As a proud collector of mid-century pottery and dinnerware, pretty much every inch in my 1,023 square foot loft that can display an item does. In the bedroom, on the computer desk, above the kitchen cabinets... pretty much the only pottery-free zone is the bathtub.
I have no trouble using my dinnerware -- save for a few extremely rare or fragile pieces -- as intended (you know, to serve food on). My primary china set is Russel Wright Casual China by Iroquois in the early powder blue color, but I use it all: the Eva Zeisel Town & Country in dusk blue for a funky party or "Eva - Wedding Ring" when my mom (who likes a more traditional place setting) visits; Charles Murphy's Smart Set when I want to impress my guests; and a variety of other Wright designs, from Snowflower to Highlight (yes, with snowglass!) to Home Decorator melmac in the "Gay Time" pattern (no surprise there). I reward myself by using rare items, like a Casual China mug in turquoise or Silhouette cocktail glasses, to make special occasions even more so.
For some reason, though, I have trouble making that leap of "production for use" to vases. Perhaps it's because many of the vases I have amassed are ones I admire for their sculptural forms, and I like just looking at them empty. Others, like my Russel Wright Bauer pieces are so rare I worry about putting water in them. I remember going to visit supercollector Carmen Brady in Santa Monica years ago. I brought her some flowers, which she promptly put in an oval Bauer vase. "They were made to have flowers in them," she said, noting my surprise as she filled the vase from the tap. "They're not complete without flowers." And indeed, the design became that much more spectacular and alive once the vase was full.
With the plethora of gorgeous blooms available at the St. Paul Farmer's Market these days, I've made an effort to use Red Wing vases for color and accent in my loft. The image above is a Belle Kogan double vase from the 1950s, which I have in my entryway. I was unsure how flowers would look with the two distinct vase forms - would they look like two separate bouquets? I suppose they could, if desired, but I was pleased to see my arrangement come together into one burst of color. Here's what it looks like empty (the cell phone is for scale):
Below are some Prismatique pieces which happened to coordinate nicely with a Russel Wright Simtex tablecloth. The yellow blossoms tied the whole tablescape together for me.
