a closer look.

The term "fat lava" is believed to have started as an imprecise translation of "thick lava," describing the heavy, lava-like glaze on some West German pottery. However, it has evolved over time to be an accepted name for a certain type of West German pottery made from the 1950s to the 1970s, which may or may not have the lava glaze.

Mark Hill, the author of Fat Lava (West German Ceramics of the 1960s and 70s), is the expert most often mentioned on the sites I visited. Some of the leading manufacturers were Roth Keramik, Scheurich, Ruscha, Jasba, Dümler & Breiden and Bay.

From midcenturia.com, ginforodditiques.com, fat-lava.com, markhillpublishing.co.uk

stuffgirlslike.net

collectorsweekly.com

classic-modern.com

flickr.com - H is for home photostream

midcenturia.com

petpeoplesplace.com

This stuff is so much fun! Just looking at it makes me smile. I think I'm going to have to be on the lookout for more of it, as well learn much more about it.