This year was the 150th Anniversary of Big Ben, which was the inspiration behind this Big Ben Wall Clock.
As pedants will no doubt note, Big Ben is actually the bell, rather than the clock or the tower, but the name is often applied to the landmark in general, which is what this item looks like. It consists of a 2 metre wall sticker, with a cut out pane to allow the separate clock face to show through.
The Big Ben Wall Clock costs £120 from Rockett St George.
Forty four Urban Outfitters customers describe the Truman Side Table as “beautiful” and I wouldn’t disagree with them.
Taking its inspiration from mid-century design and presumably named after the 33rd US President, the table is made from American ash and veneer, and is available in a choice of two stains in keeping with its period looks. Choose from “vintage”, a warm orangey-brown, or “dark walnut”.
The table costs $128 from Urban Outfitters.
Fair play to Jonathan Adler for trying to give a dash of retro style to an essentially modern item. His Mobile Phone Case features an image of a classic dial telephone.
The picture is created in handmade needlepoint, with further retro points being scored by its choice of colours, a very 70s combination of brown and lime. If you remain unconvinced about the necessity of this item, perhaps the fact that it is now on sale at half price, reduced from £30 to £15 might win you over.
Buy it online from Supernice.
In these days of Twitter, Facebook and mobile phones, does anyone still send postcards from their holidays? This dying form of communication is celebrated in the “A Pretty View” Cushion by Lucie Pritchard.
The silk screen printed cushion features a black & white image of the back of a postcard, complete with an address, hand-written message and postmark. The cushion itself measures 40cm squared.
It is available to buy from All Things Original for £40.
Modo Creative’s prints were intended for children’s rooms, but with Christmas looming and gift-buying on most people’s minds, their Personalised Alphabet Print may be appreciated by grown-ups more than the little ones.
The design is made up of the alphabet in an ornate vintage font, with a letter of your choice highlighted in a different colour, i.e. the initial of the recipient of the print. There is also space for a brief personal message to be added to the bottom of the design. The print is available in a choice of colour options; brown with blue and yellow lettering, blue with green and pink or blue with brown and red. The prints cost £35 each and are sold unframed.
Buy online from Modo Creative’s store on Not on the High Street.
The Fashions of the 20th Century Diary is one of Taschen’s diary offerings for next year. The cover shows a stylish lady dressed in polka dots, against a dotty background, presumably taken at some point during the 1960s.
Inside the A5 spiral bound book, the week to view diary is interspersed with other images from fashion photography and advertising from the previous century. Some of the images stray into the realm of kitsch, but most are from earlier periods, so we are spared images of 90s grunge style.
The diary is available to buy from Paper Nation for £9.99
