There are bargains to be had on the high street at the moment. Assuming you aren’t bored of the ubiquitous target pattern and are looking for some new mugs, things don’t come much cheaper than the LSA Centro Mug.
Available in a choice of hot (yellows and reds) or cool (blues and greens) colours, these large porcelain mugs are being sold at a reduced price of just £1 by John Lewis.
Visit the John Lewis website to buy.
In between mince pies and mulled wine I found time over Christmas to read “Retro Retro: Fictional Flashbacks” edited by Amy Prior. For this anthology of short stories, 16 writers have taken the theme of our collective obsession with the recent past and its culture.
As is often the case with short story collections, this is very much a mixed bag, but there are enough good stories in here to make it worth buying. Amongst the best are Nicholas Royle’s “Empty Boxes” about a man’s obsession with disused cinemas in London, Joyce Carol Oates’ “Strand Used Books 1956” about a chance meeting with Marilyn Monroe in a bookshop and Tony White’s “The Jet Set Girls” which recreates the gangster milieu of 1960s Soho.
It is available to buy from various Amazon Marketplace sellers for as little as 1p, which even with the postage and packaging costs still makes it under £3.
Florian Tiles are family run business that has been producing unusual tiles since the 1960s. Designs include scenes from Alice in Wonderland and vintage cars and trains, but my favourite is the Cocktails collection.
The six designs all feature a sophisticated lady in 1920s dress along with a recipe for a popular cocktail such as Gin Fizz or Manhattan Cocktail. A regular tile to add to your kitchen wall costs £13.25 but they can also be adapted for other uses, for example as table mats (£21), clocks (from 24) or as part of a cheeseboard (£33).
For further details and to view the whole collection visit the Florian Tiles website.
Dovetail Shop & Studio are a ceramics making duo from Kentucky. They have created this great Bicycle Serving Dish from porcelain.
The white square dish is decorated with pictures of retro bicycles, inspired by the designers’ own vintage bikes. It is usefful for serving snacks but nice enough to just have on display.
It costs $28 and is available to buy from the USA Urban Outfitters.
Some time ago, we featured the Cherner Dining Table. Although a beautiful piece of furniture, not everyone has the space to accommodate it, whereas the Cherner Bar Stools should have a wider market.
Designed in 1958, the bar stools have the same distinctive seat back as the Cherner armchairs and is re-issued from the original drawings and molds. They come in a choice of bar or counter height.
Available in a range of finishes, prices start from £558 from Twenty Twenty One.
The Proust Armchair was designed in 1978 by Alessandro Mendini and has been reissued by Cappellini.
The armchair has a hand-carved and hand-painted wooden frame, upholstered with multicolor fabric in a choice of of blue/grey/yellow or black/green/red.
It is available to buy from Viaduct although no price is given. For such a decadent piece of furniture, I think it is safe to assume the price tag will be high. Visit the Viaduct website to enquire.
