A lesser-known 60s design that still looks incredibly futuristic in the modern era – the Gio Ponti Pirellone floor lamp for Fontana Arte.
Like a huge strip of light, this 1967 design has a frame of satin nickel-plated brass, with diffusers in pressed and curved glass for a 'double light' effect. You can also dim the light to your needs, should you want to save on the electricity or just want something a little more subtle.
Check out over the page for an image of the lamp in a regular home, if you want one, it retails for £1,605.
The Bauhaus mobile has been designed in collaboration with the Bauhaus Museum.
Mobiles are normally reserved for nurseries, but with this one I’m not too sure that infants are its target audience. Certainly youngsters will be attracted to its bright primary colours and its simple shapes, but they will perhaps fail to appreciate their significance to the Bauhaus style.
We mentioned last week that the Design Museum has announced a major Dieter Rams exhibition in London from November this year, no doubt showing off all the major designs Rams creating for Braun, which will certainly include the Braun SK55 radio/record player, which you can own right now if you bid for the one above on eBay.
It's a classic design from Rams and Hans Gugelot, dating back to 1956 and known affectionately as 'Snow White's coffin' for reasons probably evident from the picture above. It's described as being in 'very nice original condition' and 'full working order', which means you can take in radio over three bands and vinyl over three speeds, throwing on some stylish modernist design for your living room too.
Check out the images on the site for a close-up look, then check your bank balance, it's up on a 'Buy It Now' for £922.38 – although the seller will take an offer.
If the arrival of September still makes you want to purchase new shoes, rucksacks and stationery, even though it's been a good many years since you ventured through a classroom door, you may be interested in these library notebooks from Present and Correct. However, these books are a lot more fun than anything you may have had at school. Each book is made to look like an old-school style text book, so the one with the science apparatus is printed with the title 'An Encyclopedia of Poisons' by R.C.Nick and the one with all the robots is entitled 'Basic Robotic Engineering', written by a lady called Anne Droid.
The books also come with a library pocket and ticket that you can stick at the front and would be handy for stashing away papers, or notes from your friends if you really want to relive your school days. Each notebook costs £6.50
Lea Stein's jewellery makes for an interesting conversation piece, not just because of the varied and whimsical designs she produces. She was originally active from between 1969 and 1981, then started making jewellery again in 1988 once a worldwide market had grown for her work. A wide selection of her work from across the years is available at Polkadot jewellery. The selection features everything from sleeping cats to glamorous profiles of flapper-style ladies, all made from laminated rhodoid.
Each year she produces a new design, so the pieces can be dated pretty precisely, and given a name. The Fox brooch is her most popular design to date, dating from 1975. Prices on the site range depending on the model but they all are priced roughly around the £30 mark.
We have featured Skate Study Housepreviously, a company that mixes a love of skateboarding with a love of Eames and related mid-century design. The result? Handmade Eames-style classics made from skateboard parts, like the Launch of the Cool collection.
This is the affordable range from Skate Study House (compared to the Lounge Chair, which retailed for well in excess of £2,000), three design gems available for a combined price of $300. The products are the Astro Clock, a take on the 1948 George Nelson Ball Clock, the Hang Up (a take on the Eames' 1953 Hang It All) and the Nova Lamp, a take on…well, we're not sure on this one, can you spot what it takes off?
All are made to order, using recycled decks and parts plus some custom bits and pieces, guaranteeing you something unique in your home. If you don't want all of them, individual prices are $100 for the Astro, $100 for the Hang Up and $150 for the lamp. We suspect they'll not be around for long, so move quickly if you want them. And check out an image of the Hang Up over the page.
