The Hector Dome lamp is a modern piece of lighting, with a design very much from the past.
It’s more of a 1930s or 40s table lamp, with a bone china shade, ceramic base and a vintage-style cotton-braided flex.
You can pick it up for £106. And if you like the design, there’s also a floor version available.
Find out more at the Graham & Green website
I’m not always convinced by warehouse sales – we went to a Heals event last week, which was pitiful. But the TwentyTwentyOne warehouse sale looks to be something else.
For one day only, you can get discounts of up to 80 per cent on design classic and stylish contemporary pieces – mainly showroom samples and ex-display furniture, lighting and accessories. Want specifics? Well, according to the company, a Hans WEegner CH37 armchair will be knocked down from £575 to £140, a set of six Aalto 611 dining chairs will tumble from £2,118 to £550 and a set of six Arne Jacobsen 3107 chairs will be reduced from £720 to £240. And that’s just three of the price cuts on offer.
Expect to queue for the best stuff from 10am (running to 4:30pm) on Saturday 19th July 2008, with the sale taking place at 18c River Street, London, EC1R 1XN.
TwentyTwentyOne website
Computers certainly aren’t as ugly as they were a few years back, but still rarely fit in with a room full of classic or vintage design. Saying that, the iameco Sarah PC makes a valiant effort.
Using a polished dark wood finish (in this case ebony) and some glass for effect, it would sit perfectly on the Merrow Associates desk we featured a while back or indeed, next to your vintage sideboard.
Not only do you get the looks, you also get a decent computer too, with an Intel Core Duo Processor, DVD writer, 400GB hard drive, 2GB of memory, TV card, Windows XP or Vista and – wait for it – a wooden keyboard and mouse. If you want one, the Sarah is available online, priced at around 1,000 Euros.
Allegedly, these are still in production – but I’ve looked high and low and have yet to find a retailer for a brand new Olivetti Valentine typewriter.
Shame really, as this 1969 design classic by Ettore Sottsass would add instant cool to any desk. Described as the iPod of its generation, the Valentine was as much about fashion as functionality, slimming down to fit in its own matching case, so you could type as and when the mood took you.
If you don’t have any luck finding one new, eBay is (as ever) on hand. Do a Euro search for affordable models, including the one pictured here, which seems to be in excellent and complete order, with a current high bid of around £16. Which in our book, is an absolute steal.
A modern design that takes influence from the past – the Fruit range of table runners.
Designed by Swahn, Björklund & Forthmeijer and manufactured in Sweden in 100 per cent cotton, the Fruit table runners are a modern-day interpretation of Swedish textile designs from the late 50s and early 60s, using images of sliced fruit (hence the name).
Three colours schemes are available – black/grey, olive/red and lime/blue (pictured above), all retailing for £14.
Find out more at the Funktion Alley website
The Round Again Table looks good – and it’s also eco-friendly.
Why? Well, designer Julian Angus has made the coffee table using bits of wood harvested from other pieces that have reached the end of their lives. Which means the one pictured here is like the one you’ll get, but as each is handmade from different sources, each one is unique.
It also means you can specify exactly how you wanted it finished. All will be around 70cm diameter and will sell for £345.
Find out more at the Greenhaus website
