One for the wannabe rock god – the Electric Guitar Lamp.
Perhaps not the most subtle or stylish piece of lighting we’ve ever featured, but certainly a talking point and an ideal gift for the frustrated Hendrix or Clapton in your family. The guitar rests on a wooden stand and a bulb gently illuminates the staff and your room.
It costs $50 (approx £26) from the USA site Uncommon Goods.
A mix of the old and the new, with Villeroy & Boch re-introducing the 1970s Acapulco design for its modern-day NewWave tableware.
The Acapulco pattern is inspired by colourful South American prints, with the birds and flowers originally used (to great success) by the company in 1977. 30 years on and it now features on the NewWave-shape espresso cups, cappuccino cups, coffee cups and mugs, as well as matching plates.
Prices vary, depending on the piece, but start at under £10.
Find out more at the Villeroy & Boch website
Think an cutting board is nothing more than a functional object? That’s not the case with these Ken Goodwin art-based cutting boards.
All boards are handmade in the US using top-grade woods (including maple, cherry, walnut ad willow), with some rather stylish designs, including some op art, art deco and Mondrian designs – one of which is this Expansion board, inspired by Bridget Riley’s Movement in Squares.
It’s made of maple and walnut, with a flat grain and is sized around 20 inches across. You can order one online for $350 (around £175).
Mills and Boon romances would not be my first choice of reading material but nonetheless I’m rather taken with these Recycled Romance Coasters from Lark.
They depict scenes described as “forbidden love, glamorous liaisons and unfettered longing”, but as they are taken from recycled book covers, no two are the same.
They cost £10 for a set of four and can be bought from the Lark website. They might make a good Valentine’s gift which, now that Christmas is over, isn’t far away.
There are plenty of budget white shades available at the moment have been obviously influenced by this classic, the Turbo Lamp Shade.
Designed by Louis Weisdorf in 1965, it was re-issued in 2005 in its two original sizes, Turbo36 and Turbo62 (the number referring to the shade’s diameter in centimetres). The Turbo consists of twelve identical segments of aluminium, sprayed white, that follow the curve of a globe.
Designer Lights have both sizes available to buy, starting at just under £500 for the smaller one. This probably puts it out of most people’s budget but at least if you do settle for a high street copy, you’ll know where the inspiration came from!
Sales are on everywhere now, including it seems museum shops! The V&A shop, always a favourite for classic and quirky designs, has reduced a lot of its stock but the biggest reduction must surely be on the Frederick Kiesler Instrument Chair, reduced from £1,200 to £600.
Kiesler was an architect, stage designer and writer, who became involved with the Surrealists. He defined 18 different ways of using the Instrument Chair – the picture above shows it in a few different positions, although to discover the other variations, you’ll probably have to buy one.
Further details are on the V&A Shop website but it does look as if you’ll have to go into the shop in person to buy your Instrument Chair.
