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objects of design

City Coat Rack

Now these are fun. Coat racks in the shape of city skylines. There are around 40 to choose from, although before you get too excited, they're designed by Michael Rosing for German company Radius Design, so we're talking about 32 German cities and some others. But the others are a good selection of the big
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Copper and Brass From H&M

black walls and copper candlesticks
copper home accessories from H&M A/W 14 collections Sometimes you just see a collection of photographs and they're so gorgeous you have to share them. These are from the new collection at H&M Home which is either in store or coming very soon so I thought you might like to see them again. black walls and copper
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The Perfect Storage Desk

As much as I love the idea of a simple trestle table or industrial trolley for a desk, I also know that I'm an inveterate hoarder. A creator of piles. A stuffer of drawers. As often as I tell you that you can operate with nothing but a simple table - yes I do work
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Pastel Cushions from Holly’s House

The Mad House has been a fan of Holly's House for a while now. A home accessories store which offers an interior design service as well, it was founded by Holly Wick, a graduate of the KLC School of Design. Holly has been sourcing unusual products both vintage and contemporary for her store for a
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The New Craftsmen: Celebrating British Design

ceramic bowls from the new craftsmen
ceramic bowls from the new craftsmen by Sylvia K Aren't these just beautiful? They're by Sylvia K ceramics and you can buy them at The New Craftsmen, a recently opened store (both in real life and online) which hunts out some of the best British designers and makers from around the country and brings them
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Recycled Garden Furniture

white garden furniture from john lewis
white garden furniture from john lewis by qui est paul? There was a brief spell of sunny weather a couple of days ago. Did you see it? Did you sit in it more to the point. It seems to have gone again now but, in the hope that it will return I found this the
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Freestanding Kitchen Unit

freestanding kitchen cupboard from westelm
freestanding kitchen cupboard from westelm Now I'm not normally one for painted furniture and the retro look but I would totally make an exception for this. Along with wanting a black kitchen (something it turns out that many of you desire too) I would like to have only freestanding units. It's hideously impractical I know.
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Table To Go

Design Letters & Friends Table to Go It's no secret that I love a clever bit of multi-tasking and this powder-coated steel coffee table is just that. Designed by Christian Flindt for Design Letters & Friends, the pale grey table comes with a strong blue or dark grey folding handle. the table has a folding
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Save or Splurge Leather Armchair

Leather chair chrome arms Karl Chair from Oka Direct
For the third installment of Boom/Bust I wanted to look at leather chairs. I have wanted a battered leather armchair for years but there never seemed to be enough money floating around when I saw the chair and on the rare occasions I could have found the money, I couldn't find the chair. leather armchairs
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Bert Frank Brass lighting

As there is gentle talk of the recession being over and the housing market picks up again, many designers and makers have spoken to me about business returning at long last. But as one said to me last week, this time people want to spend their money on items that will last. There is a
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The Book Bath

kellybook bath from alternative bathrooms
The KellyBook bath from Alternative Bathrooms Oh look at this. And on a Saturday morning too. I don't know about you but despite the fact that there is a large and luxurious free-standing bath in my house I never ever take a bath. But I probably think about it quite often. A bath is, these
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Mad About… Indoor Hammocks

Last week I wrote about Outdoor Rooms and right on cue the heavens opened. This week I am going to beat the weather at its own game and bring the outdoors in. As I sit here typing looking at my very soggy hammock through the drizzle, I thought if only we had an indoor hammock...
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Habitat is 50: Competition to Win a Chair

habitat archive
habitat catalogue covers In May 1964, Habitat opened its doors for the first time. A press release was sent out saying that of the 2,000 items available in store there was one pervasive theme: good practical design. Elizabeth Good, a journalist on The Sunday Times, wrote of the new shop: "Don't make the mistake of
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Wood and Brass Stool

brass lights by workstead and stool by another country There were so many wonderful things to see at Clerkenwell that I can't possibly talk about them all, but in addition to the candy coloured salvaged lights I wrote about the other day, another of my highlights was the stand at Another Country. They make my
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Brass Wall Planters

brass wall planters from rowen and wren
brass wall planters from rowen and wren Well it wouldn't be Mad About The House if there was a little weekly dose of brass and, as I did a talk at the May Design series at the weekend in which we spoke about which interiors trends are here to stay and which are fads, I
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Outdoor Rugs

outdoor patio image from lonny.com So outdoor rugs. I have just always loved them. I think it's the idea of having a proper outdoor sitting room - as in living in a climate that's so gorgeous all the time that you can afford to have proper comfortable furniture outside. Because it won't be constantly rained
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Buttoned Velvet Cushion

velvet cushion from cox and cox Finally, dare we to hope that summer is on its way? Apparently we can't officially call it summer yet as the bluebells are still out and they are the quintessential spring flower. But, technicalities aside, the sun is out, I can smell the neighbouring barbecues as I type and
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A Desk byAlex

A desk byAlex from occa-home
A desk byAlex Inspired by the clean straight lines of the modernist period, A Desk is the latest piece from the studio of Alex Swain, whose earlier creation, A Stool, has been featured on these pages before and hailed as a contemporary classic by The Guardian. tilting desk byAlex available from occa-home Both pieces owe
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Objects of Design #32: Du Verre Handles

Viva Italia Du Verre handles When it comes to the details, the subject of this month's Objects of Designs, you should never overlook the handles. A very wise man once told me (and sadly I am not wise enough to remember his name) that you can get away with lower quality on the larger items
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Objects of Design #30: Tock Wall Clock

Newgate Tock Clock There's your reminder. The clocks go back tonight, just in case you hadn't quite clicked. This very fine example is by Newgate and is called, not entirely unsurprisingly, Tock. I rather like it. It manages to be both retro and modern at the same time. Now there's no excuse for forgetting. Aram £57
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