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Objects Of Design #339: Picture Frame Pillowcase

2nd February 2013

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cotton pillowcase made Portugal I don't normally hold with comedy bed linen. All that Mr and Mrs stuff is a bit of a cliche now but I do like this. It's slightly more subtle than the usual nudge nudge wink wink line and, frankly, I rather like the idea that I can be a beautifully

Objects Of Design #338: Flannel Bedding

1st February 2013

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Cosy nights: flannel bedding There was a bit of a twitterstorm a couple of weeks ago when it first emerged that flannel bedding has made a comeback. A press release from Debenhams said that sales of the traditional sheets, probably last popular in WWII, are soaring. They put it down to the rising cost of

Objects Of Design #334: Conran Irvin Storage Mirror

28th January 2013

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Conran Irvin Storage Mirror for M&S: why did no-one think of this before? This is one of those objects that seems so obvious it's a wonder that no-one has thought of it before. Or, if they have as I'm sure you will point out to me below, why don't we all have one? I know

Objects Of Design #333: Drawer Store

27th January 2013

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drawer store by Joseph Joseph There's no doubt that one of these is a very useful object, even a necessity for a cutlery drawer, but have you thought of buying a second one for that drawer of tat? I know you've got one. Everyone has. That drawer, perhaps in the kitchen table, or the second

Objects Of Design #332: Laundry Bag

26th January 2013

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see through laundry bag It looks like a brown paper bag but it's actually made from recycled water resistant plastic. It's a clever idea for a laundry bag as it enables you to see at a glance whether you've got enough for a full white wash or if the darker colours are winning out. But,

Objects Of Design #331: Keep Kitchen Storage Jars

25th January 2013

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Keep everything tidy with these storage jars I have always preferred to keep everything in glass storage jars so you can see the contents. And then I found these. I just love them. Monochrome, with wooden lids, is a combination I love and the retro pattern is so pretty. There are lots of different sizes

Objects Of Design #329: Vintage Metal Trolley

23rd January 2013

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vintage metal trolley from cox and cox I do love a trolley. It must be the hostess in me (apologies to all young readers who are now having to Google hostess trolley - we can wait for you to catch up ... ok? Done now? Although goodness me, I've just Googled it myself and it

Objects Of Design #328: Giant Noticeboard

22nd January 2013

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a giant noticeboard will help with clutter: image from claremontroad.blogspot.com Every office needs a noticeboard. As do most kitchens. And they're pretty useful in kids' rooms too. Now obviously, most noticeboards don't look all neat and tidy like this one, well not if they're doing their job properly anyway. If your desk is full of

Objects Of Design #26: To Dry For Tea Towel

26th March 2012

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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Every kitchen needs a tea towel. Even if you reckon you're a dab hand at cramming everything into the dishwasher. Or even prefer to leave it all to drain. Sooner or later you will need to grab something to wipe your hands on. This site, run by husband and

Objects Of Design #21: Microplane Rotary Grater

21st March 2012

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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series So you've probably already got a flat rasp or a grater, but this is for those days when you simply must have cheese on toast. And then everyone else wants some too. Or when you're making cakes or brownies and you need to grind up the chocolate and nuts

365 Objects Of Design #20: Joseph Joseph Lemon Reamer

20th March 2012

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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Back to those Joseph twins again. I've tried various lemon squeezers over the years and this really beats them all. The central squeezer is efficient -as are many others of this type, it has to be said - but this has the edge with pip catcher, which allows the

365 Objects Of Design #14: Wooden Chopping Boards

14th March 2012

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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Aah, chopping boards, they really can be a thing of beauty. These are very pretty. Now, these days everyone's banging on about plastic for boards and different colours for different foods etc. Now, while I wouldn't use the same board for chicken as I do for veg, let's just

365 Objects Of Design #10: Electric Hand Mixer

10th March 2012

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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series A little hand mixer is just such a useful thing to have in the kitchen and this, from Bodum's Bistro collection is an attractive little thing with five different speeds. Will tackle everything from whipping cream to kneading dough. I know this is essential because I once hosted a

365 Objects Of Design #7: Oxo Good Grips® Angled Measuring Jug

7th March 2012

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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Sometimes things are so-called good design because they are simply beautiful. Sometimes, it is because they are simply so practical that nothing else will do. This is one of those items. Every cook needs a measuring jug. Well maybe Jamie Oliver can do it all by eye these days

365 Objects Of Design #5: Kyocera Ceramic Knife

5th March 2012

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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series The first time I used a ceramic knife I was terrified of losing a finger. Or three. But it doesn't take long to get used to. They're incredibly light, incredibly sharp and, crucially, they don't blunt. They're made from Zirconium Oxide (the next hardest thing to diamond). Recently, at

365 Objects Of Design #4: VKB Garlic Crusher

4th March 2012

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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series So many garlic crushers can be fiddly to load and even worse to clean. This is the opposite. Bash the clove with the flat side then roll over it with the grooves until it reaches the desired level of, shall we say, "crushedness". Then the next really clever bit

365 Objects Of Design #3: Joseph Joseph Elevate Jar Spoon

3rd March 2012

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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series Twin brothers Richard and Anthony Joseph make some of the best designed and most useful kitchen products around. Their Chop to Pot is already in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and their lemon grater with pip catcher is a daily joy in my kitchen. But if

365 Objects Of Design #2: Cuisinart Mini Processor +

2nd March 2012

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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series The thing about kitchen appliances is that the amount they are actually used is directly related to the amount of time they spend in the cupboard. Which means you need to find space for them on the worktop or you might as well leave them in the shop. This

365 Objects Of Design #1: The Cuisipro Grater

1st March 2012

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Part of the Kitchen Essentials Series These graters, or to be more accurate, rasps as they are long and thin, are incredibly easy to use. You may not think that grating cheese is what counts as hard work but if you've ever had to make large quanities of lasagne you'll know where I'm coming from.