eBay Finds of the Day: Retro Kitchenware à la Lisa Congdon

Photo by Lisa Congdon

A few days ago, San Francisco artist (and SF Rare Device co-owner) Lisa Congdon posted pictures on her blog of her freshly reorganized and accessorized kitchen.

Something about the pictures really grabbed me, and I found myself coming back over and over again to look at them. I was especially taken with a shot of the display shelves over Congdon's kitchen sink (which I'm pretty sure are these ones from IKEA). She had filled them with a simple but vibrant assemblage of vintage kitchenware that was so fresh and fun and perfectly composed that I wished I could do something similar in my own kitchen.

So in my eBay wanderings today, I set myself a little challenge: Could I recreate -- or at least approximate -- Congdon's artful display (which no doubt consists of things she gathered over the years at thrift stores and yard sales) with items found on the auction super-site?

Here's how I did (as always, you can click on the image to see a bigger version):

From top to bottom and left to right (all prices are the current bids or "Buy It Now" cost as of this writing): Orange canister set, $22; blue enamel Cathrineholm lotus casserole, $10; yellow enamel roasting pan, $15; green and blue pitcher, $9; red milk jug, $8; green Cathrineholm bowls, $10; red Cathrineholm teapot, $59; green enamel ladel, $8; red rooster cookie jar, $15; yellow and orange metal napkin holder, $13; blue canister set, $6; teak candle holder trio, $30; red Dansk pitcher, $10; red bunny, $5; Scandinavian teapot, $10; red canister, $10; and wooden apple cutting board, $1

Is there a room or vignette you'd like to recreate with eBay booty? Let me know and I'll see what I can do.