Category: Design and Interiors

When you buy a design as an investment piece, it's nice to know it will last – and that's the case with the Vitra EA108 swivel chair by Charles and Ray Eames, which comes with a 30-year guarantee.

Yes, this 1950s chair (specifically dating back to 1958) will be fixed (or replaced) by Vitra at any point in the next 30 years. Which means you can swivel round as much as you like without the worry of seeing your investment fall apart before your very eyes.

Oh yes – and it's a design classic too – perfect for an easy or office chair, complete with a die-cast aluminium frame and a choice of hopsak, leather or netweave in a variety of colours for the finish. Prices start at £1,256.

Find out more at the Twenty Twenty One website

We have covered Original BTC previously (specifically for the company's Paxo pendant light), but we've just spotted this superb piece of reproduction 1930s design from the same team – the Hector table lamp.

Yes, despite the look, this is a modern design, but with a distinctly 1930s look from that glossy metallic base and adjustable shade, chrome stand and best of all, the woven flex, which is a great finishing touch.

Three sizes are available (small, medium and large), along with various colour options. Prices start at around the £97 mark.

Find out more at the Holloways of Ludlow website

If you are a cross stitch beginner and felt the Emily Peacock kit featured a couple of weeks ago was too ambitious, perhaps the Tiny Modernist cross stitch designs offer a better place to start? Tiny Modernist, who actually specialise in modern clothing for kids, have produced several designs to help you recreate modernist icons, including the Eames lounge chair and the van der Rohe Barcelona chair as shown above. Also available are patterns for sewing mid-century houses, a sailor type tattoo or retro telephones. 

Although not named, Fiona Howard was the designer behind the lovely dandelion fabric and wallpaper for Sanderson that was highlighted back here. The Spring Angelica design from her own range, FiFi by Fiona Howard, shares its 1950s look and also draws its inspiration from the British natural landscape. 

We have featured Ikea's Stockholm designs before, a slightly more high-end range, much of it with a mid-century feel. Like this Ikea Stockholm TV bench for example.

Whether you use it as a TV table is up to you, would probably work just as well as a home for a stereo system or as a low-lying sideboard. But if you do opt for its prime purpose, you'll find a height (58cm) that's conducive to you and your sofa, plenty of width (160cm) for a big screen, a cord outlet to hide unsightly wires and plenty of added storage – the drawers even coming with an integrated damper, so it's nice and quiet when you open them. Shame it doesn't have some rounded, angled legs, but you can't have everything.

Made primarily of oak and beech, the Ikea Stockholm TV bench sells for £243.70.

Find out more at the Ikea website

If you don't fancy the idea (and the pain) of an old school tattoo on your body, how about one for the living room? That's what you get with the CB2 vintage-style Tattoo rug.

A fairly large rug, coming in at around 5ft x 8ft and made of 100 per cent wool, complete with a design that wouldn't look out of place in the Sailor Jerry range. Or indeed, on an old sailor's forearm.

Coming to CB2 in the US in July (who do ship worldwide), it will sell for $349, which is around £210 right now.

Find out more at the CB2 website

Big thanks to Beatgrrrl for the tip off!