The Thrift Store Enameled Cookware That Predates Le Creuset

Le Creuset is one of the trendiest kitchenware brands on the market. Many are obsessed with expanding their personal collections, paying special attention to each new release. But this isn't the first highly lauded collectible cookware on the market. Predating Le Creuset is Cathrineholm — originally produced just outside Halden, Norway. As production halted with the factory's closure in the 1970s, this kitchenware brand swiftly reached collectable status, and prices shot up. 

The brand's heyday was during the '50s through '70s across Europe and in the United States. You can still find them in thrift stores — at decent prices, if you're lucky — and they're available from online reseller platforms like Etsy, eBay, and homeware resale stores. The products, cast in steel and sealed with a porcelain enamel coating, are known for their durability, one of the key things to look for when thrifting cookware.

The brand's lead designer, Grete Prytz Kittelsen, is responsible for much of Cathrineholm's brand identity, but she didn't create the most popular design herself. Those pieces don a unique repeating lotus petal pattern created by Arne Clausen. The lotus design was introduced in 1965 and became a central part of the brand's identity. You can see it incorporated across plates, pans, pots, salt and pepper shakers, tea pots, and even Dutch ovens. If you're after this particular collection, you'll be pleased to know you can find reproductions online via the Arne Clausen Collection.

The lotus imagery was well aligned with a mid-century modern aesthetic. But surprisingly, lead designer Grete Prytz Kittelsen was not a fan, and it was actually added to the brand's offerings in '62 against her better judgment. In fact, allegedly, Arne Clausen added it to the range without her final sign-off. Though Kittelsen was less than pleased, the design's popularity kept it on the production line until 1965, when the brand ceased manufacturing lotus products. Cathrineholm closed altogether in 1971. 

A number of colorways came out under this brand, specifically the lotus collection, which included over twenty different options to choose from (that's a lot to keep up with). Primary colors are common, with deep blue, bright red, and yellow widely available on the resale market, though you can find them in almost all the most desirable colors of the era, including iconic avocado green. It's also worth noting that despite the fact that the lotus design was one of the most popular, the brand also sold lesser-known stripe and snowflake collections.

If you're an avid thrifter,  you may have inadvertently passed on this Scandinavian cookware brand before, but you won't miss them now. But if you can't get your hands on a Cathrineholm, you might opt for some cute vintage storage jars, vintage stoneware, or vintage Pyrex instead.