Danish Modern Mid Century Modern Teak Bowls and Home Decor - Design, Care, History and Shopping Tips

Vintage Teak Bowls Trays and Housewares

A Profile of Vintage Danish Modern

and

Mid-Century Modern Offerings

Want to begin accumulating vintage Danish Modern and Mid Century teak for your home?  Or perhaps you are an avid collector seeking information?  While vintage Danish Modern Teak furniture costs are soaring, vintage teak wooden serveware and housewares, such as salad bowls, cheese boards, salt and pepper grinders and sets, trays, as well as candlesticks remain affordable.  Some vintage offerings are down-right inexpensive.  If you are willing to put a little time and effort into refurbishing many vintage Danish Modern pieces can be picked up for a song.

These vintage "touches" will help transform your contemporary modern minimalist pieces and deliver the authentic vintage vibe you seek.  For beginning collectors, I recommend creating a purchasing plan which includes creating a wish list of items you would like to use daily and those which you want to purchase as an investment.  Learning a little history, design principals, and understanding the vintage market prior to making purchases will ensure you get the most value for your money.

A little Danish Modern History

From a design aspect the Danish Modern movement began in the 1920's; but really took hold in the early 1930's continuing through World War II.  It has been said during the depression years and World War II into the post war era, European and Scandinavian designers took to their roots in both design principals as well as materials.  These new designs, born of frugality, honored the past but perhaps more importantly displayed an awakening spirit of hope for the future.

In Danish Modern furniture design, prior to using teak, many Scandinavian designs were made of local woods such as pine.  An American aesthetic for darker woods influenced Danish Modern designers.   Additionally, the advent of new post war glues and technologies such as bent plywood (which made for a stronger union of wood and metal) opened the door to exciting new affordable designs.  Once Danish Modern designers discovered teak, known for it's attributes of being a hard, lightweight and water resistant wood,  Denmark quickly became the largest worldwide importer of teak in the 1950's.

High consumption combined with poor forestry and plantation conservation practices, during the thirty year period between 1950 and 1980, accounted for the decline of teak resources worldwide and the consequential spiraling cost.  In the early 1980's many countries instituted policies to improve and maintain teak conservation practices.  Exports became regulated and plantations were governed to assure teak remained as a sustainable resource.  Why is this important?

Availability impacted both price and design.  As you will learn the age of teak importers, not coincidentally, ended in the 1980's. During that 30 year period of time not only product design but also manufacturing practices changed in order to remain competitive in the market.  Many Danish modern designs which heretofore were executed in Denmark with imported teak, were now manufactured in the country of origin.  Indeed, designs were changed to provide a more economical use of wood.  A good example of this is evidenced with the evolution of the country of manufacture of Dansk bowls; early bowls were manufactured in Denmark but quickly began being produced countries like Thailand and Malaysia. Indeed, even now, global teak availability and prices are impacted by the practices during this thirty year time period. Hence, making  the purchase of vintage teak products is not only fun but also affordable and a "green" practice.

When considering mid century teak salad bowls, serveware, candlesticks, toys and trays for purchase you owe it to yourself to 1.) know a little history, 2.) define your budget and, 3.) understand basic construction and design in order to maximize your options.

A Bit of History - Vintage Teak Serveware and Housewares Mass Market Manufacturers - Importers

Resourcing information for Danish Modern name designers such as Kay Bojesen, Hans Bolling, Jens Quistgaard, Richard Nissen and their piers on the internet is a fun ride and you will find rich information. Conversely, there is much less information available for mass market manufacturers and importers.  The latter being my main focus, because their products are reasonably priced and readily found online.  Take a moment to discover the mass market manufacturers/importers in the mid-century tableware and housewares game.  Knowing the names and a bit of the history will afford you many design and price options.

Mass Market Teak Housewares Manufacturers

Dansk Designs - 1954 - 1991 Formed in 1954 by Ted Nierenberg with designer Jens Quistgaard.  In 1974 Dansk removed all designer references and changed their back-stamp to Dansk International Designs LTD. Dansk was purchased in 1985 by Dansk Acquisition Corp and was later purchased by Brown-Forman Corporation, under it's Lenox brand umbrella.  In March of 2009 Clarion Capital Partners LLC purchased all the assets of Lenox from the Brown-Forman Corporation renaming the company Lenox Corporation which has kept the Dansk product name.[1]  There is abundant information about both Dansk and Jens Quistgaard online which I will not further duplicate here.

Dansk Trademarks over the years.

Dansk Teak Package Care Instructions 

The following care instructions came with each wood item from Dansk Designs.

"Dansk Designs advises you to treat your wood pieces tenderly.  Wood is sensitive to extremes of temperature, humidity and dryness.  So store it in a well ventilated area away from radiators and strong sunlight."
"To keep this piece lustrous, clean it by wiping with mild soap and warm water.  Dry thoroughly.  And give it an occasional beauty rub with ordinary mineral oil."

*I would only note that today it is recommended you use food grade mineral oil.  Which can easily be found at most big box stores, as well as hardware and home improvement centers.

Buying Tip:  While Dansk was sold only first quality in the finer Department Stores, they also sold seconds and closeouts through a network of Factory Outlet Stores.  Look for tags which may show the item was a second.  Further, make there aren't unsightly knots and be sure all staves and inlay work are tight and sound.  Aging glues and exposure to water can compromise the joints and the structural integrity of your piece.

How To Clean Brass with Natural Products

Cleaning Stained Vintage Brass - A Tutorial

Hollywood Regency Floor Standing Solid Brass Candlestick Holders

While cleaning a vintage item is never in question, whether to polish or not to polish brass, copper and silver is for many vintage sellers.   In general, patina is highly sought after, removing patina from vintage and antiques devalues the item.  Given the choice, I always opt for patina or a jeweler's cloth to clean and lightly polish most vintage jewelry.  However, with metal home decor and kitchenware the line is blurred.

Patina is one thing, stains are another.

I was faced with this exact situation recently with these three extra large floor standing brass candle holders.

The tallest candlestick stands 26 3/8 inches , the medium candlestick 21 1/2 inches and the smallest 18 inches tall without candles. These mid century solid brass Hollywood Regency style vintage candle holders were meant to be elegant and beautiful - to make a visual statement.  To have a presence in a room.

Taking this into consideration, I decided to polish.

All three had staining similar to the one pictured here on the left.  Who knows what from or how deep the reactive stain reached, committing to them was a risk.

I knew I could use a commercial brass cleaner and 0000 fine steel wool, available in the grocery and hardware stores.  Very expensive and who wants that in their kitchen sink and going down the drain?

I found several web and blog sites recommending this or that all natural treatment.  What was lacking was examples of how well the suggested treatment worked as well as before and after photographs.  Several of which didn't work, or didn't work well enough to deal with the staining on my brass candle holders.  I'll talk more about that later.  Let me share what did work the best first and what you'll need to get started.  Relax it's all natural and probably in your kitchen pantry right now!

Things You'll Need

• Spoon - I used a stainless steel spoon, a wooden spoon would work also.
• Flour - I used regular unbleached all purpose flour.
• Kosher Salt
• Vinegar 5% to 6% acidity - I used cider vinegar but you could use white vinegar.
• Bowl - I used a plastic mushroom container which I wash and keep for projects like this.
• Cotton Swab - To apply the paste directly on the stain.
• Sponge - to apply the paste for over all treatment.
• Olive Oil - to protect the metal from the air after it has been cleaned and polished.

Prep Work

If your candle holders break down into smaller pieces - take them apart one at a time and wash with warm soapy water and dry with a soft cloth or kitchen towel.  This will remove any oils,dust and surface dirt allowing the mixture to reach the metal more efficiently and uniformly.

Many older pieces of brass have been lacquered.  It's important to know if your piece has been lacquered you will have to use more traditional treatments to remove the lacquer prior to polishing.  This treatment will not remove lacquer.  For pieces which are lacquered you can use a traditional brass cleaner with 0000 fine steel wool, being careful not to rub in a circular motion or apply so much pressure as to deeply scratch the surface of the metal.  Fine marks can be buffed out with a lamb's wool buffer attached to a drill.

Step One

Mix the paste.  I wasn't and didn't exactly measure the ingredients and I made them in batches; treating and cleaning over a couple of days without issue.  I did attempt to stay somewhat consistent and used a heaping 1/4 cup of flour, kosher salt and vinegar per batch.  I doubled this when applying the overall treatment.  You can adjust for too much vinegar if your paste is too thin by adding equal parts of flour and salt until the mixture is thick enough not to run.

Staining prior to treatment.

Vintage Dansk Christianshavn Blue Bistro Dinnerware

Vintage Dansk Bistro Dinnerware in Christianshavn Blue

Vintage Dansk Bistro Christianshavn Blue

The Dansk Bistro line of porcelain china, designed by Niels Refsgaard, was introduced by Dansk in 1981 and was marketed as the "mix and match" line of tableware which included several stylized patterns as well as the Bisserup White.

I began collecting the Bisserup White for my personal use in the early 1980's and continued to collect that pattern until the mid 1990's.

It was a tough choice for me between the Christianshavn Blue line with the white winning out; but I did collect some of the Christianshavn Blue in select pieces such as the espresso cups and saucers   It was after all the mix and match collection!

The Designer for Dansk Bistro - Niels Refsgaard

Vintage Dansk Bistro Chrisitanshavn Blue shown
with Odin Servers

The Dansk Bistro line was designed by Niels Refsgaard, who graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, The School of Design in Copenhagen in 1957, currently has a studio and shop in Bisserup, and his current designs are available online which can be seen with this link Refsgaard Danish Ceramics Web Store.  Refsgaard still has a relationship with Dansk, now owned by Lenox, and has for over 50 years.  He states on his web site that, after years of industrial design (designs for mass production), he is "finally doing what was my youth dream and hope" enjoying a more organic approach and using local materials which can only be achieved on a small scale.

Refsgaard and Dansk are the recipient of several design awards including:

•  iF Product Design Awards - Niels Refsgaard for "Generation" Two Awards in different categories.
• International Tabletop Award - Dansk International Designs Niels Refsgaard designer, Dansk Bistro in the  Dinnerware Design category.

Dansk Bistro - Christianshavn Blue - Design Inspiration

Dansk advertising described the Bistro line as "gleaming white porcelain  in traditional colors - cool sea-blue and warm earth-brown -- he offers distinctive border to mix and match in endless combinations."  Dansk hung their hat on the Bistro line, accompanied by copious companion pieces, they honed the Bistro brand through advertising not only the dinnerware but also "accessories" such as casseroles, bakers, quiche pans, ramekins and souffles in "The Cook's Collection" and the "Cook and Serve Collection".

According to one Dansk ad, the inspiration for the line was "a charming Danish custom: to tile kitchen walls and working surfaces in a multitude of unmatched patterns."  The sapphire blue and the earthy brown were named Christianshavn after the trendy neighborhood in Copenhagen with a mix of old and new architecture.

Christianshavn at sunset is truly an inspiration!

Thanks to Serge Y on Flickr for providing HTML for his fabulous image.

Dansk Bistro - Mix and Match - Cook's Collection

A Tabletop Revolution

Minimalist Design  - Influential Designers Compete for the Market

Minimalist tableware china wasn't a new concept, Rosenthal produced all white patterns since the early 1900's, Wedgwood also produced all white ironstone china from the late 1800's; however the overall pattern impressions were of more traditional profiles, shapes and donned ornate reliefs as borders.  Pressure from Dansk's success was certainly seen in Rosenthal's developing a strong relationship with Danish designer Bjorn Wiinblad, the designer of Romance and German designer, Wolf Karnagel the designer for the Joy 1 (Joy One) pattern.

Dansk's Design and Branding Revolutionized the American Tabletop

What Dansk accomplished through award winning designers like Niels Refsgaard and Kathleen Wills, combined with comprehensive product branding through the print medium, was to revolutionize and forever change the china and tableware industry and American tabletops.

While Julia Child was expanding our culinary skills and teaching us how to cook, Dansk was providing an expansive line of cook and serve ware which took meals directly from the kitchen to the table.  It couldn't have been better timing and it was a perfect fit for our changing to a more casual lifestyle.  It was indeed a new concept for upscale dinnerware.  With styles and colors which further reinforced earlier offerings such a Kobenstyle enamelware and Teak offerings.

The line between everyday dishware and company china became blurred; for many like myself it disappeared altogether.  Dansk reinforced that change through their designs and advertising.  Designs became the frame for food instead of aesthetically competing.  The clean tabletop visually captivating.  The food took main stage center and the new designs allowed it to shine.

Many designs were rooted in European folk art.  Refsgaard's designs in particular, are clearly born from Danish folk art, but certainly influenced by his travels; textures and patterns which were heretofore more apt to be found on stoneware than fine porcelain.  It worked then.  It still does!

Timeless Design

Tricia's Cool Blue and Green Table Setting featuring Dansk Kristina & Florencia pattern by Refsgaard

Above is pictured Dansk's current Kristina & Florencia pattern by Refsgaard which would mix and match perfectly with vintage Bistro Christianshavn Blue.  A special thanks to Tricia, of the Dull and the Dutiful, a tabletop blogger, for allowing me post her lovely tablescape!  She has fabulous seasonal tablescapes (several which are Dansk) and a visit to her blog is a must!  You can see her outstanding work including her Easter table here:  The Dull and the Dutiful Blog  

Modern designs do have their detractors, one online review of Dansk, calls it "clinical".  Of which I hardily disagree.  Dansk Bistro Christianshavn dinnerware would be as beautiful on Monet's dinning table in his yellow dinning room at Giverny as it would on any traditional or contemporary dinning table such as Tricia's beautiful table shown above.

The Bistro Christianshavn line transcends, just as intended!  As Dansk stated so well in a 1980's advertisement: "From our earliest beginnings, Dansk's commitment has been to create designs that are always timely because they are timeless.  So when you buy Dansk, you know that your are buying style that lasts, not a fashion that comes and goes.  It's the guarantee that your tabletop will always be a winner."

I couldn't agree more.

Vintage Dansk Bistro Christianshavn Blue presents Classic Stripes - Compatible with all the Bistro and complementary patterns:

• Fredriksborg
• Maribo
• Flora
• Flora in Solid Blue
• Bistro Bisserup Brown
• Blue Ringsted
• Lyngby
• Bistro Bisserup White

It is no surprise that Dansk Bistro won First Prize for Classic Dinnerware in the First International Tabletop Awards competition.