We don’t know the manufacturer of this Cassette Face watch, but we’re liking the concept.
A chunky 70s-style bracelet and casing packs in a replica of an audio cassette, one reel showing the hours, the other the minutes – and if you forget, it’s got a ‘hand-written’ description on the title bar.
Cheap too – you can bag one of these online for £35.
A useful bit of spare seating, not to mention a design classic – the Elephant Stool from Vitra is also within the financial reach of most people.
Designed by Sori Yanagi in 1954, this polypropylene stool is ideal for both children and adults and for both indoors and outdoors. And it’s good as a stylish occasional table.
Take your pick from black, white or red, the Elephant Stool retails for £56.
Traditional British retailer Mulberry has teamed up with eyewear experts Cutler & Gross to produce a rather stylish retro sunglasses range.
Something like 15 styles available covering various eras, but we’ve picked out a pair representing the 1950s and one from the 60s – Betsey and Jackie. Betsey is available in various colours (including the peach pictured here), offering that ‘cat’s eye’ style frame (made from hand-polished Italian plastic), am embossed gold Mulberry logo and 100 per cent UV absorbing tinted lenses. Jackie is a classic 60s shape in black or white, again with a hand-polished frame, but this time with a silver Mulberry logo, black lenses and a matching case.
Most of the pairs in the range retail for around £250.
Work of art or functional furniture? With the Al & Jo Classic Piet, you get both.
Al & Jo is an Italian design house, bringing together artists, cabinet makers and engineers to produce items using all of these skills – like the Classic Piet. As the name (and look) suggests, this is inspired by Mondrian’s coloured blocks of the 1920s. But it’s not just about the art – beneath that surface is an MDF storage unit with four drawers and four cabinet areas with Minimax Ferrari hinges, stood on an iron treated stand (for a rust effect).
Just 10 of these are being made, each selling for 5,220 Euros.
Whether it’s as a retro-inspired artist or an old school tattoo artist, you really should check out the work of Mitch O’Connell.
Everything from mainstream magazines and comic books through to tattoo designs and caricatures are in his portfolio – all of which you can discover on his website. And indeed buy from his site – like the giclee prints above.
Just two examples from many above – all printed in seven colours using archival inks (for longer life), each signed and numbered by the artist. To the left is Hell On Wheels, inspired by cult movie star Tura Satana, which is an edition of 40 and Rock ‘n’ Roll Angel, part of an edition of just 20. You can pick them up for $110 each, which is around £55. If you want more, a book of tattoo designs called (unsurprisingly) Mitch O’Connell Tattoos is also available.
Find out more at the Mitch O’Connell website
And thanks to Colleen for flagging the artist up.
Remember the Celia Birtwell camping range for Millets we previewed a while back? Well, it’s instore and online right now to order – and it’s not just tents – there’s also accessories like a dining set, wellington boots and this rather smart Celia Birtwell Golf Umbrella.
Ideal for campers or those of us living in a rainy climate, the large umbrella features a distinctive Celia Birtwell vintage print and automatic opening, should you get caught in a shower.
And best of all, it isn’t that expensive either – you can pick one up for £14.99.
