One of my favourite destinations for beauty and style is Skandium. They only have stores in London but their online presence is fabulous. With an A-Z of designers the ‘Home of Scandinavian Design’ never disappoints.
A personal favourite was a recent post about the Blue Fluted range of china from Royal Copenhagen. The first dinner service produced by the Danish company, made since 1775 and still painted and glazed by hand.
So, imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, the Danish design was oft copied. Furnivals were the most prominent of several Staffordshire potters to produce versions of the pattern based on the Royal Copenhagen original. Company records suggest that the pattern was produced from the 1850s with virtually no modification to the pattern or shape and continued until the closure of the business in 1968.
In 1813, Charles James Mason received a patent for his “ironstone china.” This hardened earthenware proved useful in the production of daily china, as well as industrial strength tiles used in furnaces, fireplaces, and flooring. Mason’s Ironstone called their version ‘Denmark’ and production only finished in the 1970’s when they joined the Wedgwood group.
Variations of the Danish pattern made by Furnivals and Mason’s which grace my breakfast table and were probably made in the 1950’s. Still elegant and still timeless.
Interior Perspectives 