For their inherent character, the thrill of the hunt, and the mysterious past lives that seem to add a certain depth to any scene, shelf, or centerpiece, vintage objects are hard not to love. We love finding a new oddball antique store, chatting with the owner about how old a piece might be or what exactly it is, and taking something home to clean and pet like a newly adopted puppy.
Both the upside and the downside is that when you find something you love, there's a very good chance it's the only one of its kind nearby. It's always rare when something from the past has survived in a pair or a set, which is why so many of our makers do the good work of making these shapes available to many, by taking inspiration from a vintage form and casting it in a brand new material. Instead of being feeble with age, they're now dependably made and sure to stick around for a whole other lifetime.
Here are some of our favorite vintage-inspired designs from the Shop, and why we love them:
Antique-Molded Utensils by MATCH
By casting molds around antique designs, the artisans at MATCH were able to preserve these elegant shapes—which they then cast by hand in fine Italian pewter. The result is a sort of familiarity in the designs, like something your grandmother might have owned, but in a pleasing matte pewter finish and a construction that's made to last.
Jadeite Glass by Mosser
Right in the heart of Ohio, Mosser Glass has been making handcrafted pieces for over 30 years—including a whole selection of jadeite cake stands, plates, juicers, and vessels. We love this luminescent glass color, which had its heyday back in the 40's and 50's, and that Mosser is still turning it out classic shapes for the retro-lover.
Ball Jars (Purple Pint and Clear 1 1/2 Pint) from Mountain Feed and Farm Supply:
A sustainable-living store in California, Mountain Feed and Farm Supply delivers the classic ball jar shape afresh, in a tall 1 1/2 pint version and this gorgeous purple (which is going out of stock at the end of the year!).
Porcelain Ball Jars from Candy Relics
A ceramics company with a penchant for nostalgic pieces, Candy Relics casts porcelain mugs and cups in the shape of ball jars, a do-over we love slipping in amongst all the other glass ball jars in our lives.
Baker's Dozen Wooden Spoons (Sets of 13) from Sir Madam:
A Brooklyn-based company that trawls flea markets for memorable designs, Sir Madam collected two dozen vintage wooden spoons over the course of 15 years to prep for the making of their large and small Baker's Dozen sets. They were then re-created in sets by artisans in India—and each one is the start of an instant collection.
Copper Tartlet Molds by Coppermill Kitchen
Avid antiquer Beth Sweeney knows how to spot a good piece of copper a the flea; we love her painstaking restorations, but we're also just as enamored with these sets of tartlet molds that are inspired by a vintage design she couldn't get enough of.
How do you vote: Vintage or Vintage-Inspired? Let us know in the comments!
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