A Finnish design that’s now over 50 years old – but the Santa & Cole Maija floor light will still make an impact in any room.
Designed by Ilmari Tapiovaara in 1955, the lamp is not dissimilar to a pile of stacked plates, combining to create a luminous honeycomb effect. There’s also a very 1950s matt brass base, with the whole thing standing at around 70cm tall (which means it should be good for a floor or table).
Available online, expect to pay around £640.
Find out more at the Nest website
Long before the digital camera, instant photography began and ended with the Polaroid camera. And you can celebrate that era and the camera’s designs with these Polaroid camera badges from Helpless Romantic.
Take your pick from the 600, 1000 and SX-70, all laser-cut from wood and ideal to wear either as a badge or a brooch.
Check out more images at the Helpless Romantic site, with prices at £12 each (and if you buy two, they’ll give you the third one free).
Eames styling meets 70s-style plastic furnishing – that’s the Oh chair by Karim Rashid.
It’s the occasional chair you’re not afraid to get out, moulded from high-impact polypropylene with powder coated steel legs and nylon feet and if you get a few, you’ll be pleased to know that they all stack up.
Choose from a selection of bright colours (including Think Pink and Go Green above), priced at £82.50 each.
Yes, more uses of the classic Mondrian colour blocks – with the Mondrian-inspired letter and pencil box.
These are actually an authorised use (via the Piet Mondrian Holtzman Trust), with the the 12.5-inch letter box and 9-inch long pencil box both using the signature design in a bright lacquer on the exterior.
Not cheap though – $25, which is around £130.
Earlier, we mentioned that you usually have to pay a hefty price for a design classic, but that’s not always the case. Indeed, we’re going to kick off a new series of everyday design classics with one that should cost you under £1.
The Orangina glass bottle has been around since 1951, an iconic design by Jean-Claude Beton to visually represent an orange, complete with that pebbly texture, reminiscent of the orange’s peel. It became as famous as the drink, yet amazingly, the bottle was eventually phased out in the UK for more supermarket-friendly packaging.
But now it’s back in the original 250ml glass bulby bottle to the UK – and should now have filtered onto the supermarket shelves. It’s priced at 95p for a single bottle, with a four-pack selling for £2.19. Is there a cheaper design classic? Let us know.
We’ve featured plenty of retro bicycles, but now you can get some retro-styled accessories too, courtesy of Cycle Chic.
First up, the vintage-style box bags are produced by the same company that made them first time around in the 1970s. Take your pick from white, red or blue tartan, with fixing via four plastic buckles and a capacity that should be enough for your daily essentials. Yours for £25.
Also available is the Bern Muse hard helmet, which you can pick up in plain colours or with a design, all with protection, waterproofing and a foam lining top stop your head from getting too warm – prices start at £39.99. Finally, the traditional Ding Dong Bell clamps to your handlebars, letting people know you’re coming with a polite ring – you can pick it up for just £8.
