Retro Kitchen: Stoneware Crocks

Our utensils cannot contain themselves any longer. We have tons of spatulas, spoons, skimmers, spatulas, tongs, and more. Because it's so convenient to have utensils out and accessible while cooking, we have them in an antique stoneware crock and IKEA stainless steel utensil holder. Post-registry shopping at Crate and Barrel, we now have more items that would benefit from being neatly organized: sushi mats and a baster. Our new skimmer displaced our potato masher so it's also in search of a new home.

It's obviously time for another container. But what type of container should we get? Stoneware or stainless steel? How do you store/organize your kitchen utensils?

Before we start searching, we need to set a couple of requirements. Our kitchen has wood cabinets stained a honey brown with black granite countertops and a mix of black and stainless appliances (photo of our kitchen). What we chose needs to be complementary with this color scheme. The only space on our counter where these utensils can live is next to our countertop oven (photo of how our countertop is currently organized). With the limited space, a metal container could potentially end up being hot to the touch. Of our current containers the crock won't fit, but the IKEA holder would fit perfectly. It's dimensions are 4 3/4" in diameter and 7 1/8" in height. Finally, I'd prefer to get something that's been gently used.

As I waited for the water for the coffee to boil (and the coffee to steep), I headed to Etsy. After three searches ("stoneware pot," "utensil jar," and "crock") and about 15 minutes, I had a few options that met our requirements. 

Where to Get the Look: 3" diameter, 4.5" tall crock from Vintage Junky Style, $8 + $6.10 shipping; 4 1/2" diameter, 5" tall crock from Bailiwick Vintage, $10 + $10.50 shipping; 4 1/4" diameter with 3 1/2" opening, 6 1/2" tall crock from Vintage Variables, $15 + $8.50 shipping; 4" diameter with 2 1/4" opening, 4 1/2" tall crock from Overlook, $8 + $8.50 shipping;  Just under 3 1/2" wide mouth, 4 1/2" tall jar from Humming Among Treasures, $6 + $6 shipping.

What would you chose? 

Weekly Wrap: Type in the Kitchen

This week primary colors and type caught my eye. Specifically these juice glasses from Crate and Barrel that feature letters as fruit. And these napkins from Oh Little Rabbit and hand towels from the MOMA feature illustrations reminiscent of 1950s cookbooks.

Where to Get the Look: Juice Glasses from Crate and Barrel $2.95 ea; Organic Kitchen Gadget Cotton Napkins from via Oh Little Rabbit (Etsy) $20 for a set of 4; Object Tea Towels via At Home with Kim Vallee, $16 ea.

Anything with type catch your eye this week?

Happy New Year!

One of this year's resolutions is "Get Organized. Stay Organized."

Notice anything new on our counter for 2011?

What are your favorite tools for organizing and keeping your kitchen neat?

Over the years I've used a variety of containers to organize the kitchen. The ones that I've kept share these qualities:

• Lightweight
• Durable
• Easy to use
• Small footprint (the container should be close to the size of the original packaging for an item)

I've had flour in three types of containers: Le Parfait French Glass Canning Jars with Gasket and Lid, ClickClack 4.4-Quart Stack and Seal, and Bag in Sugar Dispensers. The glass was heavy as well as bulky (one just landed in our Goodwill pile). The ClickClacks while they have a large footprint are incredibly easy to use. They hold all of the flour and have a wide enough mouth for a 1-cup measuring cup. The Bag in Sugar dispensers hold a 5 lb bag of flour. However, flour gets trapped between the bag and the container and they have a very large footprint (four just landed in our Goodwill pile).

Retro Kitchen: Everything in its Place

Edgemere Diner, photographed by Bev Norton; shared in accordance with Creative Commons license.

This past Saturday we soft opened our pet project Blanchisserie Americain. When creating the logo, I drew inspiration from the 1950s. I wanted a font that was very simple yet conveyed classic elegance. The fonts used by GarnerWare and Lincoln BeautyWare with tight kerning captivated the most. 

GarnerWare Coffee, Flour, Sugar, and Tea Canisters
Image courtesy of Renee's Attic Collectibles

Lincoln BeautyWare Coffee, Flour, Sugar, and Tea Canisters, $29

Image courtesy of Wave Song

Coffee Canister, $10 

Image courtesy of MeeganL21

Lincoln Beautyware, $95 

Image courtesy of cammoo

I liked this font but felt the kerning wasn't tight enough.

Lincoln Beautyware Coffee and Tea Canisters, $20 

 4.5" in height by 5" wide and 6" deep

Image courtesy of rhan

Cake Carrier, $25 

 6" in height by 12" wide and 12" deep

Image courtesy of Vintage Me AZ

Lincoln BeautyWare Bread Box, $49.95 

Image courtesy of The Funny Bunny

I liked the treatment of the following labels, but the fonts seemed more casual. For a bakery:

Canette Masterware Coffee and Tea Canisters, $24 

Image courtesy of Compost This

For a sweet shoppe or creamery:

Lincoln BeautyWare Coffee, Flour, Sugar and Tea Canisters, $35 for set
 4.75" to 8.5" in height by 5" wide and 6" deep

 Image courtesy of So Fetch Vintage

Coffee, Flour, Sugar, and Tea Canisters, $28 

Image courtesy of French Press Vintage

Cookie Canister, $12.50 

Image courtesy of Lisa's Retro Style

For a coffee shop:

Coffee, Flour, and Tea Canisters, $38 

Image courtesy of Blue Bernice Vintage

Lincoln BeautyWare Cake Carrier, $21 

Image courtesy of Treasure Galaxy

Lincoln BeautyWare Coffee and Tea Canisters, $16.40 

Image courtesy of Claire's Faire

Lincoln BeautyWare Cake Carrier, $19 

Image courtesy of Blue Boy Vintage

And of course there were some fonts and treatments that screamed diner.

Masterware Coffee and Sugar Canisters, $24 

 4.5" to 8.75" in height by 5" wide and 6" deep

Image courtesy of Blue Bernice Vintage

Lincoln BeautyBox, $38 

Image courtesy of Found Things

And there were fonts that were a little too plain and didn't say anything at all.

Kromex Coffee, Sugar, and Tea Canisters, $26 

Image courtesy of Old Green Canoe

Coffee, Flour, Sugar, and Tea Canisters, $20

Image courtesy of Sir Edmond's Vintage

Longing for an Open Kitchen

Most of the places I've lived haven't had open kitchens. The house in Austin, TX did. My Sunnyvale, CA apartment (recently renovated to remove one of the kitchen walls) did. I chose it specifically for that feature. In both instances, the kitchen was truly the hub of the home.

A kitchen as the central hub of a home is why I've always loved those track homes by Eichler. They have the potential for a wonderous open kitchen with some remodeling.

What's your dream kitchen like?

Credits: Eichler kitchen, photographed by thomasfj, shared in accordance with Creative Commons license.

Tips: Finding 1950s Metal Canisters for a Modern Kitchen

In our kitchen, we have appliances that are black and stainless. We also have granite countertops with a black and white tile backsplash. Our accessories and countertop appliances tend to be stainless or brushed metal as well (pot rack and compost pail from Crate and Barrel and our Cuisinart TOB-60 Convection Toaster Oven Broiler). 

Our OXO containers take up a lot of counterspace (in the photo above they're stacked on top of each other behind the rice cooker). So while I love their functionality, I don't love the look. Solution? Hide OXO containers in stackable Lincoln BeautyWare from the 1950s (props for our retro kitchen shoot).

Photography Credit: Roberts888 via Flickr
Check out the Canette canisters on the countertop to the right of the fridge.

When assembling a cohesive (i.e. "matchy matchy") kitchen look using vintage pieces for your modern kitchen, there are a few things to consider:

• Brand - Canette, GarnerWare, Lincoln BeautyWare, Masterware, Duro (a Canadian brand), and Mirro. Canette, GarnerWare, Lincoln BeautyWare, and Masterware are blind embossed on the bottom of each piece. If photos of a piece don't show the embossing, be sure to ask the seller.  
• Finish - chrome, brushed aluminum, copper, or paint finish
• Material used for handles - some are painted metal, some are plastic woodgrain
• Type of label - some are blind embossed
• Lettering of label - some are all capital letters, some are all lowercase letters
• Orientation of label - some are vertical and some are horizontal
• Dimensions - some of the canisters aren't stackable as they typically round (Mirro). Others are polygons that can be stacked (Lincoln BeautyWare and GarnerWare). However, some are pie-shaped designed to fit in a corner on your counter. Stackable rectangular canisters can differ in size, GarnerWare can be 4.75"x5.75" to 5"x6" while Canette and Lincoln BeautyWare are typically 5"x6" and Masterware is 4.875"x5.125".

Canette ($38 for the set)
Image courtesy of Compost This 

GarnerWare
Image courtesy of Renee's Attic Collectibles

Lincoln BeautyWare ($20 to $29 for the set)
Image courtesy of Sir Edmond's Vintage

If searching on Etsy, try a couple of combinations, GarnerWare as well as Garner Ware, Lincoln BeautyWare as well as Lincoln Beauty Ware, and Masterware as well as Master Ware.