Category: Design and Interiors

Most modernist designs seem to sacrifice comfort for sleek lines – not the Sant’Elia leather armchair.

Designed by Giuseppe Terragani in 1936 and available again via Zanotta, this is a mix of stylish design and soft seating, with the stainless steel tubular frame providing the modernist lines, while a generously upholstered seat, back and arms (in leather) means this is a chair you’ll not want to leave.

Not cheap at £1,699 – but if you have the money, hard to beat for looks.

Find out more at the Panik Design website

Just launched online is Design Eero Aarnio – an online shop devoted to the work and designs of legendary Finnish designer Eero Aarnio. Take your pick of everything from chairs, tables and lamps through to clothing, textiles and smaller items such as postcards, bookmarks and door handles. Essentially, if he’s made it and it is still in production somewhere, it’s here.

And that includes the classic Pastilli chair. Designed in 1967 and screaming the era, it was intended as a comfortable and space-saving piece of seating – or rather, a chair that would fit into that awkward space in a room.

Still made to order and in a number of colour choices (orange being the obvious choice for the period look), the fibreglass chair retails for 1,500 Euros, which is around £1,000.

Find out more at the Design Eero Aarnio website

Spring has barely made an appearance in the UK yet, so whilst we’d rather be shopping for sunglasses and picnic sets, buying a new umbrella seems like the more practical option right now. This Orla Kiely Umbrella is part of a range the designer has produced exclusively for the Tate.

It is decorated in a typically retro Orla Kiely style with a yellow geometric pattern, which is a cheerful spring colour, in contrast to the weather! It is also available in red, which doesn’t seem to be on the website at the moment, but is in the Tate Modern shop, if you happen to be passing that way.

The Orla Kiely Umbrella costs £35 and can be ordered from the Tate Shop Online.

Summer is around the corner, so it might be time to think about upgrading your garden furniture – considering something like this William Morris-designed Seaweed deckchair from the V&A.

OK, it’s not actually designed by William Morris, it actually uses a Morris woodblock wallpaper design from around 1901 – Seaweed. And even better, it is made by a special co-operative based in Devon which specifically employs people with disabilities.

If you want one, it retails for £95.

Find out more at the V&A website

As well as being useful, the Kartell 4867 chair also comes with a heritage.

The chair was designed by Joe Colombo in 1968, the first industrial seat in the world injected in a single mould. Which is certainly good for your credibility. But on a more practical note, the 4867 is good for both indoor and outdoor use and a shape that allows for both stacking or side-by-side positioning. It’s also got a central hole for carrying and for draining (should it rain outside).

Still available, you can pick one up in black or white for £96.

Find out more at the Nest website