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Design Classics #7: The Panton S Chair

17th February 2012

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The first cantilevered chair made from a single piece of plastic, the Panton Stacking or S is also perhaps the sexiest chair ever made. It has appeared on the cover of Vogue (well Kate Moss was in the picture too. Well all right she was naked) but it was also in a feature in the

Design Classics #5: The Duvet

6th February 2012

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It was the 1950s, or thereabouts. Sir Terence Conran was in Sweden. With a girl. And Our Tel found himself lying under a strange cover that was a bit like an eiderdown but with no sheets or blankets between him and it. He inquired casually what it was and was informed that it was a

Design Classics #4: The Juicy Salif Lemon Squeezer

6th February 2012

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Philippe Starck was having lunch on the Amalfi coast. As he ordered a plate of calamari he was pondering his latest commission from the Italian design house Alessi. The company, responsible for so many iconic designs over the years, had requested a tray and Starck needed to work out how to bring his unique talents

Design Classics #3: The Barcelona

6th February 2012

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Such is the iconic status of the Barcelona chair that it has its own page in the Barcelona Yellow Pages. Not only that but it is one of the oldest modern classics still around. It was designed in 1929 for the Spanish Royal Family by the German designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Along

Design Classics #2: The Cafetiere

6th February 2012

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It seems hard to remember a time when the cafetiere was an object of luxury. For Britons, used to a mug of instant coffee, the glass pot and its plunger which most of us only saw in cafes with pretensions to grandeur, was not an object that we would assume to own at home. But

Design Classics #1: The Lava Lamp

6th February 2012

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Who hasn't stared fascinated at its gently blobulous movements up and down the glass. At the waxing and waning of the shapes as they rise until it seems they must burst before floating gently back down again. Ah, the lava lamp - adored by students, small children and nostalgia lovers everywhere. Symbolic of the

THREE DESIGN STORIES FROM NORWAY

14th June 2023

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stacking chairs by eikund

I was recently invited to Oslo for a 24 hour press trip to learn more about three Norwegian businesses. It was my first time in Norway but the last of the Nordic countries I had yet to visit. We didn’t get to see the fjords as they are all on the western side of the

Design Classic versus Trend: The Original Beverley Hills Hotel Wallpaper

13th June 2018

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Beverley Hills Hotel wallpaper ©madaboutthehouse.com

Beverley Hills Hotel red carpet ©madaboutthehouse.com Now I know some of you may feel that the tropical trend has gone on long enough and I might agree with you when it comes to pineapples and flamingoes but then there are the classics. And this is one of them. THE one perhaps. I wanted to write

100 Design Icons from Heals

27th July 2017

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Earlier this year the British furniture store Heals arranged a survey of 2000 people asking them to name their favourite design icons from the last 100 years. Icon is an over-used word and one I try to avoid if possible but Heals, which has always championed British design, sells a huge range of instantly recognisable

Objects of Design: & Tradition

9th December 2014

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A couple of weeks ago I showed you the rather fabulous offices of Danish company Butchers & Bicycles with its monochrome colour scheme and gorgeous furniture, much of which came from another cool Danish firm called &Tradition. Well, today I thought it was time to have a closer look at them. Founded in 2010 by Martin Kornbek

Objects of Design #262: New Launch Humblesticks

18th November 2013

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upcycled table lamp glass base

Another week, another exciting discovery for you. This time it's the new venture of Richard Holman and Katy Shooter, otherwise known as Humblesticks. sketch table lamp made from Kate's favourite gin bottle £90 Their email dropped into my inbox the other day, one of many as you can imagine. But this one really caught my

Objects of Design #239: Large Bow Lamp

26th October 2013

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large bow lamp from made.com

large bow lamp from made.com I have resisted these elegant floor lamps for a long time, mainly because I will never be able to afford the original design classic by Castiglioni and decided, in a slightly foot-stamping, arm-folding, huffing way, that if I can't have that one I don't want any of them. But I've

Objects of Design #209: Lucky Boy Sunday Cushions

26th September 2013

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secret man cushion by lucky boy sunday Isn't this cushion great? It's called the Secret Man and it's by a Danish company called Lucky Boy Sunday. The company's designers, who are both called Camilla (Kerschen and Ebdrup since you ask) make knitted toys and soft furnishings inspired by, but not reserved exclusively for, the

Objects of Design #207: Colour Me In Wallpaper

24th September 2013

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In Town wallpaper by mini moderns Today I wanted to bring you some fabulous wallpaper ideas. Both, with their strong graphic designs, would be perfect in any room of the house, both would also work well in children's rooms as they have a slight, shall we say, interactive element to them. mini moderns do you

Objects of Design #206: Design Letters by Arne Jacobsen

23rd September 2013

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design letters cups These gorgeous alphabet cups are part of a collection of crockery and melamine with letters designed by the famous Danish architect Arne Jacobsen. The architect, perhaps better known for his Swan and Egg chairs, as well as many other design classics, came up with the font in 1937 and the Danish company

Objects Of Design #353: Marimekko Kippis Mug

16th February 2013

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Marimekko Kippis mug Kippis means Cheers in Finnish and what better way to greet a cold winter day than with a really good mug. Perfect for morning coffee, afternoon tea or anytime hot chocolate, I rather like the fact that it's a mug with a picture of a wine glass. I am also, as you

Mad About … Danish Interior Design

19th November 2012

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It's finally back. Series III of The Killing returned to our screens at the weekend and whether you're a fan of the gritty Danish drama or not, it feels like a perfect excuse to have another look at some fabulous Danish design. Sarah Lund inside the police headquarters in series II Once again, the interiors

Objects Of Design #142: Mariskooli Bowls

20th July 2012

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I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream Another design classic , these bowls were first designed by Maija Isola for the Finnish company Marimekko in 1960. She found something similar in a flea market and was inspired to make these bowls, which, even if you don't recognise the name, you will almost certainly

Objects Of Design #141: School Tumbler

19th July 2012

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Remember these from school days? Hands up who remembers these? If you didn't have these rounded ones you probably had the other version which has been shamelessly knocked off by almost every other manufacturer you can imagine so that they now come in different colours and sizes. But these are the purest version and a

Mad About . . . British Design

4th June 2012

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All this week Mad About The House is celebrating the Best of British Design. There is so much to choose from that this post could go on for ever, but here is a little highlight for you. Do add your own suggestions below. LEE BROOM Crystal Bulb Broom launched his first solo show at Milan