The Driade Pavo Lounge Chair looks just like the wicker chair my mother owned in the 1970s, but this is actually a more recent design.
The other difference is that whereas my mother’s chair was made solely from woven wicker, this chair has been made with the all together more sturdy steel, then covered with wicker. The chair is finished off with a leather-covered cushion.
The chair costs just of £1400 from Nest, which I presume is considerably more than my mother paid for her version.
Unity Peg has designed a range of Text Transfers to liven up your blank wall space. The collection consists of a choice of 19 different phrases, each one being the name of an album.
They have chosen titles that are “groovy, curious or fun” so the words that adorn your walls will be interesting. Most of the titles come from albums from the Sixties and Seventies, although they are not always the most obvious ones. Highway 61, Hunky Dory and London Calling sit alongside the Brian Eno title “Taking Mountain Tiger by Strategy” Fairport Convention’s “Unhalfbricking” and the jazz opera “Escalator over the Hill”. The letters measure 8cm high with the length of the transfer obviously varying depending on the length of the album title.
Available in a choice of black or fluorescent red, all designs cost £32 and can be bought from Unity Peg.
Hardly able to go a week without finding another retro cushion, this week I came across these London Underground Map Cushions.
The underground map itself is not essentially retro (after all is still very much in use) but the design has been printed here in black & white on a natural linen material and given a deliberately aged look. The reverse of the cushion features the logo of Coach Line, along with the date 1955, which adds to the vintage style.
The cushions are available with a choice of either green or mustard reverse, both costing just under £35 and available to buy from Horsefall and Wright.
The Magis Memo Notice Board was designed by the iconic designer Enzo Mari.
Whilst not one of his vintage pieces, the product still retains his distinctive style, mainly in the fun shaped magnets, which are in his usual bold graphic style. There are six different magnet including a blue chair and a pink pig. The board is available in a choice of sizes; the small measuring 35cm by 71cm (£74.75), the large measuring 50cm by 71cm (£80.50). Extra sets of the quirky magnets are available to buy priced £20.24.
Buy online from Nest.
Given the current state of the UK postal system, it probably isn’t too early to start thinking about sending Christmas cards, so allow me to suggest these “Black & White Ski Fashion” cards from the V&A.
The photograph is from a collection of ephemera illustrating ski-wear fashion in the 1930s and the card has been created exclusively for the V&A. The cards are sold in packs of 10, along with envelopes, priced £6.50.
Buy online from the V&A shop.
As we’ve entered into the month of November, I feel I can begin to recommend Christmas related items without feeling too guilty, especially when they are as great as the Bengt & Lotta Reindeer Candleholder.
Clearly inspired by Scandinavian folk art, the candleholder is made from iron and is a similar style to Bengt Lindberg’s moose design. The candleholder is ideal as a Christmas table centrepiece but is probably something that you would want to leave out the rest of the year round.
It costs $125 from Fjorn.
