About Us

Welcome to POTTERY HOUND - our Vintage California Revival Decor Web Site, and “pet” name for CAROLE COATES, author, lecturer, curator, & avid collector (for over 20 years). Specializing as a dealer in the best of Monterey furniture, Vintage California and Catalina pottery & tile, paintings, ironwork, and related furnishings. California Revival Decor is the term we coined to describe Spanish Revival furnishings used in today's homes and the title of our latest book. We buy and sell directly on our web shop and at a few exclusive shows a year ONLY– we are proud to be considered one of the leading experts in this field and are happy to sell to buyers, dealers, and decorators whether looking for a museum quality piece, something fun for a gift, or to start off a collection. Call and visit our new Warehouse location when you're in Northern California!

Books

California Revival

Catalina Island Pottery and Tile

Price: $39.95

Price: $49.95

Shop

Shop

CLICK ON THE “SHOP” LINK ABOVE to find an eclectic mix of our offerings. If you don't see what you're looking for, just email us. We are happy to offer you that special something if it exists in our vast inventory.
Be sure to visit the official site for our latest book. California Revival: Vintage Decor for Today's Homes (2007). It's getting rave reviews, and many say it’s three books in one–an idea book, a resource book for buyers, sellers, and decorators, and an identification book filled with gorgeous color photos, historic tidbits, and expert’s insights. We're just honored that so many of our long-time clients allowed us to showcase their homes. Our Catalina Island Pottery & Tile book is in the "Recommended Reading" section of the shop...it’s still a bestseller! We were proud to have guest curated an exhibit at SFO which ran for 9 months starting August 2008, entitled "Catalinaware: Pottery & Tile from the Island of Romance". Visit www.catalinacollectors.org to view the exhibit in the "Gallery" and on You Tube.

Answers to some FAQ’s about VINTAGE POTTERY, TILE, & FURNISHINGS CARE

POTTERY: Enjoying and using your vintage pottery is half the fun. Don't believe the hype about "lead free Bauer", it is a scare tactic designed to sell a brand new product. It is safe to use vintage Bauer for food service, but of course any ceramic of a certain age is susceptible to damage, from chipping and crazing. We don't store food in our vintage ceramics, nor do we subject it to the microwave oven. We never used a chipped or cracked piece except for display. We have used our mild setting in the Dishwasher on dinnerware well-separated with good results, but if in doubt, hand wash & dry. Research tells us that everyday use is perfectly safe and the testing we have done shows NO lead on any of our vintage wares.

TILE: Vintage tile tables and murals should be treated with care. Do not subject them to freezing temperatures or direct sunlight or crazing, fading, and/or glaze lifting may result. Do not set heavy metallic objects on them which could scratch the surface. When using for dining or beverage service use coasters or placemats. Plastic plant saucers work well to protect tile tables from flower pot leakage or overflow which can leave stain marks. Tile murals should be doubly secured to a wall either inside or out with heavy bolts secured into beams, as well as on a wire. We sometimes use a bolted angle iron under a heavy murals to support it from the base as well. Do not carry murals by their surrounding framework or the framing could break off, twist, or become loose.

FURNITURE: When dealing with vintage furniture it’s best to leave it as original as possible. As long as it’s not “shabby” looking, painted Monterey sometimes has flakes and missing paint areas–consider it character. Monterey furniture looses its cross hatching marks when sanded, we do not recommend sanding, but careful chemical stripping if that is your only option to restore a bad finish. We sometimes use a light application on a soft cloth of pure Orange Oil for our furniture. Never use wax such as Endust which can leave an unsightly coating. Try not to subject antique furniture to extremes of heat or cold, sunlight, humidity or dryness which can cause cracking and separation of the wood and fading of the finish.