(Yes, some of this article is copied from my other article discussing "Hard to ID speckled dinnerware, Seaside, etc.", but I expound on Seaside somewhat in this article.)

SEASIDE:

Seaside is very common easy to find dinnerware made by Laurel.  Evidently introduced by 1953.  It is never backstamped with name "Seaside"; instead often something generic like "Laurel Potteries" or "Laurel of California", but without pattern name.  Often is not backstamped at all.  Ephemera (various printed references) are scant, and the reason may be this:  It is likely that Seaside was a  promotional "premium" being exchanged for grocery receipts by at least one grocery chain. (Purity Markets.)  Since they were evidently contracted, not otherwise promoted, they seem to have therefore oft ommited or be much less mentioned in trade publications, etc.  (Seaside is only briefly mentioned in such.)

(Photo - Seaside Coffee, with box of place setting in Turqoise:)

Further the same shapes and same glazes were repackaged and sold through assorted venues under different names or without names, and within these we find shape and color variants to further confound us.  Besides finding several new, still in original box, boxes labeled as "Seaside", I've also found [Seaside] new-in-box (NIB) labeled as "Sunset", labled as "California Dinnerware", and labeled as "Madera",  so..., well, especially with simple plates and bowls,  (place seting pieces-though sometimes the cup handle differs - lower, like Living pattern mold),  these may be considered Seaside...or (in some colors) Sunset or Madera...or....   Evidently, at least the PLACE SETTING pieces came in boxes with these other names in at least SOME of the glazes, and sometimes in OTHER glazes not associated with Seaside.  Be clear: The BOXES are labeled; the pottery is not, OR generically labeled.   There is often NO DIFFERENCE in the glaze piece or backstamp - only the name on the box.  This applies to place setting pieces (as seen below).

(Photo NIB Sunset in pink:)

Ephemera, (articles, trade magazines, business record, ads), confirm these names existed and were produced by Laurel: "Madera", also found on NIB (so far found in crab-pink/Nutmeg, Gloss white, Matte Yellow), "Sunset", also found on NIB (so far in "Ginger" yellow, Bright Pink), "California Dinnerware".  Of course "Seaside" (NIB found so far include Turquoise, and other colors) The pieces in these various boxes are the same place setting shape as for Seaside, and most (all?- matte colors are doubtful-) share Seaside glaze colors.

However, having said all that:  What distinguishes Seaside are the pieces which have a "wave form" theme, thusly:

The design theme of these coffee carafes is repeated in creamer, (seen in red further on) sugar (albeit truncated), salt and pepper (seen in pink further below), and salad bowl.  (If you have a salad bowl we would very much appreciate a good photograph of it, if you would please be so kind.)  (I do not yet own one, but would like to.)

It is these 'wave form' serving pieces that seem to be unique to Seaside, and to define it as such, as SEASIDE.  The designer (Ted Scarpino) did confirm, in person, this waveform themed pattern was called Seaside, (and showed me his original sketch of Seaside shakers). 

Beyond that, there are other serving pieces such as the divided serving  bowl, the gravy, and plain round serving bowls are the same molds or shapes Laurel used in earlier LIVING pattern (and indeed used in other lines as well), 'borrowed' or recycled to go along with Seaside.  The only thing that makes them Seaside is that they are glazed to match.  Previously they were glazed to match another pattern, say LIVING, and later some were used again, in new glazes, in say Cerama-stone and again later by Sylvan Multi-Stone.

Identification IS confusing.  I've seen loads and loads of this stuff, waded through much ephemera, many many hours of research and still haven't sorted it out satisfactorily, so if this discussion becomes a little bewildering.... ...Bear with me, I'll try to explain what I know.

The molds or shapes for plates and chops, the bowls for cereal and soup, and the bowl portion of the cup (handle is altered-taller), are same shapes as those used in LIVING and found in paler speckled colors, (This reuse or recycling of shapes is common in Laurel and other companies.) In fact, plates and bowls shapes are common to other lines as well:  PARADE, found in [not-speckled] maroon, grey, lime, and green used flate pieces and cup-bowl, CERAMA-STONE re-uses gravy mold, divided bowl mold.  Additionally some serving shapes, especially the divided bowl, were found in yet other lines and glazes, so too the mugs. 

Photo shows a Gravy, the mold or shape 'borrowed' from LIVING, an earlier pattern/line, and a butter borrowed from LIFE pattern.  Seen here in Nutmeg Pink (aka Crabshell:

Lines produced by Laurel generally have minimal array of shapes;  do not expect  a wide assortment of pieces in Seaside.  It's a short set.  Laurel was not like say Vernon or Metlox, making so many shapes.  Smaller less secure company.

ANYWAY...colors:  Expect to find the distictly Seaside "wave-form" shapes in the following speckled glossy colors: 

These colors/glazes are also found on HOLIDAY.  (note read about Holiday and how to distiguish the Holiday plates and saucers from Seaside et al by reading my article on it - more replete with photos than this one.)

grey, ...blue ("Turquoise"),  ...pinkish,  ...yellow("Ginger"),   ..."guacomole/avocado-ish green("Citron"), ...brown ....(The dark green not, strinctly speaking, found on Seaside!!...this photo is actually of Holiday! but trust me the glazes ARE the same except this dark green)  ...and black -(black is too black to be speckled.)  No use going into names of colors...many I dont know -at least as Seaside-, others I find with the same glaze named more than one name, and sometimes a name is used to mean more than one glaze! - over the years - so.... (mostly we refer to the names as they were named for other patterns, esp Holiday, Living, and LIFE.)

I am sorry  to disappoint y'all because I haven't any more decent pictures of Seaside.  I lost them, many fine photos, in a "computer related tragedy".  I could set the table for thirty six in six places each of the six speckled colors listed above, ironic, but I havn't any good pictures left, and for all the while these dishes yet remain in boxes packed and in storage I shall not be re-photographing them anytime soon.

Anyway so the speckled colors listed above are common and generally regarded by me as Seaside's colors.  Colors which I find on the distinctive "wave -form" pieces.  Black is rarely found, (possibly in part - online/eBay- because black is too black to be backstamped), and also just generally I've seen very little of it in shops etc.  A brighter pink has been found on the salt and pepper "wave-form", which is only exeption that I've observed to the above comment-same pink as Sunset pictured above....so maybe Sunset had other waveform serving pieces, also?  I don't really know for sure.

There are, however, other colors on the non wave-form shapes which we also associate with Seaside (Plates bowls cups etc).

So far what I find in those other colors/glazes on consists mainly of plates, (flateware), serving bowls, cups w/saucers, in short, nothing which is "wave-form", nothing distinctively Seaside. (excepting those pink [Sunset/Seaside] shakers!)  Thus far they remain in the catagory of unassigned identification, or perhaps as one of the names listed above,(Sunset, California Dinnerware, or Madera).   Sometimes shapes such as the divided serving bowl, which are already "borrowed" from an ealier line (this case LIVING), not wave-form, but a shape from an earlier pattern glazed to go along, (borrowed), are found in these other colors. 

There is a bright speckle blue and a bright pink, both glossy. Seen in this photo.

The bright blue is not very different form the blue ("Turquoise") listed above, but it is different.  The bright pink is rather more pink than the dull crabshell-like pink, (aka "Nutmeg pink" on Holiday).

There is also a faintly speckled pale satin buttery-yellow, (same as the LIFE glaze named "Sierra Yellow") and a similarly faintly speckled satin pale limey-green.  In this yellow and green, I find few serving pieces as of yet, but those I find are not "wave-form". 

One box I have labeled Madera has that pale matte yellow. (My other boxes of Maderas contain glossy glazes.)

This is a place setting of the yellow and green (colors near true).  Notice another sugar style.  This sugar stile might be a restyling of the Seaside wave-form, which was oddly truncated wave-form (seen in top photo, lid's a' splashing off.)  Might, at anyrate, I've seen but a couple, in these two colors here below.  The plates 7"and 10"and bowls 5 1/4"and 5 3/4" amd cup and saucer are however, all true to Seaside form:

So when you're collecting (or selling) you might wish to bear in mind whatever conclusion you draw.  If you are unfamiliar with LIVING, which shares with Seaside these same shape flatewares, bowls, (as seen in above photo), and several serving pieces molds,  you should view my article here on LIVING.  (The Living article and the Holiday article do have more pictures!)

I am so sorry I havent fair photos to share with you.

Unusual colors are found on some pieces.  From interviews with employee (M. Ruiz) I gathered that a dark green (perhaps the same green seen on which I earlier said "not found in" re: upper photo of 7 colors) and the red seen in following photo, were limited holiday production on used on various pieces borrowed from varioius patterns...but it seemed though unclear yet unlikely that entire sets were in red.  "Red was a difficult color". This is her creamer (yes looks like a little pitcher):

A not-Seaside shape unidentified pattern sugar is in this red, also. (no photo of that)

Additionally we sometimes see a brilliant golden yellow. Every  time I find it it is alone.  Not yet associated with other colors.(The first six colors I mentioned are often found in mixed-color groups.)  Here is a LIVING shape  cup (only difference from usual Seaside shape is lower handle) in that golden yellow, demonstrating that this golden was also on pieces not certainly Seaside.

It's horrid not to have even a decent photgraph of a Seaside cup!! Although if you peer you can see the Seaside shape cup in the photo (way above) of the pink NIB.

I've shown you more what is probably not Seaside that what is, huh!?

We once had so much, even a website on it. All lost. Anyway it is worth noting that the Seaside handle rises above rim, and that the Living handle is close or lower than flush with rim.  Otherwise the cups of both lines are fairly similar and share same mold for bowl-portion of cup.

So sorry I haven't a better presentation of this line, other articles have more photos of their respective patterns than I was able to post here.

Divided bowl shape, gravy shape, etc represented in Living article. See that article for photos.