Friday, 29 July 2022 | 20.3°C Dublin

T he durable serveware is back on trend with eye-catching colours and patterns that make a statement

A colourful modern take on enamelware. Picture: Bornn

Enamel marble candle, €28.50, brownthomas.ie

Yellow plates, from €18, hay.dk

Bornn marble tray, €37.90, bornn.com.tr, also available at brownthomas.com

Colorama bowl, €16, Finders Keepers; finderskeepersthestore.ie

You can’t argue with the classics. Our appreciation for good design will always circulate those pieces that never seem to go out of fashion — the iconic Barcelona chair, for example, or a Chesterfield sofa, with its buttoning and low back, both seen in homes and hotel lobbies across the globe since their inception. Our backward gaze isn’t just a signal of our appreciation for good design but also a nod to nostalgia, which has been having quite a moment in the interiors world in the last few years. In fact, TikTok and Airbnb teamed up to forecast this year’s home décor trends, and ‘eclectic nostalgia’ was top of their list.

During what has been the most unsettling two years, we’ve watched brands and designers seek out a sense of comfort by reinventing takes on the familiar — those items that invoke memories of childhood or the warmth of the familiar amidst the uncertainty.

Vintage-inspired pieces are breathing new life into interior spaces — rattan, mid-century and retro furniture is everywhere, and old-school enamelware has cycled back into fashion with a new spin.

Since its 1970s heyday, the durable range has been a staple in most people’s homes in some shape or form, whether it’s a pie dish or a camping mug, or even a pendant light.

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Originally marketed in the 19th century as a safe alternative to toxic materials found in kitchen products, it seems we’ve come full circle.

Enamel marble candle, €28.50, brownthomas.ie

Created by fusing powdered glass to a metal surface, the technique dates back to 1230BC and was popularised in the late 19th and 20th centuries by iconic brands like Falcon and Fabergé, who became known for their use of colour. Falcon is still leading the field with its range of serveware and tableware in classic blue and white, and a collection of solid colours from bright orange and red to deep green, grey and duck-egg blue.

Yellow plates, from €18, hay.dk

Irish shops Hen’s Teeth, Scout Design Store, The Triggerfish Cookshop and Finders Keepers keep a good selection of Falcon, Bornn and Toast enamelware, and Nordic retailers such as Finnish Design Shop and Nordic Nest are reproducing those Scandinavian mid-20th-century classic pieces influenced by Catherine Holm, known for her bright colours with simple patterns.

Bornn marble tray, €37.90, bornn.com.tr, also available at brownthomas.com

Founded in 2015 by two sisters, Turkish brand Bornn has put a modern twist on the familiar enamelware using traditional manufacturing techniques with artisanal touches. We especially love its approach to colour, which it isn’t afraid to splash (literally) across the collections. Every piece in the Island Breeze, Marble, Mediterranean and Kids collections are handmade individually with patterns that differ on each item, showing the mark of their journey. We love the confetti effect used in Island Breeze and the dreamy swirls in the Marble range, made using a technique that emerged in Anatolia in the 15th century.

Marbling has gone from the classic kitchen countertop and tile to furniture and accessories, including tableware. Hay’s soft ice enamel tableware range with its rippling motif is another modern take on the vintageware, as is its yellow camping range.

Any avid camper will appreciate a good tin cup and plate for their morning tea and bacon sandwich, and now you can up the camping ante with some eye-catching versions of the retro serveware with Homesense’s colourful plates and cups with speckle patterns. Add Sklum’s paint-swatch teapot and you’re happy camping.

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