The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A welcome return of enamelware
Enamelware is everywhere again. The centuries-old kitchenware is showing up in boutiques, general stores, lifestyle blogs, adventure outfitters and mass-market retailers. Everyone, it seems, wants a piece of the durable,
light tinware once considered a poor man’s ceramic.
Unlike the boldly patterned, vintage European pieces that sell for top dollar at auction, today’s offerings are simple, casual and budget-friendly, charming tokens of Americana sculpted into sleek, contemporary silhouettes that make as much sense in a downtown loft as in a log cabin. How could one material have such universal appeal? For many, the draw is its old-fashioned sensibility.
“It has a nostalgic quality to it, but it’s not in your face,” says Sheri Moretz, a spokeswoman for Mast GeneralStore,asmallretail chain that dates to 1883 and has shops in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. “It’s just the right amount of retro.”
Her colleague, Greta Hollar, remembers stocking up on enamel plates and bowls to take her kids camping, the same way her parents and grandparents did. “It’s sentimental, but it’s also functional,” Hollar says. “There’s a reason we’ve been using it this long.”
Mast sells the classic color- ful splatterware along with more modern solids. Both have seen a spike in sales in recent years. Moretz and Hollar suspect this is because
the region is a big draw for campers and hikers who buy vacation homes near the Appalachian Mountains, and tinware’s light weight and durability make it a perfect outdoor companion (“Hard to mess up, easy to clean,” Hollar says). But the enamelware craze stretches far and wide. London’s Falcon Enamelware is experiencing new life thanks to creative director Emma Young who, with the help of a small team, helped revitalize the nearly 100-yearold brand. A self-described “materials fanatic,” Young studied product design at Central Saint Martins and discovered the brand in 2011 while designing interiors for restaurants and hotels. The opportunity to expand was obvious. “It’s incredibly ver- satile,”shesays.“It’su rban and rural, masculine and feminine, casual and refined. It’s universal.”
Young’s timing was nearly perfect. She and her husband, Kam, bought Falcon shortly after the Great Recession as design was making a dramatic shift back to basics. “Everyone was reevaluating
their lives, their stuff,” she says. “It was all about sim
plification. Utili tybecame
chic again.”
Their updates were sub
tle: cleaner lines, slimmer silhouettes and no cutesy prints, patterns or phrases. Colors are neutral with occasional bold, limited-edition batches to test demand. And the pieces are packaged in corrugated cardboard, a nod to the hardware store and enamelware’s utilitarian feel. The result is stylish and understated, a perfect complement to today’s modern farmhouse craze.
Enamelware is metal, aluminum or cast-iron cookware coated in a porcelain lining that makes it easy to clean, safe to heat and longlasting. Although it’s best known for being lightweight, some say that makes it feel cheap or childish. “It feels like paper plates to me,” Los Angeles designer Alison Kandler says. “Great for families, but not a dinner party. That’s too casual, even in California.”