toast as design inspiration » Markets of New York

Toast as Design Inspiration Part 2: Toaster Central

Toastmaster Automatic Pop-up Toaster ca. 1926-1930, from Toaster Central

If you have been to the Greenflea in the past several years, you may have seen a dapper gentleman in a top hat, surrounded by some of the very best of examples of American industrial design in history. Michael Sheafe, proprietor of Toaster Central, sells toasters and other kitchen appliances manufactured from 1920’s to the 1950’s. He guarantees them all, but very few of them ever come back to him because these machines were built to last.

Scheafe has done extensive research on the appliances he restores and sells, the companies that manufactured them, and the brilliant design that went into creating them. They are made from high quality, durable materials, including brass, copper, steel and chrome. He prefers to deal in appliances made by Sunbeam and Toastmaster because the craftsmanship is superb, although he works with several other excellent brands as well. Carnegie Steel Mill would send a daily trainload of steel to Sunbeam in Chicago. Toastmaster was the largest consumer of chamois cloth to make sure all of their toasters shined like the top of the Chrysler Building, to quote a phrase.

Sheafe sells many gorgeous toasters, waffle irons, corn poppers, egg cookers and more. My personal favorite is the Toast-O-Lator, or “Walking Toaster,” because it more of a catwalk for toast than a mere toaster. You place your slice in one side, and you can watch through the peephole as it struts past the heating element. It exits the other side perfectly hot, fragrant, golden brown – and irresistible. It was produced in the New York area between 1937 and 1950, and it was beautifully billed to be “New as Tomorrow.” There is even a Facebook fan page for this toaster. It’s that great.

Sheafe once had a customer whose family lost their beloved childhood toaster in a divorce. To make matters worse, it was their stepmother who took it away with her. Sheafe was able to find four of the same model toaster in perfect condition so that all four siblings could have one of their own.

In addition to setting up his tables outside at the Greenflea when weather permits, as well as the London Terrace Street Fair (which will be September 21 this year, but I’ll remind you), his beautifully descriptive website is full of vintage kitchen treasures. Sheafe uses white and cinnamon toast to demonstrate his wares, but his personal bread of choice is a fresh loaf from Agata & Valentina’s at 1^st and 79^th.

So go online or meet Michael Sheafe in person at the Greenflea in good weather. Let me know which shiny toaster is your favorite!

Toast as Inspiration Part 1: Virginia Kraljevic, Doodler Extraordinaire

Featured Artisan – Brooklyn Lyceum Spring Market and Handmade Cavalcade!

There is something about toast that evokes a sense of comfort, home, breakfast. Maybe it’s the fragrance that wafts through the house, or maybe it’s the crunchy bread combined with the melted butter and jam. So I wasn’t surprised when I started noticing the influence of toast on creative design in the artisan markets around New York City. This is the first of two postings on toast as inspiration for design.

Illustrator and graphic designer Virginia Kraljevic doodled in her school notebooks – a lot. And they were good. She would continue to hone her drawing skills through her professional experience in publishing, fashion design, and window display design. She has created unique artwork for album covers, business cards, stationery, and more. Her work evokes a sense of Edward Gorey and Tim Burton meet Jim Henson; dark-ish yet whimsical.

Virginia’s wonderful notecards feature many of her illustrations, including one with two pieces of toast that caught my eye. The boy and girl toasts are obviously in love with each other, and the caption simply reads, “For the Love of Toast.” It turns out that Virginia likes to create characters out of random inanimate objects, and toast is one of those things with great potential for fun and silliness. When I first met her, she had turned those two toasty lovers into 1” toast puppets with tiny movable legs to amuse her (older) brother, who was visiting her at the market. I thought they must be an important part of her permanent display because they were ridiculously adorable. Imagine my dismay when she told me later that someone else had bought them. I can only hope that I’ll have toast puppets of my own to play with some day…

Virginia finds that organic spelt bread makes the tastiest toast.

You can see her designs on her illustrated website, virginiakraljevic.com, and purchase them on her Etsy shop. I like to check Virginia. The Blog! on a daily basis for inspirational tidbits.

Come out and meet Virginia Kraljevic in person at the upcoming Handmade Cavalcade (April 21) and the Brooklyn Lyceum’s Spring Food and Craft Market (May 1& 2)!