Color Meets Culinary Functionality

By ruecian // September 16, 2007

Since colour came home in the 1950s with the vibrance developed during the industry boom and chemical advances following the second World War, kitchens and colour have seemingly been at war with each other. The psychedelic art of the 1960s met the mustard and moss colours of the 1970s, and they both hated each other. But now, in a time less frightened and simultaneously less eager, colour is safely being brought home, and to wherever possible.

Blown Glass artist Annie Michaud is bringing colour to the kitchen. With her latest collection of blown glass products, it appears that, finally, the kitchen can spring forth from being a strictly utilitarian place. From mortars to decantors and vases to paper weights, Michaud's bold colours make their way from the counter onto the tabletop.

Michaud's company, Gogo glass based in Montreal, Quebec, seems to be defined by dare, fun, and the joy of creation. Innovation and experience rule the creations of gogo glass. Michaud herself seems akin to the spontaneity and passion of the fire with which she works. The splash of colour she brings to the usually dull or plain mortal and pestle is a warm welcome in red, orange, green, and blue. Also amongst her creations are lemon squeezers, salt bowls, decantors, and more.

Michaud's products are governed by the spirit of creation, in that creating something that did not already exist within the possibly mundane is a central theme.

lemon squeezers by michaud

Her version of the lemon reamer (above) compared to this version by Kitchen Art allows for more style and colour, while still meeting a required need.

Even stores near you are making the kitchen a more delightful, colourful place to be. Target, Cooking.com, and Firebox.com are stepping up with great applications and ideas for colour.

three kitchen aid mixers

The Kitchen Aid mixers above can be found at Target (listed a dollar under $300 with free shipping) in colours spanning the visible spectrum from warm caviar and persimmon to cool reef blue and dark plum. Also making an appearance are a collection of Pyrex Mixing bowls (seen left) with teal, orange, blue, and red lids for keeping. Target also allows for Kitchen Shopping by Colour, making it easier to find what fits your needs. Coordinating your kitchen was never easier.

What drew me to this tea kettle from Cooking.com was the muted, earthy colours involved, certainly opposed to plain white and black. It is, however, one of so many out there that combine class and colour. Whatever your style may be, there's more than likely a kettle out there to match it.

The idea isn't garbage, but it's certainly bound for it. From Firebox.com came a solution to the plain white, grey, and black trash bag. A package of eight designs (8x10=80 per package) will really surprise your garbage collector. These colourful designs bring a new dimension to what goes in your trash bin. In fact, you might be reluctant to put anything in them at all.

Got a better idea?

Seen something else around?

Share it with us.

Written by ruecian

www.colourlovers.comBio Coming Soon

7 Comments

Showing 1 - 7 of 7 Comments

retsof

Posted Sep 16, 2007

Red Fiesta (and indeed the red glazes produced by all U.S. potteries of the era) is known for having a detectable amount of uranium oxide in its glaze to produce the bright orange-red color. During WWII the government took control of uranium. Homer Laughlin and the other potteries had to discontinue the use of uranium-containing glazes. Fiesta red was discontinued before 1944, because all uranium was controlled by the U.S. government while developing the Manhattan Project. Vintage red Fiesta plates are more radioactive (but not necessarily harmful) than other radioactive house wares, such as uranium glass. The radiation level is so low that most dinnerware collectors aren't concerned about it. Fiesta red was reintroduced in 1959, when the Atomic Energy Commission released its restrictions on uranium oxide. Having an X-ray conducted once causes much greater radiation damage than using such china over a prolonged period. At present, government and third-party studies have concluded that all widely-distributed, uranium-containing consumer china (Fiesta and others) is safe for food consumption, but not recommended for food storage due to the possibility of leaching of uranium or other heavy metals (often present in some colored glazes) into food, especially acidic foods.