Figgjo Norway, Market Design

Figgjo Norway, “Market” was designed in 1963 by Turi Gramstad Oliver, straight after she had designed Lotte. Each shape of the Market series features a different scene of characters at food markets dressed in folk style costumes.

The colours are hues of green and yellow on a white ground. It was in production from 1966-1980.

In its era, Market was as popular as the Lotte design, but the most admired design of the two now, 60 years or so later, seems to be Lotte. Both Lotte and Market have a similar look and feel to them with their quirky and delightful characters, costumes and settings.

The design on every form is different, as is the case with Lotte. I haven’t yet come across a complete list of the forms in these series, but I continue to find a shapes that are new to me. Figgjo of this era was exported worldwide in large numbers – and especially to Australia, the U.S. and Canada where designs such as Market and Lotte are still very popular on the secondary market – but now to a whole new generation.

Both series of dinnerware are incredibly tough and long-lasting, which has contributed to their ongoing popularity. This longevity was due to the introduction by Figgjo in 1960 of vitro-porecelain (where the clay body during firing is transformed into an almost glass like substance)

FIGGJO AS, Norway was founded in 1941 near a local clay source and is located at Figgjo, near Stavanger, on the west coast of Norway. They first started employing outside designers in 1946.  In 1968 Figgjo took over STAVANGERFLINT – another Scandinavian favourite. Today their focus market is the Food Service industry.