Category: Design and Interiors

I've just checked and you know what? We've never featured the original 1929 Barcelona chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Needless to say, it's a design classic with a price to match, retailing for well over £3,000 at any authorised retailer. Not got the money? Well, you could opt for the Homebase Mayfair chair And footstool.

This isn't one of those cheap copies, the design of the Mayfair has enough subtle changes in shape to avoid any legal issues, a slightly taller, more upright shape and not quite the same detailing for the cushion work. But it does offer the look for a lot less cash.

For your money, you get both the seat and footstool, with both upholstered in 'leather effect' and say on a chrome base. There's also a spot of self-assembly required too – we suspect that's not the case with a Knoll original either. But at £249.99, it's in the realms of affordable for all of us – and let's be honest, most of your friends just might presume it's the real deal anyway.

Find out more at the Homebase website

Are you ready for a story? Well, here goes. Ray Eames picked up one of the original Marilyn Neuhart Dolls and fell in love with it. Shen then asked Marilyn Neuhart to make one for Alexander Girard, who was equally smitten. In fact, he was so taken by the dolls, he asked Marilyn to make 100 for the 1961 opening of his Textile & Objects store, becoming an icon of the store and era. Now, you can have one made for your home.

Yes, almost 50 years on, House Industries has asked Marilyn to create four new designs in the same style as the originals – and she has duly obliged. So take your pick from the characters above, all handmade in the US using the same Mexican cotton from the same family-owned mill that was used for the originals.

Something of a future collectable and quite simply, just a nice thing to own. Depending on your choice of doll, prices start at $75.

Find out more at the House Industries website

It might look like a bold piece of Sputnik-like 1960s design, but the Revolver wall light is actually a fairly modern design.

The work of Frank Schreiner, the Revolver isn't a drain on your electricity bill, instead those eight chrome bulbs around the side are actually non-functioning, but do hep the one central bulb to give off light with some very distinctive shadows on the wall. But if you if you fill the slots with new bulbs, you'll never be short of a replacement when the central one goes.

All sat on a coated steel frame, the Revolver is good for both wall and ceiling and can be yours for £77 online.

Find out more at the Manufactum website

Regular readers will know we're huge fans of Dieter Rams' work for both Braun and Vitsoe, so we're really looking forward to seeing his forthcoming London retrospective – Less and More – at the Design Museum.

It runs from 18th November 2009 to 14th March 2010 and is the first UK definitive retrospective of Dieter Rams’ career in over 12 years, showcasing landmark designs for both Braun and Vitsoe from the 1950s onward alongside archive film footage, models, sketches and prototypes. Rams' inspiration on modern-day designers isn't forgotten either, with specially commissioned interviews with the likes of Jonathon Ive, Jasper Morrison, Sam Hecht and Naoto Fukasawa. Some tasty merchandising or the odd product reissue as a limited edition running alongside? We certainly hope so. Failing that, a nice poster with a vintage Braun radio will do just fine.

You'll find the Design Museum at Shad Thames, London, SE1 2YD, with admission to the exhibition ranging from £5 to £8.50.

Design Museum website

Nothing quite screams the 1970s like a bold repetitive design – like the one you'll find on the Graham & Brown Boheme wallpaper range.

Yes, unmistakably of the day, the Boheme range is available in three colour options (including the green here), all with that quirky hexagonal design and a slight metallic finish.

Possibly not the kind of thing you would fill a room with in the modern era, but if you want a feature wall to really stand out, this is available for £30 per roll.

Find out more at the Graham & Brown website