In our own kitchens, most of us will have contemporary pieces of kitchen equipment and maybe even the latest blending, chopping and air-frying gadgets on the market. But what if you are styling a period kitchen, perhaps for an historical production? Would Mrs. Bridges or Mrs. Patmore know what a water filter jug does? Probably not, but the people styling their kitchens for those wonderfully nostalgic productions need to know the difference between their jam pans and their saucepans when it comes to antique copper kitchenalia.
Kitchenalia meaning
Kitchenalia is the collective noun for items, utensils and equipment found in a kitchen. Antique kitchenalia and vintage kitchenalia are therefore antique or vintage examples of this, where antique refers to an item at least one hundred years old and vintage is generally considered to be between 40 and 100 years old. Beware of retro kitchen items when looking for authentic kitchenalia, however, as these will be modern pieces made in the image of an older example, which may not pass muster with purists.
Types of kitchenalia
The kitchens of days gone by were extremely well equipped with a variety of pots, pans, cooking knives, moulds (for meat, butter, biscuits and jelly), right down to fruit and vegetable peelers and corers. Not to mention cutlery, as well as chopping boards and storage solutions. While only separated by twenty years, 1930s kitchenalia is a world away from 1950s kitchenalia so there is little wonder then that we sometimes see the ‘wrong’ item in the kitchen or scullery when watching our favourite programmes and films.
While collectors often focus their interest in a particular area of kitchenalia, for example antique and vintage scales and weights or items made from the same material, such as wood, when styling a period kitchen it is preferable to source items from the particular era, for example art deco kitchenalia or Victorian kitchenalia.
Where to find vintage kitchenalia
Kitchenalia is widely available and the enthusiastic collector can take their pick, browsing car boot sales, markets, charity shops and antique fairs. Sadly though, scarcer items in good, working condition are becoming harder to find, and for anyone styling a complete kitchen, it is better to seek out antique kitchenalia dealers.
Vintage kitchenalia for sale at Hemswell Antique Centres
Hemswell Antique Centres are home to many kitchenalia dealers, in Building One as well as in the Guardroom and Building Three, and we welcome visitors to our historic wartime site near Lincoln. A selection of kitchenalia is also available to view online. For trade buyers and clients with large commercial projects, including props buyers and designers, we offer an exclusive virtual shopping tour experience. Clients can be accompanied by our Managing Director on a tour of any items of interest which can then be showcased in a high degree of detail. This enables overseas buyers or buyers looking for larger quantities of items, to view and shop from the comfort of their own premises, via laptop or mobile phone. To find out more, please contact us via email or telephone on 01427 857 425.