Ercol is no stranger to this site, but the Windsor Supper table is certainly the strangest design we've seen from the company.
On the face of it, this is a typical mid-century style coffee table with room for your magazines. But as the picture shows, the top lifts up and forward, making it perfect for eating a spot of 'supper' or even using as a laptop table, should it be getting a little hot on your knee.
Made of slid ash and elm, with a hand-waxed lacquer finish, the table sells for £995.
Another modernist gem reissued by Fontana Arte – the Pietro Chiesa Cartoccio clear glass vase.
Designed back in 1932, it's still an unusual, almost sculptural object – and guaranteed to stand out in your home. if you're wondering about that name, Cartoccio effectively means 'paper bag' – and that's pretty much where the shape comes from.
If you like it, it's yours for £310.
Artists Bob and Roberta Smith have produced a limited edition set of greeting cards which are currently available to by from the Polite Shop.
The cards feature a series of slogans but my favourite (and reason for featuring it here) is the “I believe in the Clash” design. The perfect birthday card for any aging punk.
The set contains six cards, one of each design and costs £10 from the Polite Shop.
It might look like an escapee from the 1970s, but that flat screen TV tells you that the De Sede DS 152 armchair by Jane Worthington is a very modern design from a classic brand (you might recall our feature on the classic De Sede DS-1025 modular sofas).
Get into the DS 152 and you might never get out of it. Then again, why should you? It's got plenty of room in that circular space (room for two in fact), plenty of soft padding and a choice of leather upholstery. But best of all, it also comes with the option of a table for your drinks and that small TV for catching up with your favourite shows.
But with prices starting at £5,185 this is something very much for the idle rich.
Find out more at the Barker and Stonehouse website
Via Switched On Set
If an old school football manager (or indeed John Motson) wanted a designer armchair for the living room, nothing could be more suited than the Shearling Swan Chair.
Yes, this is the classic 1958 Swan Chair by Arne Jacobsen with a twist – that twist being upholstery in curly wool from New Zealand, matched with an outer shell covered in hand-senn suede mocha from Edelman Leather. Yes, it looks like an expensive chair is wearing a sheepskin coat to keep warm.
Well, we presume it's expensive as a Swan Chair never comes cheap, especially with a designer twist. If you want one, drop retailer Suite New York an email for the bottom line.
Find out more at the Suite New York website
Via Selectism
Described very aptly as 'jet-set style for the 21st century', the Jonathan Adler Philippe ottoman coffee table offers seating and table in one retro design.
Well, we say coffee table – and indeed it's amply-sized as a coffee table – but we wouldn't recommend you balance your coffee cup on that ridged leather top. Aside from that, the Philippe is perfect for resting on and for showing off your magazines, with those blackened mid-century iron legs offering some period-style detail.
Sized at 40 x 40 inches and standing 15 inches high, the Philippe is available in various fabrics, priced from $1,500 (around £1,000).
