Yes, you can pick up a cheap cushion just about anywhere, but if you want something with impact (and a price tag to match), check out this Battersea Power Station suede cushion by Snowden Flood.

They’re pitched as art as opposed to everyday items, with the idea that they’re "modern heirlooms" that should retain their value in years to come. Crafted from soft leather and suede, the design is laser cut and then bonded by hand to the backing. And if you’re looking for iconic design, Battersea Power Station is certainly that.

Sold with a feather pad and made to order, they retail for £164.95.

Find out more at the Hidden Art Shop

More retro design

I can’t say I ever used to visit Marks and Spencer – years of playing it safe led to a dull and lifeless range of clothes and home design. But things seems to have changed over the past 18 months – the clothing is worth a look and their homeware in particular has come on considerably.

A recent example is this Deco Glass Mirror. If you’re going for an Art Deco period vibe in your home, this mirror is ideal for hanging over the fireplace – and if you mix it with some original pieces, no-one will know it’s off the high street.

Sized a 47cm x 34.5cm, you can pick one up for £39.50.

Find out more at the Marks and Spencer website

More retro design

As I’m sure most readers already know, there’s a lot more to Manchester than the Arndale Centre. If you’ve been to the city in the last few months, and were near the Art Gallery, you might have noticed the image of a neatly dressed urbane European man, 3 button suited and his pipe at a jokey angle, friendly grin on his face, reclining on a plastic bodied, oval-padded throne. It’s not an image that tends to fit into the same compartment in your mind as ‘Art Gallery’, but if you passed it by, you missed one of the year’s top exhibitions! 

This weekend, me and my other half decided to combine a visit to the city with a great night at the famous Hideaway Club, and an afternoon taking in a little design culture at the Joe Colombo exhibition. So it was a short hop on the train to Manchester Piccadilly, Friday evening relaxing over an Italian meal and some ruinously priced cocktails at our hotel, and (somehow) we managed to surface in time for the 10 o’clock opening of the exhibition the next day.

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