Pyrex and Pink Daisies: Midcentury cookware is fab again

Pyrex and Pink Daisies: Midcentury cookware is fab again

If you want to refresh your kitchen roomLook no further than Grandma’s old casserole dishes.

Vintage kitchenware is back in style: mid-20th century pieces painted with flowers, bright colors, and specific features like bracketed potato chip bowls or four-piece refrigerator storage sets.

“I’ve always been an old soul and loved everything old,” said Megan Telfer, a collector of antique plates, salt and pepper shakers, cookie jars and “a little bit of everything.” The 26-year-old probation officer from the Dallas area said this hobby started with the family.

Her grandmother gave her mother a bowl of green and white Pyrex “Spring Blossom”. “That’s when my interest piqued,” Telfer said.

Three years later, it has more than 300 vintage Pyrex pieces, displayed on three large shelves. His 5-year-old daughter also has an antique Pyrex.

“We don’t use 90 percent,” Telfer said. “I show it.”

A year of pandemic lockouts has led to an increase in home cooking and time spent in the kitchen. Vintage kitchen utensils fit perfectly into that homey, old-fashioned vibe. (Lauren McCullough via AP)

Some collectors buy vintage dinnerware to try to resell it at a profit, while others do so out of nostalgia.

“It reminds them of their mothers, aunts and grandmothers,” said Hope Chudy, owner of Downstairs at Felton Antiques in Waltham, Massachusetts.

A year of pandemic lockouts has led to an increase in home cooking and time spent in the kitchen. Vintage kitchen utensils fit perfectly into that homey, old-fashioned vibe.

There are sparkling chili bowls with handles and casserole plates set on brass candle warmers. These are durable plates, often smaller than modern serving pieces, that can go from the freezer to the oven to the table. But collectors often acquire them for pleasure, not for utility.

“It really sets your kitchen apart from the rest,” said Victoria Aude, an interior designer in Canton, Massachusetts. “This is not an item you can buy off the shelves at Bloomingdale’s.”

Antique plates are also nice accents when decorating a room, said Atlanta-based interior designer Beth Halpern Brown. “They can add that quick pop of color,” he said. “You can decorate a wall with them or display one and change the space.”

Corning first released a Pyrex plate in 1915. In the 1930s, Anchor Hocking Glass Corp. launched its competing brand Fire-King. But it’s the cookware made between 1950 and 1980 that seems to be the most popular right now.

Jo Adinolfi, a 62-year-old nurse from Shelton, Connecticut, collects Pyrex mixing bowls and stackable refrigerator sets, what collectors affectionately call “fridgies.” He started collecting and selling about 10 years ago and owns more than 2,000 pieces.

Mid-20th century glass bowls and casseroles from brands like Fire-King and Pyrex haven’t changed, but their prices have.

“The more people they collect, the greater the demand, the more people are trying to get the right products to be able to meet that request,” said Stan Savellis, 42, of Sydney, Australia, who has collected vintage kitchen utensils since his en adolescence and runs the online store That Retro Piece.

Television and social media have also generated interest. Series like WandaVision, Firefly lane, The wonderful Mrs. Maisel Y Crazy men All feature mid-century kitchens and kitchenware.

And then there are social media, said Vicki Matranga, coordinator of design programs for the International Association of Housewares and author of the book “America at Home: A Celebration of Housewares of the 20th Century.”

“Now that everyone is home, they can see the collections on Facebook or Instagram,” he said.

In the days leading up to the pandemic, vintage collectors met in exchanges. Now people buy and sell on eBay, Etsy, Facebook, and other websites.

Rarer pieces have sold for thousands of dollars, like the 1959 “Lucky in Love” covered casserole that Goodwill sold for $ 5,994 in 2017.

Still, some enthusiasts just like the vintage look and sentimentality.

“It goes with my house,” said Ashley Linder, 37, of Lake Jackson, Texas.

Linder’s vintage collection includes can openers from the 1950s and they still work. “Fortunately, I have the space to show most of it, although some are in seasonal use,” he said.

One of his prized finds was a Pyrex “Pink Daisy 045” casserole on eBay. It was in perfect condition, still in the box.

“You don’t find many pink pieces in the box,” he said.

He paid $ 300 for it and texted the seller hoping to find out how well it was preserved. “The lady had bought an old farmhouse in Nebraska and they left it there,” he said. “It’s an investment”.