Category: Design and Interiors

At first glance, you would probably guess that the LSA Zabo vases were a 1960s Scandinavian design (think something like the Holmegaard Gulvase). But they're actually new designs, the work of Monika Lubkowska-Jonas.

Choose from the white or lime and black colourways, with the vases hand-produced using techniques such as casing, overlaying and 'cameo' cutting of the surface. No, we don't know what that means either, but we suspect it involves a lot of time and effort.

Sold in gift boxes and available in two sizes, prices start at £70.

Find out more at the Nest website

This strange beast is over 30 years old, yet the Gae Aulenti Patroclo table lamp still has the power to impress and confuse.

The Patroclo table lamp was designed back in 1975 for Artemide (which has just reissued it), offering a body in transparent blown glass, mixed with an 'irregular rhomboid' metal frame, specifically made of steel wire that's resistant from heat. The result is a strange diffused glow for your coffee table.

Probably not everyone's cup of tea, especially at a price of £572.

Find out more at the Panik Design website

Not the cheapest place to store your home audio, but the Conran Shop steel stereo cabinet is certainly one of the more distinctive.

Oozing retro style, this particular cabinet is made from gloss lacquered, galvanised steel and offers height-adjustable metal shelves for your main kit, along with two side compartments capable of storing just about anyone's CD collection.

Ok, there are a couple of downsides – finding room for a 4ft tall metal cabinet is one, the colour could be another (although you can order others), but perhaps the biggest hurdle to purchasing is the price – a hefty £2,395. And that doesn't even include delivery.

Find out more at the Conran Shop website

The Anglepoise Type 75 dates back to 1969, but the latest version of this classic lamp offers something very relevant to 2009 – an energy-saving bulb.

Aside from that, this is very much the classic three-spring lamp, offering all the direction you expect from Anglepoise (total reach is 70cm), a rounded/weighted base for style and stability and a more rounded head.

Take your pick between a black or silver finish, both retailing for £68.

Find out more at the John Lewis website

It's been reissued as a standard chair too, but we prefer the Ilmari Tapiovaara Mademoiselle rocking chair.

A Finnish design classic from 1956, the Mademoiselle catches the eyes most obviously from that hugely extended back, certain to offer plenty of support for eve the longest back. But once you're in it, you'll be more interested in the rockers on the bottom, perfect for kicking back on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Made of solid birch and available in various colours, you can pick one up for 890 Euros.

Find out more at the Finnish Design Shop website