Category: Design and Interiors

Categories / Design and Interiors, Food and Drink

1950s apple-patterned notebook from V&A Shop

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Joyce apples

This apple-patterned notebook from the V&A Shop is a pretty piece of stationery as it stands and is made more remarkable once you've realised it's adapted from a dress fabric design from the 1950s. 

The pattern is part of the vast archives of the V&A Museum and, in this case, it's drawn from the work of Joyce Badrocke. She was one of the textile designers for Horrockses Fashions, who inspired a range at the V&A shop earlier this year. This design is every bit as fresh and colourful as you'd expect from their dresses and works well on this A5 notebook. 

There's also a smaller notebook available that uses a pattern featuring rabbits, based on one of Badrocke's designs for children.  

The notebook costs £3.25. 

Buy it from the V&A Shop

Categories / Design and Interiors

Zanotta 1960s space age Karelia armchair reissued

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Karelia

Is your home lacking some mad space age design? You might want to consider investing in the Zanotta Karelia armchair.

A bizarre piece of seating that could only come from the 1960s, It was actually design in 1966 by Liisi Beckmann, offering a polyurethane foam frame covered in either white, yellow, green, red, blue or black vinyl Texiré fabric. Alternatively, you can go upmarket and opt for leather upholstery in various coloured finishes.

Either way, you get a seat that's unlikely to impress your gran, but is sure to be a talking point for almost everyone else. Whether any of them would want to sit on those ridges? Well, that's another matter altogether. Prices start at £1,255.

Find out more at the Nest website

Categories / Design and Interiors, Food and Drink, Homeware

Watermelon tea towel by Vera

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 Watermelon
There's no doubt that this Watermelon tea towel by Vera would brighten up a kitchen. 'Vera' stands for the American designer Vera Neumann who was famous for her designs for silks and textiles, starting from the 1940s.

Her designs are being reissued on new materials, first with the Teacup alley wallpaper and now with this range of tea towels. Look closely at the image and you'll see the design features her trademark 'Vera' signature and ladybird. This vibrant watermelon print is just one of several food related designs available – the other designs include images of kebabs and buffets, both being much more stylish than they sound and definitely worth investigating. 

The tea towel costs £9. 

Buy it from the Lollipop shoppe

Categories / Design and Interiors, Gadgets and Tech

Floppy disk sticky notes from Suck UK

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 Floppydiskstickynotes
Add some retro charm to your office with a reminder of some outdated technology courtesy of these floppy disk sticky notes from Suck UK. 

Yes, they are sticky notes that are designed to look like those old floppy disks that used to litter up the desk. However, as you can actually write on these notes, when used in conjunction with another piece of old-fashioned technology (i.e. a pen!) they're a lot more useful than the real thing for speedily conveying information. 

You get three note pads in a pack for £7.50. 

Buy them online

Categories / Design and Interiors

Heal’s midcentury-style Dinky armchair in Lucienne Day-inspired fabric

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Calyx

Looking for a bit of bold, midcentury style in your living room? Check out the Heal's Dinky armchair.

Dinky by name and in nature, this Heal's exclusive is designed to have a small footprint, with small foam seat and high back. Ideal is space is limited. That fabric is apparently a Heal's reinterpretation of Lucienne Day's Calyx fabric, adding an extra of 1950s cool.

Finished off with those angled legs in natural or dark stain, the chair sells for £1,295.

Find out more at the Heal's website

Categories / Design and Interiors, Food and Drink, Homeware

1970s Stelton Press Coffee Maker by Erik Magnussen

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Stelton

The Stelton Vacuum Jug is a design classic that has featured before on these pages. But that 1977 gem has been reworked, returning as the Stelton Press Coffee Maker.

Using the original design developed by Erik Magnussen from his classic Vacuum Jug, the Press Coffee Maker has all the same design features, but rather than just keeping things hot/cold, it instead brews up to eight cups of coffee at a time. Although it does retain that 'keep warm' function thanks to the double walls.

Available in black, red and white, the Press Coffee Maker comes complete with a measuring spoon and instructions. You can buy one now for just £39.95.

Find out more at the Utility website