Do you know what happened when I started digging a little into the history behind an ordinary kitchen bowl? I found a Swedish prince, a Danish queen, a design office in Copenhagen, and a research report from 2024 that is actually quite fascinating.
I have Margrethe bowls in almost every size and in five of Amaelle's daily colors — Monday teal, Wednesday olive, Friday yellow, Saturday purple and Sunday pink. Plus four in stainless steel. They are a natural part of my kitchen, and the more I learn about them, the more I like them. Stay tuned and I'll tell you all about them!
A prince, a design office and a royal name
The story begins in 1940s Copenhagen. Two Danish gentlemen — Rolf Fahrenholtz and Stig Jørgensen — start a small company that manufactures buttons from injection-molded plastic. The name Rosti is a combination of their first names. Clever, right? The technology is new and efficient, and they soon expand to manufacture melamine products.
In the late 1940s, they did something really smart: they hired one of the most exciting design offices in Scandinavia at the time — Sigvard Bernadotte and Acton Bjørn's studio in Copenhagen.
And here comes an interesting bit. Sigvard Bernadotte was the son of Sweden's King Gustaf V — a prince of royal birth who chose the world of design over royal life. His designs can be seen in everything from Hasselblad cameras to kitchen utensils, and in 1954 the bowl we all recognize was born.
It borrows its name from the then heir to the Danish throne — Princess Margrethe, now known as Queen Margrethe II of Denmark — with the explicit blessing of the Danish royal family. A Swedish prince designs a bowl named after a Danish princess. It's actually quite magical!
Over 40 million bowls later, it is in the permanent design collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It has been depicted on stamps. And it is found in kitchens from Tromsø to Malmö, from Berlin to Tokyo. The little bowl is a true globetrotter.
The colors tell their own story
It's not just the shape that's fascinating. The colors are a time document in themselves.
If you look at Tradera, Blocket or at flea markets around Sweden, you will find bowls that tell you about the decades they come from. The deep avocado green, brown and mustard yellow the tones? These are bowls from the 1960s and 70s. Highly sought after by collectors and nostalgia lovers, and often at surprisingly low prices. A whole set in matching retro colors for maybe a hundred kroner — it's a little treasure for those who are looking.
The color palette of the time is clearly visible throughout the years — strong primary colors in the 80s, pastels and pop colors in the 90s. And today, the new series have a palette that is softer and more pared-down: Dusty Blue, Humus, muted olive green — colors that breathe the Nordic lifestyle that Amaelle is based on.
The old bowls pop. The new ones whisper. Both are beautiful, each in its own way.
I have my melamine bowls in Amaelle's own daily colors — Monday blue-green, Wednesday olive, Friday yellow, Saturday purple and Sunday pink — in sizes from a small 1.5 dl all the way up to a spacious 5 liter, all with plastic lids. It's a system that really works in the kitchen: the right bowl, the right day, the right feeling.
The form never ages — and why
There is a concrete reason why the shape has not changed in 70 years.
The handle sits exactly where your hand naturally wants to grip. The pouring spout directs batter and sauce where you want it, not along the outside of the bowl. The rubber ring at the bottom keeps the bowl stable when you're whisking hard. And the melamine — the material the bowl is made of — is harder than regular plastic, withstands heat better, and won't be scratched by whisks or spoons.
Every little detail solves a real problem. That's why it lives on.
The newer “Victoria” series is based on the same design language but with an updated handle for slightly better ergonomics, a reinforced pouring spout, drainage channels in the bottom so that no water collects after washing, and a hanging hole for those who want to hang the bowl on a hook. Evolution, not revolution — just as it should be with a classic.
Something I think you want to know about melamine
Okay, now for something that I actually think is really interesting to share with you — and that I wish I had known about earlier!
Melamine is often marketed as a better alternative to regular plastic. It holds its shape in heat, doesn't scratch as easily, and feels robust and high-quality. All of that is true. But there's more to know about how the material actually works, and it's really worth knowing.
These substances are used to make the bowls
Melamine plastic is made through a chemical reaction between two substances: melamine and formaldehyde. Both remain in the finished bowl, bound into the material. It's a common and proven manufacturing method — and it works great under the right conditions.
Research from BfR (Germany) and the Swedish National Food Agency (Sweden, 2024) tells us that…
The German risk assessment agency BfR has investigated how melamine products behave in real-world use, and the Swedish Food Agency published its own PM based on the same research in 2024. What they looked at is migration — that is, how much of the melamine and formaldehyde can migrate out of the bowl and into the food.
The conclusion is clear and actually quite logical: migration increases when hot food and drinks comes into contact with the bowl, and it increases further with wear over time. A worn, washed bowl with scratches will release more than a new and intact one.
The EU's chemicals agency ECHA has also listed melamine as a substance they are monitoring closely for future regulation — not a ban today, but a signal that research is continuing.
This is how melamine works in practical, actual use
The great thing is that this is very easy to relate to in everyday life!
Melamine bowls work just as they always have — for most of what we actually use them for. It's all about understanding when the material is at its best:
Perfect for the melamine bowls: Dough, salads, fruit, raw food, dressings, snacks, storing cold leftovers in the refrigerator, baking of all kinds with cold ingredients — in other words, most of what an active kitchen actually does.
Choose stainless steel instead: When you pour in piping hot soup, boiling water or want to store hot food directly. Old, worn bowls with visible scratches are a good sign that it's time to upgrade to stainless steel, especially for hot applications.
And here's something I really like: for those of us who live a raw food-inspired, plant-based or fully vegan lifestyle, this is hardly a problem at all! We rarely pour boiling hot food into bowls at all. A big bowl of spiralized zucchini, fresh berries, a green smoothie or a lovely raw food plate — that's exactly what the melamine handles without the slightest complaint.
The stainless steel ones — the most elegant version of the shape
My stainless steel Margrethe bowls come in four sizes: 0.5L, 1L, 1.5L and 3L. They are my workhorses for anything involving heat, and they are basically eternal. Satin finish on the inside, glossy outside — and the classic shape in a material that can withstand the freezer, dishwasher and everything in between.
A small practical detail: the plastic lids for the melamine bowls unfortunately don't fit the stainless steel ones, so you have to solve it in another way.
Find your Margrethe bowls
New bowls can be found at well-stocked kitchen stores online and in physical stores. The new soft colors — Dusty Blue, Humus and muted olive green — are truly beautiful and fit perfectly into a Nordic lifestyle aesthetic.
Vintage and retro — keep an eye on Tradera, Blocket and local flea markets. Search for “Rosti Mepal”, “Margretheskål” or “Rosti skål”. Retro bowls in 60s and 70s colours appear regularly and are often surprisingly cheap. A little treasure for those who look patiently!
Stainless steel versions are available at selected kitchen and design stores. The price is higher, but they are truly an investment for life.
A toast to history — and to the future
That's the fun thing about design classics. They carry stories. They wander from kitchen to kitchen, generation to generation. And when you know what you know now — about the prince who designed them, the queen who named them, the research that makes them even more interesting — you see them a little differently.
With more curiosity. And with even more love.
Do you have Margrethe bowls at home? In what colors and sizes? Feel free to share in the comments — I love hearing how these bowls live on in other homes and kitchens!
Wonderful Wednesday · Tech Thursday · Studio Saturday · design · health · conscious choices · kitchen utensils · Nordic lifestyle · raw food · melamine · Rosti Mepal
