Just to show you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a piece of smart design, here’s the B&Q’s Rainbow space age light shade.
It’s incredibly eye-catching and ideal to finish off a room with a space age feel. It’s also lightweight, made of brushed aluminium and easy to hang – just clip it on.
It can take up to a 100w bulb and is an absolute bargain at £18.98.
Yes, it’s rapidly approaching that time of year when everyone expects a Christmas card – and you have to go and find something that isn’t too tacky to send. Well, let us save you the trouble with this rather smart 1950s Baubles Christmas cards.
Designed by Phoebe Moore and available online from the V&A, the cards offer up a 50s-themed design that’s very festive, but not too cheesy. And you’ll get bonus points for being eco-friendly, with the paper made from sustainable sources, the envelopes made from recycled juice cartons and the wrapping created from cornstarch.
A pack of 10 same design cards with plain white envelopes retails for £6.
Find out more at the V&A website
The perfect way to brighten up a dull wall is to invest in these Inke Heiland Vintage Wallpaper Wildlife wall graphics.
Created from 60s and 70s wallpaper, these animal silhouettes comes in kit form, complete with paste and a brush. All you have to do is decide where you want them. There’s a good range of creatures to choose from, including giraffes, monkeys, lions, elephants and birds, but if you see one you like, you’ll have to be quick – each wallpaper is limited, so each animal is effectively a limited edition.
Especially great for kids’ rooms, you can pick them up online from Supernice, prices vary depending on your choice of creature.
Looking for a change from the usual selection box at Christmas? These vintage pin-up chocolate bars could get a few pulses racing.
Actually, the images are pretty tame, coming from a more innocent era, but with burlesque big business right now, they’re sure to have a wide appeal. 12 bars in total, sold in a presentation box and with each wrapper hand-glittered to add a spot of glamour. Or if you want to give them individually, there’s room on the back of each bar for a personal message.
Available online, you can pick up a set for £8.
£200 is a but much for most people when it comes to books, but if you are a fan of classic architecture and interiors, Taschen’s Modernism Rediscovered by Julius Shulman might just about be worth it.
Shulman is a legendary architectural photographer, making California’s Modernist homes world famous in the 1950s. This book set, the follow-up to Modernism Rediscovered from 2000, takes things a step further, offering three volumes featuring 400 Modernist architectural gems from the US and places as diverse as Mexico, Israel, and Hong Kong. Not just the exteriors either, there’s also some superb photography of period interiors, along with the fashions of the day, courtesy of the residents.
Add to that an extensive biography of Shulman, the words of the man himself and a rather smart slipcase to keep all three volumes safe and you just might be tempted to part with the cash. Especially as Amazon is heavily discounting it right now – down to just over £102.
It might not be cheap, but this classic Verner Panton Onion pendant light will certainly impress your friends and neighbours.
Dating back to 1977 and reissued by Verpan, the light fitting is available in the white shown here or in brushed metal, both using vertical strips to create that ‘onion’ effect (although personally I think it’s nearer garlic) as well as impressively diffusing light around the room. And of course, your design cool.
The one downside is that price – a rather hefty £945 – bulb not included.
