Categories / Homeware

Duffy London Chalkboard Coffee Table

BlackboardtableIf you are one of those people who looks back fondly on their schooldays, you may be interested in this Chalkboard Coffee Table.

Produced by Duffy London, the tabletop doubles as a blackboard. You can write, draw or doodle on the board as much as you like, then wipe clean with a cloth. If there is nothing good on television, you can while away the hours playing knots and crosses or setting maths questions just like teacher did!

Priced £245, the coffee table can be bought from the Duffy London website.

Categories / Food and Drink, Homeware

Drinking Straw Dispenser

Straw Looking for something 1950s-inspired for your kitchen but don’t have the budget for a Smeg appliance? How about this Drinking Straw Dispenser instead?

It costs just £5.60, so is a cheap way to add a bit of American diner style to your home and it makes a change from the now ubiquitous tomato-shaped ketchup bottles. Straws are supplied, but you’ll have to find your own favourite classic soda to slurp.

Buy it online at The Cooks Kitchen.

Categories / Design and Interiors, Homeware

Poul M Volther Corona Chair

CoronachairTime for another reproduction of a classic chair – the Corona Chair by Poul M Volther. Danish designer, Volther was heavily influenced by the Arts & Crafts movement and the Corona, is his most famous piece. It received wide-acclaim when it was first produced in 1964 and its popularity has continued since then.

Its distinctive four part structure was apparently inspired by time-lapse photography of a solar eclipse. As with all the best Scandinavian designs, functionality is just as important here as looks – the four upholstered shells give support to the body, so is reputed to be incredibly comfortable.

The Corona Chair and matching footstool are available from BlueSunTree priced £549.

Categories / Food and Drink, Homeware

Vinylux Bowls

Smoothbowl250Vinyl products by Brooklyn artist Jeff Davis have been featured here before, but now his range, including the Vinylux Bowls, are available from a UK stockist, Pop Guru.

Helpfully, Pop Guru will let you pick the record you want for the bowl.  Already in stock are titles by the Beach Boys, the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Sly & the Family Stone and the Rolling Stones.  If none of those are to your taste, unlike most DJs, they do take requests. The bowls are suitable for serving dry snacks, but with a credible choice of artist, you won’t have to worry about needing to cover up the record’s label.

Available in either a Smooth or Stepped finish design, they cost £20 each.

Categories / Homeware, Kids

Retro Traffic Duvet Set

27r500olilNew online store Oli doesn’t offer much that is hugely different from what is already available in catalogues or on the high street, but we did spot this Retro Traffic Duvet Set.

With its brightly coloured pictures of VW Beetles, Minis and camper vans, it is a tad more stylish than the Disney characters or football team duvets sets usually offered for kids’ rooms. And it is never too early to introduce youngsters to the classic vehicles of the past.

The duvet set costs £15 and matching curtains are available from £25 at the Oli website.

Categories / Homeware

‘Why Isn’t My Baby Gaining Weight’ Cutting Board

CuttingboardAlthough by far the most famous, Blythe isn’t the only retro doll out there. Puchi Collective is a fansite dedicated to the whole spectrum of alternative dolls and they are now selling related merchandise. This includes the marvellously titled ‘Why Isn’t My Baby Gaining Weight’ cutting board.

It is hard-wearing enough to be used as a hot plate, serving tray or bench-saver but its real appeal is in the delightful picture. The board depicts a scene of domestic bliss, featuring an Osyalle doll (a recreation of vintage ‘pose’ dolls) alongside her baby (a vintage jointed doll from the 1950s), in their well-equipped kitchen.

It is available in two sizes, priced from $29 (approximately £15) to buy online from Puchi Collective.