Corelle's Retro Revival: 1970'S Patterns

Corelle Livingware was first launched in 1970, introducing the world to the Winter Frost White pattern—a simple, non-pattern design. Over the next 15 years, Corelle Livingware would release a variety of patterns, including Butterfly Gold, Snowflake Blue, Spring Blossom Green (or Crazy Daisy), Old Town Blue, and Woodland. The 70s patterns were characterised by nature-inspired motifs and warm colours like gold, orange, yellow, green, and brown.

In 1977, Corelle introduced its Expression Livingware line, which featured more ornate designs with dense, bright flowers and thicker lines. Some of the patterns from this line include April, Indian Summer, Meadow, and Blue Heather.

Today, vintage Corelle dishware is highly sought after by collectors, with some rare pieces and large sets fetching prices of up to $200.

Corelle Livingware (1970-1985)

Corelle Livingware was first launched in 1970 with the Winter Frost White pattern, which was a plain white design. For the next 15 years, until 1985, all Corelle Livingware patterns followed the same format: a "coupe" style plate with a single-coloured border design around the rim.

The Livingware patterns produced in the 1970s were:

• Winter Frost White (1970)
• Butterfly Gold (1970)
• Snowflake Blue (1970)
• Spring Blossom Green (1970), sometimes called Crazy Daisy
• Old Town Blue (1972)
• Woodland (1970-1985)
• Blue Macrame (1972)
• Green Macrame (1972)

Corelle Livingware was made of three-layered bonded glass, known as Vitrelle glass. The innermost layer is made of opaque white glass, while the coloured patterns are made on the clear glass top layer.

Livingware was known for its durability, being chip-resistant, lightweight, scratch-resistant, and easy to clean. It was also oven and microwave-safe.

Corelle Expressions Livingware (1977-1986)

Corelle Expressions Livingware was produced from 1977 to 1986 and featured more than one colour and one or more coloured border designs around the rim. The patterns produced in the 1970s were April, Blue Heather, Indian Summer, Meadow, Wildflower, and Batik.

April, also known as April Daisy, is one of the first patterns from the Corelle's Expression Livingware line. It features dense bright yellow and white flowers in the centre with a yellow line around the rim. Small April Corelle livingware sets are worth $10 to $50, but a large 48-piece tableware set sold for $150 on eBay.

Indian Summer is a retro autumn-inspired design featuring assorted flowers in autumn colours like pale yellow, burnt orange, red, and brown. Vintage Indian Summer pieces can fetch up to $100 to $120 in large sets, while a small single piece will be worth less than $10.

Blue Heather displays delicate blue floral motifs similar to sprigs of heather and small leaves. This retro design is found in the centre or on the sides of vintage Corelle dishes. A 38-piece Blue Heather kitchenware set sold for $170 on eBay. Generally, Corelle Blue Heather products with this pattern sell for under $50 to $60, depending on the set or size.

Meadow features a dense field of flowers in bright yellow, red, light blue, and pink, as well as green stems and leaves. This pattern, oozing a countryside aesthetic, is designed in the centre of the Corelle dishes. New unopened vintage Meadow kitchenware sets can be worth $100 to $150, while used sets are valued at $10 to $70.

Wildflower, also known as Spring Bouquet, displays a bunch of floral motifs in the centre. You can spot this pattern by the large red/orange and yellow flowers and buds, tiny blue flowers, and green leaves and foliage. Single Wildflower pieces can fetch $10 to $30, with higher prices of up to $150 or more for large full sets. For example, a 20-piece Wildflower Dinner with its original box sold for $250 on eBay.

Batik is inspired by the wax-resist dyeing process of the same name. The main motif of this pattern is a deep brown background with wax-resist-style floral and foliage patterns. You’ll also see a brown rim on retro Batik dishes, cereal bowls, and saucers. The resale price of Batik products and sets ranges from $5 to $70.

Dimension IV Livingware (1979-1985)

Dimension IV Livingware was manufactured by Corelle from 1979 to 1985. The patterns produced in the first decade were Almond, Cinnamon, and Citrus. The design was basically white with a colour stripe around the rim.

The Dimension IV products had many patterns with different border colours. These included:

• Citrus (1980-1983): orange outer border and thin lime yellow inner border
• Almond (1980-1984): tan-coloured border
• Cinnamon (1980-1985): deep red border
• Heather (1982-1985): thick green outer border and thin pink inner border
• Onyx (1984-1985): black border

Corelle Dimension IV Livingware patterns are worth $10-$60, with slightly higher prices for larger 32+ piece sets.

Patterns and colours

Corelle Livingware was first introduced in 1970 with the Winter Frost White pattern, featuring a plain white centre. Over the next 15 years, until 1985, all Corelle Livingware patterns followed the same format: a "coupe" style plate with a single-coloured border design around the rim. The patterns produced in the 1970s included Winter Frost White, Butterfly Gold, Snowflake Blue, Spring Blossom Green (also known as Crazy Daisy), Old Town Blue, Woodland, Blue Macrame, and Green Macrame.

In 1977, Corelle introduced Expressions Livingware, which used more than one colour and featured one or more coloured border designs around the rim. The patterns produced in the 1970s included April (or April Daisy), Blue Heather, Indian Summer, Meadow, Wildflower (or Spring Bouquet), and Batik.

The Dimension IV Livingware line was launched in 1979 and featured simple patterns with a single or double border around the edge. The patterns included Citrus, Almond, Cinnamon, and Heather.

The patterns and colours of Corelle dishes from the 1970s reflect the design trends of the era, with nature-inspired motifs and warm colours like gold, orange, yellow, green, and brown. The centres of the dishes often featured plain, thick white backgrounds, although the 1977 Expression Line was an exception, with the main design featured in the centre of saucers, plates, and bowls, and on the front of cups, jugs, etc.

Some of the most popular and well-known patterns from the 1970s include:

• Butterfly Gold, with broad gold borders and alternating motifs of flowers and butterflies.
• Old Town Blue, an improvised version of Germany's popular "blue onion" pottery designs, featuring the classic blue onion floral design only on the border.
• Spring Blossom Green (Crazy Daisy), with vibrant dark green floral borders on a white background.
• Indian Summer, a retro autumn-inspired design with assorted flowers in autumn colours like pale yellow, burnt orange, red, and brown.
• Wildflower (Spring Bouquet), featuring a bunch of floral motifs with large red/orange and yellow flowers and buds, tiny blue flowers, and green leaves and foliage.

Vintage Corelle Dinnerware Sets

Corelle Livingware was first introduced in 1970, with the launch of the Winter Frost White pattern. Over the next 15 years, until 1985, all Corelle Livingware patterns featured a "coupe" style plate with a single-coloured border design around the rim. The patterns produced in the 1970s included Winter Frost White, Butterfly Gold, Snowflake Blue, Spring Blossom Green (also known as Crazy Daisy), Old Town Blue, Woodland, Blue Macrame, and Green Macrame.

In 1977, Corelle introduced Expressions Livingware, which used more than one colour and featured one or more coloured border designs. The patterns produced in the 1970s included April (or April Daisy), Blue Heather, Indian Summer, Meadow, Wildflower (or Spring Bouquet), and Batik.

Dimension IV Livingware was manufactured from 1979 to 1985 and featured a white base with a coloured stripe around the rim. The patterns produced in the 1970s were Almond, Cinnamon, and Citrus.

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