Neither do the objects that defined it — or the feeling of finding one again.
There's something specific that happens
when you recognise a piece.
A casserole dish on a new show you're watching, or a teapot on a thrift store shelf that matches the one your mother pulled from the oven every Sunday. A mug that turns out to be exactly the pattern your grandmother had. A bowl you've been looking for without quite knowing you were looking for it.
That recognition — part memory, part design appreciation, part just wanting the thing — is what collecting is really about.
For many of us, part of the fun is learning patterns, dating pieces, and tracking down the people behind the work: the graphic designers and ceramicists who shaped the brands we love — Denby, Portmeirion, Corelle, Fiestaware, Kathie Winkle, Bunnykins, and more.
This site is our way of sharing what we've learned. Pattern guides, production dates, the designers behind the glazes — the kind of reference we wished existed when we started. We share what we know because useful dealers are better dealers. We hope you find something here — a pattern name, a date, a bit of history. And if the right piece turns up in the shop, even better.
We're building a gallery of these pieces in their natural habitat — the original advertisements that launched them, and the screen appearances that followed.
Sometimes it's the real thing: Mary Tyler Moore setting a table with actual 1970s Corelle. Sometimes it's a prop department doing their homework: the Cathrineholm enamelware in Mad Men, the Pyrex in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the Corningware in Lessons in Chemistry. Either way, someone thought these pieces were worth the shot.
If you spot one of these brands on screen, in a vintage ad, or on a shelf in the background of a show, we hope you'll share.
Share what you saw →History, patterns, sizing charts, and more — one guide per brand. More brands coming.
If you're looking for a specific pattern or piece, reach out — we regularly source from our personal collection.