Author: Justine Harvey

Winning the prize for the longest product title this week (and perhaps year) is the latest design from People Will Always Need Plates. “British Industry is dead, long live British industry” is a small collection comprising of large platters and small trinket dishes.

The designs commemorate traditional British industries such as coal-mining and shipbuilding, which have long since been in decline. However, the collection is not intended to be as depressing as that sounds, as it also celebrates the resurgence of the traditional pottery industry and uses British company Caverswall China to produce these limited edition pieces. The platters measure 34cm and cost £115, whilst the trinket dishes measure 10cm and cost £25, both limited to 50 editions.

Visit the People Will Always Need Plates website for further details.

Following on from the Crumpet and Skirt products, Kathy Steig also creates items featuring retro burlesque ladies, including these Pin Up Girl Hand Towels.

There are five designs to choose from; Suzie, Candy, Bunny, Sophie or Isabella, each wearing a different coloured outfit and striking a different, but equally seductive pose. The hand towels cost £10 each ($15 or 12 Euros depending on your location). The same designs are also available as larger bath towels, priced £17.

Buy online directly from Kathy Steig’s website.

We have previously featured mugs decorated with retro coffee brand adverts, and now Urban Outfitters is stocking these Vintage-Inspired Coffee Tins.

There are four designs to choose from, each adorned with designs relating to old-fashioned coffees, which may or may not have been real products. They measure 17.5cm high and 8cm in diameter.

They cost just £5 each so at that price you could splash out on a few and use them to store more than just coffee. Buy online at Urban Outfitters.
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There probably isn’t much you can do with the bathroom to give it a retro makeover, apart from Victorian roll-top baths and a retro-patterned shower curtain, but this Vintage Faucet Soap Dish is a nice little touch.

It is shaped like an old-fashioned tap (or faucet f you are in the USA) with the “sink” being the soap holder. It is made from iron with an aged look to add to the vintage feel.

It costs $14 from the USA Urban Outfitters.

Whilst it is no where near as good as an original G-Plan piece or an iconic design, Dwell’s Curved Walnut Chairs could be the answer for those without the budget for designer nor the fortune to find decent second-hand pieces.

The main feature of the chair, and what gives it that retro look, is the curved seat back, made from a single piece of walnut veneer. The legs are made from chrome. The chair is available as either a dining chair or as an office chair, with the latter being on wheels.

Both versions cost £159 and can be bought online from Dwell.