Categories / Art and Photography, Design and Interiors

Undesignable – mid-century design trade show in Berlin

Undesignable

Berlin is always worth a weekend of your time, but especially so on 29th and 30th November, which sees the Undesignable mid-century trade show.

Part exhibition, part gallery and part retail, the show offers up 25 leading dealers in original design from the 40s to the 80s, covering everything from furniture and lighting through to decorative items, art and jewellery. That means the likes of Mies Van der Rohe, Friso Kramer, Jean Prouvé, Arne Jacobsen, Bruno Mathsson, Charles and Ray Eames and Joe Colombo over an 863 square metre space.

It runs on each day from 11am to 5pm – no price mentioned, so we’ll presume it’s free to get in.

Find out more at the Undesignable website

Categories / Homeware

“Jet Set” Storage Bench

15518848_80_b

The ottoman is definitely back! This is the second one we’ve featured recently, which surely must count as a trend.

Confusingly named the Jet Set Storage Bench, it isn’t in a space-age style, but it certainly harks back to other mid-century trends. Upholstered in orange vintage-style tweed, it costs $240.

It is available to buy online from Urban Outfitters in the USA, sadly only to customers over there.

Categories / Design and Interiors

Simon Pengelly Wrap chair for Bond villains

Modus_bond

A criminal genius needs a chair to match his (or her) ego – and none come much bigger than the Wrap chair from Simon Pengelly.

Perfect for the budding Bond Villain, this retro-styled easy chair has a high back, wraparound arms and a cast aluminium base for the trademark Bond villain swivel. Comfortable too, with polyurethane foam support and optional headrest.

Take your pick from a selection of upholstered finishes, all priced around the £1,000 mark.

Find out more at the Modus website

Categories / Design and Interiors

Field Notes – 40s-style memo book

Field_notes

Everyone needs a pocket-sized notebook for jotting down those moments of inspiration – and none are more eye-catching than the Field Notes memo book.

If you’re after that wartime vibe, this has it by the bucket load, as well as offering 48 pages of graph paper and room for your personal essentials. Oh yes – and you don’t just get one, there are three books per pack.

And each pack sells for £7.95.

Find out more at the Design Museum website

Categories / Design and Interiors

Ikea Frosta stool – Alvar Aalto Stool 60 lookalike for under £10

Frosta

Does the above look familiar? Yes, it does indeed look like the iconic Alvar Aalto Stool 60, featured on this site way back in 2006. But it isn’t – this is the Ikea Frosta Stool.

The difference? Well, a good £90 for a start, but there are other subtle differences too, with the Ikea stool (designed by Gillis Lundgren) standing a little bit taller than the 1933 modernist classic and with a finish that’s no match for the original.

But both stacking stools are made of birch and both are almost identical to the untrained eye. Which makes the £7.99 price tag for the Ikea Frosta possibly the deal of the year.

Find out more at the Ikea website

Categories / Gadgets and Tech

Swiss Desk Station Model M29 Telephone

1220

The phone everyone is talking about this month is undoubtedly the Colombo phone, but if you don’t manage to get hold of one then perhaps you can be consoled with this Swiss Desk Station Model M29 Telephone.

It is a reconditioned phone based on a vintages Bundespost design.  It is available in a sleek black finish and has a distinctive high cradle that gives it an elegant look.

It costs rather more than the Colombo phone, priced at £215 from Design Shop UK.