That IS a dilemma-- you need such a large set
Which almost rules out the idea of putting together a set of vintage flatware-- it could take years to accumulate a service for twelve, unless you can find an Ebay seller with an enormous set of a pattern you like. Ebay sellers usually sell desirable patterns piecemeal, though, to get the best possible price.
I was just looking at some (new) tasty-looking Carl Pott stainless flatware, but the prices are ABSURD-- $225 for a five piece setting!
Dansk makes some decent looking stuff-- depending on the pattern, it sells for $30-$40 for a five piece setting.
First design Carl Pott, following three are Dansk (available at Bed, Bath, & Beyond):
I myself
have managed to put together a small set of the beautiful 'Design 3' by Lauffer/ Norway, through thrift shopping.
The set from Belgium that you're considering is good-looking, but I wonder if they'd feel comfortable in the hand because of those uniformly skinny handles(?).
WHC, design 3, wow!
Love the spoon shape.
The dilemma is not being able to hold it, get the
sense of weight...when buying online or ebay.
I did have a few patterns i saved in my 'watching' folder on ebay to get
an idea of price etc. And yes, it would take years to search and collect
enough of one pattern.
I'm enjoying the hunt. Flatware is on the necessary 'everyday object' list.
Along with the alarm clock, coffee cup, even sheets. The tactile list is the
most interesting to shop for and the most disappointing when a bad
decision is made.
And yes, the skinny handles are a concern.
I'm actually off to the Mac store and i think BB&Beyond is nearby. Thanks for
the heads up. I've not been in a Dansk in 20 years but their website shows
promise in the flatware category.
The Arne Jacobsen is top of the list visually. Immediate weight loss. Small bites.
I almost bid on a place setting that went for 99 just to stare at it.
8 large trees coming down tomorrow at a cost of 3500 (ouch) so the couch
project is on hold but i think i can sneak in a new flatware set.
David Mellor
Although this thread was started some time ago, I thought I'd just add my bit too!
I got this full set at a car boot sale (trash'n treasure) a few years ago, 6 full place settings, plus serving spoons, catalogue and original bill - over £400 ($800). I paid £5 ($10)! It is a 60's design but has recently being produced again.
I also found a single, one person set for $1.
It is a beautiful design which my daughter has asked to have left to her (I ain't goin' yet). She has a similar set by Robert Welch, though not in production any more.
AJ all the way.
I have this set, and do not find it tough to eat with or use.
Alternatives that might be of interest include the slightly more conventionally proportioned "EM" by Erik Magnussen for Stelton, designed in 1995 (pic 1), and the "Focus de Luxe" by Folke Arström for Gense, designed in 1955 (pic 2). The Focus set is very attractively priced IMO.
Edit: Changed pic 1.
Lauffer Design 3 is glorious
It's beautifully weighted (like all Lauffer flatware), and the soup spoon is a poem (uh... can you tell that flatware's my particular passion?). Pictured below is the knife and three-tined salad fork,
(I hesitated to share Design 3 here-- the more people who want it... the more scarce it'll become!)
It's a joy to own good tableware-- beautiful to look at, and beautiful to hold.
I agree with many of the reco...
I agree with many of the recommendations of previous posters. Throwing into the mix, a bit of extravagance, produced from solid bars of silver... Quistgaards Tjorn line for Dansk....which is no longer made. One of my favorites! The current Tjorn line is a different pattern. The picture here doesn't do it justice!
Rockland - I like the Eternum flatware
I love all of those pretty shapely designs mentioned by our addicted associates, but I cannot justify their expense for my needs.
I own and have been using the ETERNUM SIGNATURE - ALASKA ? 2080 as my everyday flatware for over two years.
I just pulled out a place setting and they look great, still. The handles are thin but feel fine in the hand with a smooth and balanced action. The table knife was the cincher for me and I still find it visually delightful. When the set arrived the diminutive size of the desert service seemed odd to me. I have come to enjoy using them, but it took some time for me to adjust.
It is hard to be objective about there tactile feel. I have used them so long that I am now accustomed to them. When I was actively shopping I went to all of the local department stores, High and Low end, and I picked up and played with scads of flatware.
I could not find anything that appealed to my senses at any price point. All of the retailers told me repeatedly that clean, simple, modern design does not have a large market locally. I am not actively looking to replace my service; although, I do shop at estate sales and occasionally venture into antique outlets. I have yet to find anything that comes close to the Eternum.
I have to laugh at myself as I look around and mentally calculate the cost of furniture, lamps and all the other silly things I own. It is a tough call about where to draw the line on something that is used as often and intimately as dishes and flatware. I do not think twice about a buying a chair. I barely slow down when buying lamps that I like, but I spent ages to buy some forks. Perhaps, I am out to lunch.
thank you bustelo
I was hoping for such a response.
The set i use now has such an unsavory knife that
i refuse to use it. It has been discontinued so i'm sure a
replacement site would take it though i'm not much of a
seller.
Out to lunch?
Maybe me as well. My mother still reminds me of my dislike as
a child of tissue box floral designs. I insisted they be hidden away
in drawers. She still has them hidden in the same places. 30 yrs later.
(allergies run in the family).
We were just sitting outside planning for tomorrow. Tree removal and
some projects that we could get done at the same time. I'm packing for
a work trip but the everyday object is a constant in our conversation.
(travel mugs suck, my watch battery died, and it was a sad day when
Braun stopped making alarm clocks...the voice activated. It responded to
every curse in the book and let me snooze)
Gustav--
Design 3 is discontinued. If you want some, you'll have to bid against me on Ebay for it. (I KNEW it'd be a mistake to show photos of the stuff here!)
Rockland--
The horrific saccharine graphics on tissue boxes have forced me to become something I thought I'd never become-- someone who actually shops for and buys tissue box covers (there's something very WRONG about the notion of tissue 'cozys', but the alternative is far worse).
If one ever needs to come down to earth, and understand the taste of the average Josephine, they need only shop the paper products aisle at the supermarket-- it's sometimes difficult to obtain paper towels without granny geese, or inane slogans about love & friendship.
the Everyday Object - hmm
I think we may have stumbled into an insightful thread featuring the Everyday Object.
WHC, I just used an alternate browser and can now see the Design3 photos you posted. Wow. I will not bid against you, but I will surely scoop those up if I should run across them in person.
I am going to pay closer attention the next time I go to the grocery store. Normally I use a shopping list and tune out everything else. I try to inoculate myself against the hidden persuaders, but I do appreciate a good package design. I just do not find them very often.
When I was younger I had an elderly neighbor who would only buy tissue in plain boxes. I thought her eccentric at the time. In light of your observation I now think she was a design maverick.
Rockland, I am the guy who never knows what day it is; and so, a clock you can yell at and then snooze, that is my kind of timepiece. Would you yell at it to make some coffee too?
what day is it?
I never know and often does not matter.
Thanks to assistants.
But.
Braun made an amazing alarm clock in the 80's.
the voice activated. It did a gentle crescendo alarm as they did so well..
but you could shut it off quick with a sharp word. FU or 'no'.
I left it behind in mexico city. It was a beauty in design and so functional as
an object. 20 years later and nothing is as good?
Quote
Found this quote today
Quote: "Meanness inherits a set of silverware and keeps it in the bank. Economy uses it only on important occasions, for fear of loss. Thrift sets the table with it every night for pure pleasure, but counts the butter spreaders before they are put away." ? Phyllis McGinley
taken from Answers.com which has a little highlight on Georg Jensen today. Which happens to be his birthday... link below
http://www.answers.com/
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