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Collect ceramic swans
Pamela Shaw
Having seen a recent resurgence in popularity, ceramic and glass swans are taking the vintage world by storm
Some swans are simply decorative collectables, while others are kitsch planters with hollow centres. Cacti and succulents are regularly finding their way into decorative planters like these, and plants with feather-like foliage, such as ferns or spider plants, are fitting adornments to these elegant ceramic cygnets.
Anona Foley from Peggy & Wilf Vintage confirms that ceramics are currently enjoying a revival, and designs that are related to the natural world, such as shells or animals, are particularly sought-after. ‘Swans are always popular,’ says Anona. ‘I think people have an affinity with swans as they appear calm and serene, yet under the water they’re paddling away like mad, which is, I suspect, how a lot of us function!’
Pamela Shaw
Having stocked designs originally produced in Italy, Spain and from Blue Mountain pottery in Canada, Peggy & Wilf Vintage is well known for the eclectic range of decorative collectables they showcase at antique and vintage markets such as Sunbury Antiques. They’ve sold swan planters to customers who planned to use them for storage rather than houseplants, with many being used as pencil pots in home offices or for small utensils in kitchens. ‘I’ve also seen them used for seasonal displays with Christmas baubles, or filled with moss and mini Easter eggs,’ says Anona.
Tamsyn Morgans
As an avid collector of ceramic swans, Pamela Shaw enthuses about their design and uses: ‘I love how the white curvy shape pops against my dark interior. I like using them as a vessel for flowers, candleholders or even as a sugar bowl for afternoon tea.’ Her collection began when she inherited her mother-in-law’s swan planter. A favourite hotel, the Swan Hotel Newby Bridge was also an inspiration. ‘An obsession for collecting ceramic swans was born, and now I just can’t leave one behind when I find one in a charity shop or at a car-boot fair,’ says Pamela.
Swans now inhabit most rooms in her home – including a sizeable planter in the bathroom – and she enjoys incorporating the collection into her home at Christmas. ‘They create a beautiful winter shelfie among the Christmas baubles,’ she says, ‘giving a whole new meaning to the Twelve Days of Christmas “seven swans a-swimming”.’
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