For more than a century, Falcon Enamelware has been a familiar presence in British homes. First produced in the 1920s in the Black Country near Birmingham by Joe Kleiner & Sons, the brand’s signature ice-white enamel finished with its distinctive blue rim quickly became a design classic. Its clean, understated aesthetic remains instantly recognisable.

Today and the brand is present in museums’ shops across the UK including Tate and The Dulwich Picture Gallery, and iconic shops such as Liberty in London and Merci in Paris. Falcon Enamelware also features at Café Jikoni within the new V&A East, London. That’s just one example of the many restaurants and cafés featuring this wonderful brand. So chic!

In 2011, Falcon reintroduced its iconic collection with a contemporary update, expanding the range with new colours and cookware while reinforcing the construction of its classic mug with heavier-gauge steel for greater durability. It was a turning point for the brand.

The collection has continued to evolve ever since, with thoughtfully designed pieces that balance timeless style with everyday practicality. Today, Falcon Enamelware is sold in more than 50 countries worldwide. Falcon Enamelware’s collection extends far beyond its iconic mug, offering thoughtfully designed pieces for every stage of cooking and dining.

The wonderful range includes baking essentials such as Baking Sets and Roasting Dishes; drinking pieces including Teapots and Tumblers; preparation items like Individual Pie Dishes and the classic Pie Dish; and ‘servingware’ featuring Picnic Plates and Plate Sets. Designed to move effortlessly from oven to table, each piece combines practicality with the timeless aesthetic that has defined Falcon for more than a century.

Its enduring appeal lies not only in its heritage but also in the remarkable qualities of enamelware itself. Made by fusing porcelain onto heavy-gauge steel, each piece is exceptionally durable, resistant to chemicals and staining, and finished with a smooth, glossy surface. The enamel retains its vibrant colour over time, won’t burn, and while it may chip if dropped, it won’t shatter. Designed for modern living, Falcon Enamelware is dishwasher safe, oven safe up to 270°C, and suitable for use on both gas and electric hobs.

“There’s something quite familiar and reassuring about enamelware,” says Emma Young, Co-Founder and Creative Director. “A lot of people can remember it in their grandparent’s kitchen, or using the mugs on a camping trip. As home cooking and dining has become more popular and less formal, enamelware fits naturally into that, it goes from oven to table without ceremony. There’s also a broader shift towards utilitarianism becoming mainstream; people want simple, stylish, well-designed products for the home rather than things that are disposable or over-engineered.”

Falcon’s ojects and designs feel timeless rather than simply nostalgic. “Our starting point was always the original, the pie and bake dishes, and the traditional mug,” Emma says. “We refined rather than reinvented: we increased the weight of the steel, turned the rims over further, gave the mug a smooth rounded edge instead of its old sharp lip. Nothing about that process is about chasing a trend. It’s about making something more substantial and more ‘finished’ than it was before. I think that’s the difference, nostalgia looks backwards, timelessness just gets quietly better at being itself.”

In an era defined by disposable materials and fast consumption, Falcon’s everyday objects become repositories of memory. Designed to endure, they acquire character through years of use, bearing the marks of shared meals, family rituals and everyday moments. More than functional kitchenware, they are objects that accompany daily life, carrying stories across generations while proving that enduring design only becomes more meaningful with age. “People associate enamelware with their childhood, with camping trips and picnics, with comfort food like pies and crumbles or, in my case, sandy sandwiches on a Cornish beach!,” Emma adds. “I don’t think you can manufacture that kind of memory. What you can do is keep making the object honestly, so it’s still there to be part of the next generation’s memories too. “My own children have certainly grown up with enamelware in their daily lives from toothbrush tumbler and unbreakable bedside cups to birthday parties, picnics and family feasts.”

Do imperfection and patina in a culture obsessed with the new, matter? “The colour you see on each piece is actually the result of a chemical reaction in the kiln, not a flat pigment,” Emma explains. “That means there are subtle differences between individual products and we really like that. All of our pieces are hand finished too which makes them completely unique, a quality we value and celebrate.” This process makes the brand luxurious.

To survive, the iconic brand also introduced innovations: “We’ve introduced new colours, Mustard Yellow, Marie-Rose, Oyster Grey, that sit alongside the classic White with Blue Rim rather than replacing it,” says Emma. “Every product also carries our ‘falcon in flight’ crest fired onto the underside, as a seal of authenticity. So the range moves forward, but provenance is always visible and protected.” The palette is truly beautiful and builds loyalty to clienteles around the world.

Each new colour palette emerges from a careful dialogue between Falcon’s rich heritage and contemporary tastes, preserving the brand’s perennial identity while responding to the evolving aesthetics of modern homes. “Our core colours need to reflect Falcon’s British heritage but feel modern,” Emma says. “Mustard Yellow is a good example, it complements the rest of the range and happens to be on-trend for interiors right now. Alongside the core palette we release limited editions, like our recent Salted Caramel, so customers who love to collect can keep building their set without us ever straying from the heritage colours people trust.”

The enduring appeal of enamelware within the design world lies in its rare ability to unite timeless craftsmanship, everyday functionality and enduring aesthetic simplicity. “We’re proud of who we sit alongside, Liberty, Fortnum & Mason, Labour & Wait here in the UK, Kingston Social in the US, Miss Arthur in Australia. We are also stocked in art gallery shops including the Tate.” Emma notes. “Those are all places that care about thoughtful, well-made, discerning design, and I think that’s exactly the audience that’s drawn to enamelware, it’s honest, it’s functional, and it doesn’t pretend to be anything else.”

Talking about durability as a design value, Emma adds: “Enamelware is porcelain fused onto heavy-gauge steel, it’s dishwasher-safe, oven-safe up to 270°C, and you can use it straight on the hob. If you drop it, it may chip, but it won’t break. That kind of resilience isn’t an accident of the material, it’s something we actively design for. We increased the steel gauge specifically to make the products more substantial and longer-lasting.”

Falcon’s brand evolved from a British household staple into a globally recognised design object. Celebrating its success, Emma adds: “We’re now selling in over 58 countries. We opened our Clerkenwell showroom in 2015, launched our US website in 2017, and our stockist list has grown to include names like Kitchener in Switzerland, A Door in Denmark, Scope in Seoul, and Grace and Company, Croft and Good Neighbour in Canada. But everything is still designed here in London, that hasn’t changed, and it won’t.”

Are there designers, architects, artists or movements that have influenced Falcon’s visual language? “Our collaborations probably say it best,” Emma offers. “Working with Merci in Paris, with Coco & Wolf and Liberty of London, with Big Green Egg, with chef Emily Scott on a set tied to her book, each of those partnerships has pulled something different out of the brand, from Emily’s elegant coastal simplicity to Big Green Egg’s fire-to-table ethos. It’s less about a single movement and more about continually finding people who share our values around craft and gathering.”

On the future of the brand, Emma says: “We continue to expand our colour and product range year-on-year, and we’re really proud of that. We’re now at 33 products with up to 18 colourways on some of them. Looking ahead, we want to keep growing in Europe and the US, and we’re always looking for the next collaboration that fits naturally with what we stand for, durability, versatility, and the joy of gathering round the table.” The brand is amazing and unstoppable.

Since the 1920s, Falcon Enamelware has been a cherished part of British home life, becoming instantly recognisable for its timeless design and enduring quality. With the introduction of fresh colours, updated collections and expanded cookware ranges and visibility in museums and fancy cafés, the brand is iconic.

Combining classic vintage appeal with contemporary practicality, Falcon pieces are designed to be treasured and used every day. The steel gauge was also increased, creating more durable pieces designed to withstand everyday use and last for years to come. You’ll find them in the most charming restaurants and museums.

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