Kitchenalia & Homewares | Collectibles & Collectors Items

Kitchenalia is the recent term coined for the collecting of kitchenware, kitchen appliances and kitchen equipment. Basically, it comprises anything useful (and not so useful) used in and around the kitchen. The area is wide ranging from storage jars to kettles, from salt and pepper shakers to modern design classics by Italian design company Alessi, and from 50s kitchen styles to bakelite.

Kettles
Perhaps one of the pieces of kitchenalia to have best stood the test of time is the humble kettle. The onset of domestic electricity put paid to the maid heating pans of water over a hot stove. Top houses would have the best examples, designed by the likes of Georg Jensen. When he died in 1935, he was described by the New York Daily Herald as "the greatest craftsman in silver in the last 300 years." A Jensen kettle today could cost anything from £3,000-£6,000 depending on design and provenance.

Slightly cheaper from the Arts & Crafts movement, which is again back in vogue, thanks to collectors including Brad Pitt and Steven Speilberg, are examples by Dr Christopher Dresser. Copper examples by this designer were revolutionary in taking a practical machine like a kettle and making it a stylish accompaniment to any kitchen. Severe, sharp and stylised handles were Dresser's trademark and examples cost £1,000-£10,000.

Cornish Ware Storage Jars
The famous blue and white banded pottery was common feature of the British Kitchen throughout the nineteenth century, and it is as popular as ever. Although many companies have produced Cornish Ware designs, the most famous, collectable name is that of T.G. Green Pottery. The actual origins of the Cornish name lie with T.G. Green, and although the style has become associated with the South West of England, it was in fact produced at the T.G. Green pottery in Staffordshire from the 1920s. The names on the jars are of great importance, with the same jar being worth far more with different wording. Common names such as flour, rice and tea are far less valuable than rarer names, such as cinnamon and apricots.

Toasters
This traditional meal has seen toasters develop radically over the years. American mechanic Charles Sheite developed a spring device operated by a thermostat, which ejected toast at a set time, but many of the early models had faulty thermostats. The Toast-O-Lator, produced in the 30s meant that toast could be done without being burnt. With today's "drive" for retro electrical, the Duralit chrome toaster is arguably most popular. It is extremely expensive new, but older versions, needing restoration, cost £60-£80.

Alessi
Italian design company Alessi specialise in kitchen and household items such as corkscrews, bottle openers, salt and pepper pots, cake stands, boxes and containers. Many Alessi products are based on traditional classic designs, but many of the newer items combine the work of top designers, humour and functionality. Many of the sort-after antiques of today are those items with an everyday use.

Fashionable home magazines of the 1980s and 90s featured kitchens with the Alessi whistling bird kettle or alien looking lemon squeezer. Alessi's success has spawned many imitators. Their designs have been recognised as classics and are bought as collectables pieces of good design, rather than domestic use.

In 1983, Michael Graves was asked to design a stove kettle that would appeal to the American market. In 1985, Alessi unveiled the 'Kettle with a Bird shaped Whistle'. Whilst not the cheapest, people warmed to the captivating, disarming design and it became an instant classic. Another icon is the 'Juicy Salif' lemon squeezer designed by Philippe Starck in 1990. With three pointed legs, this strange object is still a kitchen "must have" though probably seldom used. In the early 90s when neutral tones and recession brought a back-to-basics design style, Alessi's future might have looked bleak. Nevertheless, this decade saw huge creativity including the instantly recognisable "Girotondo" range where human shaped silhouette motifs decorate or take on the form of novelty items from trays, letter racks to eggcups and even jewellery. At a time when struggling companies employ 'designers' to revive tired ranges, Alessi's concept seems more important than ever. Despite having over 2000 products in its latest range, it would still prefer to be seen as Alberto Alessi describes "A kind of handcraft with the help of machines." He has written of his love of the works of Dr Christopher Dresser and the company still reproduce some of his 19th Century designs that blend perfectly alongside their most contemporary ranges. Dr Dresser was also a prolific designer of household metal items, and almost a hundred years later, Alessi have translated his early designs into Stainless Steel.

Due to its worldwide presence, Alessi hunting can be great fun when on holiday and almost certainly, you will find discontinued designs on the shelves. Different countries tastes will often leave some of their more extravagant, experimental projects on the shelves, sometimes years after production ceased. Internet auctions can also prove fruitful. Since these items were predominantly bought for their looks, many survive in excellent condition. Carlo Alessi's Bombe shape wares appear quite often and seem reasonably priced at £100-£150, considering that they are now fifty years old.

Original, early designs from pioneers such as Dresser and Hoffmann are now way out of most people's price range, with some fetching thousands of pounds. However, collecting Alessi can be a great deal of fun thanks to its accessibility. Perhaps, if you have the conviction of Alberto Alessi, a speculative Alessi purchase might just prove a shrewd investment in the long term.

Further Information

http://www.alessi.it