If you’re on the look out for a John Smedley bargain, there’s only one place to head – the John Smedley factory sale.
As you’d expect, it’s on at the John Smedley factory or more specifically, the Lea Mills Factory, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 5AG. It’s on over the weekend of April 5th and 6th and prices will start at just £10 – so make sure you have plenty of boot space.
View the current range at the John Smedley website
Via Retro To Go
It might cost more than most iPod sound systems – but the Phonofone II offers a lot more style and doesn’t need any power.
Designed by Tristan Zimmerman, this gramophone-style ceramic speaker needs no power – it uses ‘passive amplification’ to transform music from a portable player and earphones into an output of up to 55 decibels. Apparently, it’s better for blues, classical and folk rather than electronic sounds and rock, but should give a decent output across the board – and it looks good on your desk even when not in use.
Not cheap at $500 (around £250), but it’s only available for a limited time – so could be one for collectors.
Find out more at the Charles & Marie website
Summer holidays – they’ll come round sooner than you think – and when they do, you’ll be glad you invested in a good pair of sunglasses. Like these Oliver Goldsmith Strand sunglasses.
Dating back to 1962 and with a classic Wayfarer look (despite pre-dating them by 10 years), this pair is hand-made in Japan with a dark tortoiseshell frame, Carl Zeiss lenses and hypoallergenic hinges.
And they’re sold with a hard case, cloth bag and box. Yours for £189.99.
Liverpool-born artist Brian Jones has been making a name for himself by adding his own slant on pop culture, including the target-based print set of Square Peg Round Hole and Round Peg Square Hole.
This set of prints (sold as a set) dates back to 2006, offering some bold pop art for your walls, specifically a twist on the classic target image – mixing some squares in with the circles.
Both are printed on 265 gsm Hahnemule cotton rag paper, limited to just 33 worldwide and both are signed by the artist. You can buy the two for £399.99.
Find out more at the Eyestorm Gallery website
40 years old and still looking way ahead of the modern market, the Anatomia chair by Ahti Kotikoski is classic piece of Finnish design.
It was originally an entry in a competition, specifically the Chair -68 competition for young designers. A jury including Arne Jacobsen and Robin Day picked the reinforced white plastic chair for its ‘construction, comfort and figure’.
It’s now available again in the original plastic and different colours or if you want to pay a little more, with a leather inner seating for extra comfort. The upmarket version retails for 1,890 Euros.
Find out more at the Finnish Design Shop website
Nifty recycling or clever design? The Vintage Flash Camera Clock is probably both.
Handmade by US artist Debra Dresler, it probably looks better than it functions, with that added battery-operated clock the only working part, with some existing camera parts amended to work with it. Surely a bit more work could have made that huge flash go off as an early morning alarm?
Oh well, maybe next time. As it is, the Vintage Flash Camera Clock retails for $165, which is around £85.
Find out more at the Uncommon Goods website
