I went over to Kinokuniya at Uwajimaya last weekend, I hadn't been there in a long time, and found this amazing book. It's a visual catalog of some famous mid-century modern Swedish, Finnish, Danish, and Norwegian pottery. It's just a look book, with the company names and patterns, but it is amazing and the photos are stellar, of course. Grammie worked at Finlandia House here in Portland (the owners were close friends of the fanily) when she was little and remembers seeing all these patterns in the shop-it was so cool to look at it with her. Finlandia House is not there anymore, it was Portland's first Finnish home interiors/import store. It opened in the 1950s and mom worked there when she was 12! I guess if you are going to have child labor, at least do it in style!
Arabia-Kartano
Arabia-Kilta (I think Grammie said this was her favorite at Finlandia House.)
Arabia-Krokus (I guess I really like Arabia.)
I don't have any of these patterns. I have a really small ceramics collection just a few pieces, mostly American, but I am slowly rebuilding my parents wedding pattern (Denby) which was lost, and fantasize about owning some of these pieces. I am sure pie would taste even better off of a plate like this. But maybe not pie, now that I think about it, I'd have to make a special Finnish dessert, to go with the Arabia. I must research this. This book in one in a series of two; one showcases cups and saucers, and this one features other pieces in the same patterns. Amazing.
