Wedgwood

Wedgwood Museum In Administration Over Pension Debt

England's Wedgwood Museum could be forced to sell some of its exhibits. The museum website says that the Wedgwood Museum Trust Ltd has been placed into Administration but that the Wedgwood Museum will remain fully operational and open to the general public as usual. BBC News reports that valuable pieces from the museum in Stoke-on-Trent could be seized by creditors and sold because of a pension fund debt. Waterford Wedgwood went into administration last year, with parts of the business later bought by a US firm but it was the Wedgwood Museum Trust that inherited the £134 million pension debt of the whole company.

The question is whether or not the assets are held in trust by the museum or whether they're available for creditors to pillage. The Wedgwood Museum opened in 2008 and is home to an exhibition of more than 250 years of the company's history. Because five of the museum trust's staff were in the same pension plan as the employees of the whole pottery company somehow the museum got left holding the bag. The prize-winning museum hopes to be able to keep its valuable assets intact and to keep the museum open to the public. Wedgwood was founded in 1759, but Waterford Wedgwood was created in 1987. It went into administration in January 2009.

Tags: england, museums, wedgwood, wedgwood museum

Will Alice In Wonderland Create A Tea Party Craze?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Every movie has its own tie-ins but its not often that Wedgwood China gets in the mix. But the English dishware company sees the release of the new Alice in Wonderland movie as a great excuse to encourage people to host a whimsical Mad Hatter tea party. Wedgwood China home entertaining expert, Jorge Perez, offers tips for hosting your own tea party. He suggests creating a relaxed atmosphere with comfortable chairs, a central table, brightly colored fresh flowers and an invitation that sets the tone. Traditional tea time is 4 p.m. but a tea party can be held anytime between 3-6 p.m. He recommends tight, floral arrangements in low vases to make conversation across the table easy and says you can use a teapot as a floral vase.

Basic tea party essentials include a teapot, teacups and saucers, luncheon size plates , a small milk jug, a sugar bowl (preferably with sugar cubes), and a plate for lemon slices. The flatware should be set with forks on the left, knives and spoons on the right with knife blade pointed toward the plate. Place settings don't need to match and good selections of loose teas are essential (no teabags please). Begin the brewing process with cold, filtered or bottled water. Tea party snacks should be both savory and sweet. On the savory side, small sandwiches with smoked salmon, egg salad or cucumbers and cream cheese fit the bill. Sweets ideas include scones and biscuits with plenty of jams and clotted cream and shortbread or simple cakes or, if you are feeling more elaborate fanciful cupcakes with Alice in Wonderland designs might be in order (check out these amazing teacup cupcakes). The Harlequin Polka Dot tea set shown above is available on the Wedgwood site.

Tags: alice in wonderland, AliceInWonderland, decor-pedia, food-pedia, luxist-awards, mad hatter te party, MadHatterTeParty, main-pedia, tea party, TeaParty, wedgwood

Readers' Choice Nominees for Decor

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Art

Best in Lighting
Each of the finalists for best lighting is a master in their field. One is credited with founding modern interior lighting designs, while another creates sculptural masterpieces. A third produces lighting that radiates beauty from every angle while the crystal chandeliers of another have been sought out by royalty. Last, but not least, there's one which melds exquisitely cut crystal with its masterful designs

Baccarat
Bodner Chandeliers
Jean Perzel
Niermann Weeks
Schonbek

Best in Furniture
The best in furniture nominees offer a range of original artistry from simple and pure to the exotic; from traditional to the ultra-modern. The styles may vary but each has a timeless quality that extends far beyond trendiness. Many of their creations are collected by connoisseurs and even museums.

Vladimir Kagan
Kreiss
Roche-Bobois
Stickley Furniture
William Switzer & Associates

Best in Glassware
The Best in Glassware nominees for a Luxist Award include award-winning brands from France, Sweden and the United States. Each represents the finest of quality and artistry while offering the most exquisite of designs. The styles may vary but all the nominees have their own proud tradition of glass craftsmanship.

Baccarat
Lalique
Orrefors
Steuben
Tiffany

Best in Dishware
Nominees for Best in Dishware include companies that have been producing china for decades; some for centuries. Two have roots in the Limoges region of France, the cradle of the French porcelain industry. One nominee is quintessentially English while two produce American classics.

Bernardaud
Haviland Limoges
Pickard China
Tiffany
Wedgwood

Best in Antiques Resources
Nominees for Best Antiques Resource include the most prestigious art and antiques fairs in the world. These fairs, which are international in scope, are annual destinations for serious connoisseurs, collectors and museum curators who are in search of the best. Each of these fairs have rigorous vetting processes in which the quality, condition and authenticity of each piece is carefully investigated.

American International Fine Art Fair, Palm Beach
International Fine Art and Antique Dealer's Show, New York
Maastricht Art Fair, Netherlands
The San Francisco Art Antiques Fair
Winter Fine Art & Antiques Fair, Olympia, London

Tags: baccarat, bernardaud, bodnerchandeliers, havilandlimoges, jean perzel, JeanPerzel, kreiss, luxist-awards, maastricht, niermannweeks, pickard china, PickardChina, roche-bobois, schonbek, stickley, stickley-audi, tiffany, vladimirkaga, vladimirkagan, wedgwood, william switzer, WilliamSwitzer, winners-decor

Wedgwood: Quintessentially English

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Wedgwood is a nominee for a Luxist Award for best dishware.

Quintessentially English, Wedgwood has a long tradition of innovation, quality and craftsmanship and its designs are widely acknowledged as timeless, elegant, classic and understated.

The Wedgwood Company was founded in 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood, who is considered to be the "Father of English Potters". In 1765, Wedgwood developed a unique cream-colored earthenware that so pleased England's Queen Charlotte that she gave her permission for his gracious innovation to be dubbed "Queen's Ware". He put fine earthenware within the reach of all and his success was immediate worldwide.

The most famous of all Josiah Wedgwood's innovations, however, was Jasperware, which was unglazed vitreous fine stoneware, that could be stained blue, green, lilac, yellow or black to provide a suitable background for white classic-inspired reliefs or portraits. To this day, Jasperware is still recognized around the world as the Wedgwood signature collection.

In recent years, the company has established exciting design partnerships with fashion designers, Jasper Conran, Vera Wang and artist Robert Dawson to develop contemporary and stylish ranges that appeal to the younger consumer.

In 1986, the Wedgwood group became and division of WWRD Holding Limited, which also owns such world class brands as Waterford Crystal, Royal Doulton and Royal Albert.

Tags: decor, decor-awards, dishware, luxist-awards, Royal Doulton, RoyalDoulton, Waterford, Wedgwood, winners-decor, WWRD Holding Limited, WwrdHoldingLimited

Vera Wang Wedgwood China

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Last weekend, at a friend's house I was taken with their heirloom china, thin, light and rimmed in gold. At the time, I mentioned that they don't make china like that any more. Perhaps that isn't entirely true. Vera Wang's Gold Lace china from Wedgwood. As pretty as the famous dresses Vega Wang creates, this china has gold lace bands and wispy florals. Each five-piece setting with a dinner plate, salad plate, bread and butter plate, cup and saucer sells for $139.

Source

Tags: china, dinner plates, vera wang, VeraWang, wedgwood