Category: Homeware

The Lily Pad Coffee Table is part of the +00 range by Blu Dot for Urban Outfitters and like the console we featured from the range previously, it has taken inspiration from mid-century designs.

The piece comprises of three connected table tops at different levels, which can be moved around to suit your living space. The table legs are made from a white metal, while the table tops are made from a retro looking walnut veneer. T

he table costs $248 from Urban Outfitters – sadly only available for shipping with the the USA.

The Etsy seller Olive has a range of retro and whimsical cushions which would all be worth a look, but the design that stood out for me is this Vintage Telephone Cushion.

Set against a background of fine grey and white stripes is a felt image of vintage style telephone. In a cute little detail, the telephone cord spells out the word “telephone”. It measures 15 inches square and has been stuffed with a hypo-allergenic filling. The design can be custom made in your choice of colour upon request.

It costs $38 (around £22) and can be bought via Etsy.

Children's TV shows are a favourite medium for designers plundering the past for retro inspiration. If you grew up the UK, you can't fail to recognise the figure above. Before Wallace and Gromit were even heard of, Morph and his mate Chas were the most famous plasticine characters on UK telly.

Immortalised here in plastic, these bookends are a fantastic pair. Perfect for a gift or to get admiring coos from guests in your own home, this set of 2 polyresin bookends is 15 cms high. A little bit bigger than the original appeared, perhaps, but equally charming.

Get yours from Urban Outfitters now for £24.

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The Sandcastle Bowl takes me back to childhood days at the beach. It is shaped to look like those sandcastle buckets you used to have as a child, but is in fact a bowl that can be put to a variety of uses.

Handmade in England from glazed ceramic, it is available in a choice of sunshine yellow, powder blue or white. The bowl is supplied wrapped in a net bag, just like buckets and spades used to be.

The Sandcastle Bowl costs £16.50 and can be bought online from Caroline McGrath.

Like many retro clocks, the Odeon Clock is made by Newgate and is a replica of a vintage design.

It is made from a single piece of moulded acrylic and is glassless. The clock is mainly cream with brown detailing, which adds to the retro appearance.

It is available from Horsfall and Wright, priced just under £35.