Jens Quistgaard Flamestone Coffee Pot

This is an extremely hard to find, iconic, coffee pot designed by Jens Quistgaard for the Dansk Flamestone line. The unique, single, side handle gives this coffee pot its stand-out look. Smooth, matte brown, finish on the exterior with a white, enamel, finish interior. This is mid century, Danish modern design at its best.

The coffee pot is marked on the bottom with the early "Four Ducks" Dansk Designs Denmark logo and the initials IHQ for Jens Harald Quistgaard.

Not trained as a designer, but as a sculpture, Quistgaard used his mastery of form to turn functional items into "voorwerpen van kunst" (objects of art). Quistgaard's designs for Dansk helped to bring sophisticated European design into the average home.

You would think that the side handle, as nontraditional as it is, would be awkward, but it is surprisingly comfortable to pour.

Available on our Etsy store. Sold

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Ernest Sohn "Guitar and Drum" Enameled Metal and Walnut Ashtray and Coaster Set

This Ernest Sohn designed set features a stylized orange guitar and white drum design. The set consists of one large ashtray and four coasters. The ashtray is genuine walnut with an enameled metal insert and marked, "Genuine walnut designed by Ernest Sohn" on the bottom. The four coasters are enameled metal, with the same guitar and drum motif as the ashtray.

Don't smoke? Neither do we. The ashtray would also make a great cheese server especially for soft cheeses.

This set has a really cool 50's, beatnik vibe. Maynard G. Krebs would have, like, totally dug this, man.

The enamel shows some crazing from underneath, but overall the items are in really wonderful condition. The orange on the guitar is quite vibrant.

Dimensions
Ashtray: 8.5"D X 1"H
Coasters: 4"D

Available on our Etsy shop.

About Ernest Sohn

Sohn was a prolific giftware designer throughout the 50's and 60's. Some of his early work can be seen in the "Circus" and "Menagerie" lines from Glidden.

"Circus", designed by Ernest Sohn, from Glidden

"Menagerie", designed by Ernest Sohn, from Glidden

From about 1945 to 1951, Sohn worked for Rubel & Co. In 1951, Ernest Sohn Associates was formed where he manufactured and displayed his own designs. Sohn's designs used mixed media of wood, ceramic and metal.

Around the mid-fifties, Ernest Sohn Creations was formed. Many of the pieces you find today are marked with the Ernest Sohn Creations tag.

Throughout the 1950's, Sohn's work was given "Good Design" awards by MOMA.

Ernest Sohn Creations pieces were sold into the 1970's and could be found at many local department stores. This is why you can often find Sohn pieces at local thrift and consignment stores, even in smaller rural towns.

Sohn's creations were innovative, creative, graceful and brought beauty and style into the everyday home.

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Old Fitzgerald "Candlelight" Decanters - 1950's

We recently came across three, very unique, Old Fitzgerald Bourbon decanters. We looked at them for some time, thinking, "These decanters look strange. There appears to be a shot glass on top, but the rims make them look like candle holders. These are very odd."

These decanters were so strange that we just had to get them and learn more about their unique design.

About The "Candlelight" Decanter

Designed in 1955 & 1956 by Walter Landor & Associates for Stitzel-Weller Distillery, these decanters were meant to be functional even after the bourbon was gone.

The tops of the bottles served as a jigger for pouring, but could also hold candles.

That is why these were known as the "Candlelight" decanters.

From the article, "Walter Landor: Portrait of a Pioneer" by Bernie Gallagher, July 2009:

In 1955, the owners of Stitzel-Weller Distillery wanted to market a Christmas decanter for their Old Fitzgerald bourbon. Walter required his team of designers to go beyond the basics and take the decanter concept in new directions. The final design, called Candlelight, was selected from among 50 possibilities.

The Candlelight decanter achieved popularity not only because of its contemporary look but also for its innovative utility. The packaging allowed the gift decanter to function as a candleholder—one of its many “after-uses” in the home.^[24] In Minneapolis, it was reported that women bought additional decanters to make candleholder sets, thus augmenting Old Fitzgerald’s sales.<sup>[25]

[24]</sup> “New Decanter Shown For Old Fitzgerald,” Advertising Requirements (December 1955), reprint from the Landor Archive Project, Landor Design Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
^[25] “Dealers on Decanters,” Tide (28 January 1955), reprint from the Landor Archive Project, Landor Design Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

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1955 Holiday Ad

1956 Holiday Ad

The design group, Walter Landor & Associates, was headed by Walter Landor. You may not know his name, but if you have ever been involved in any kind of consumer research testing, Mr. Landor was the pioneer of that.

About Walter Landor

From wikipedia.org - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Landor:

Walter Landor (9 July 1913 – 9 June 1995), born Walter Landauer in 1913 in Munich, Germany, was a brand design legend and the founder of Landor Associates. He was an acclaimed designer and a pioneer of branding and consumer research techniques widely used to this day. Landor Associates, the company he founded in 1941, has offices around the world and enjoys a significant reputation for rigorous strategic thinking coupled with groundbreaking creativity.

"Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind," Walter Landor memorably stated. He had a particular gift for creating designs with broad popular appeal, such as the Coca-Cola script. Brands as diverse as General Electric, Japan Airlines, Levi Strauss, and Shell Oil all benefited from his vision and commitment.

In 1994 the Smithsonian Institution honored Walter Landor by establishing a permanent collection of his designs and packaging.

From www.aiga.com - http://www.aiga.org/medalist-walterlandor/

In 1994, a year before his death, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History assembled The Walter Landor Collections of Design Records and Packaging to document and permanently house the legacy of Landor's contributions to American design history in the 20th century.

"Viking" Wine Carafe by Ole Winther for Holmegaard

In 1955, Ole Winther, a Danish ceramist, designed the "Viking" wine carafe for Holmegaard.

The "Viking" series was designed as large style carafes with a stylized viking head medallion embossed on the surface.

The design started in 1955 as a made to order piece by Holmegaard, and available only in green. During the 1960's, Holmegaard put the piece into general production. It was at the time that general production began that the viking medallion was added and additional colors were made available.

The "Viking" carafes continued in production until sometime around the mid 1970's.

The carafes were machine blown, but they were designed with a coarse look to give them an old style, handmade glass appearance. To achieve the old look, bubbles and ripples were reproduced in the glass. An over-sized pour spout was hand-formed and applied to the rim of the carafe.

The carafes came in two sizes; one size as shown here, and the other with a large body that is often called the "Fat Viking". There were five colors offered; Cobalt Blue, Gold, Amber, Light Blue and Smoke Gray.

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