Riihimaki Piippu chimney vase

We found this handsome vintage glass vase by Riihimaki, Finland.

The vase is a lovely smoke-grey colour. We think the designer is Aimo Okkolin, and it dates from the 1970s. The shape is known as Piippu or chimney vase.

It's an elegant vase, in a good colour, and we really like that shape.

It's approximately 7 inches (18cm) high.

We put the vase in the art glass section of our store but it is now sold. You can see the store, here: Potshots store

Twin Bird, Japan. Retro home bar accessories. 1970s

If you're lucky enough to have a home bar, and your home bar is styled in a retro theme, then here's the very thing for you.

A fabulously retro water jug and matching ice bucket. The metal jug and ice bucket have semi-transparent lids, plastic liners for double insulation and are in a bright lime green colour. The ice bucket is marked Twin Bird on the base. Probably made in Japan in the 1970s, these two eye-catching home bar accessories would look great next to a bowl of lemons and limes.

In fact, they look so good, I'm off to build my own bar right now. Cheers.

PS We've opened a little shop on Etsy. You can see it here: Potshots on Etsy 

Soholm dish. Blue Series, Einar Johansen. Simple but nice.

A simple but pleasing little serving dish or trinket tray by Soholm, Denmark.

The dish is from the Blue Series, designed by Einar Johansen, It probably dates from the 1960s or early 1970s. The glaze contrasts are specially nice - a rich glossy dark blue with tones of earthy brown on the inside, the outer walls in a semi-matt black, almost leather-like, finish. The inner base of the dish is indented with a simple triangular repeat pattern. All of which, makes this item pleasing on the eye, and to the touch.

Simple but nice.

Frozen Daiquiri, anyone?

Wow. They really knew how to illustrate books in 1967. Well, John Alstrop and Eric Hill did anyway.

Published by Determined Productions Inc, San Francisco, in 1967, Booze is an amazing little illustrated book of some fifty-odd cocktail recipes. I've no way of knowing if the two designer/illustrators sampled any (or all!) of the cocktails before putting their colourful pens to paper, but they certainly didn't hold back. The pages are filled with vibrant and humorous images in a wonderfully typical 1960s psychedelic style.

It's a lovely little book. And goes quite well with a quirky little drinks tray we found recently which probably dates from the same era.

Cheers.

An abstract serving on this vintage platter. Poole Delphis.

A platter with such a generous serving of abstract design. This vibrant charger is full of fun and full of colour. It's from the Poole Delphis range and was probably made in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The pointed shape is known as shape 91. Unfortunately the plate is not signed so I'm not sure who the artist was - which is a shame because such an expressive technique deserves recognition.

An interesting and eye catching plate, for sure.

Vintage tin coasters for colourful cocktails. Worcester.

I've always been a bit of a sucker for colourful, geometric pattern. And when it comes in the form of vintage drinks coasters, I just couldn't resist.

These small tin coasters or cocktail mats have bold graphic designs and funky retro colours. I have an idea they were made by Worcester, England. They probably date from the 1960s or 1970s.

It seems a long time ago now that I submitted a blog-post on some funky table mats by the same maker. Remember these: 1960s Worcester mats