Category: Food and Drink

Upmarket department store Liberty are now selling Piero Fornasetti’s collection of plates entitled ‘Tema e Variazioni’.

Roughly translating as Variations on a Theme, each piece of china is decorated with an image of a beautiful 19th century woman, Lina Cavalieri that he had once seen in a magazine. So haunted was Fornasetti by her image that he created over five hundred variations on her face. Some are more straightforward depictions, others individual features and some are very much in the Surrealist mould.

Each plate costs £85 from Liberty. Expensive but these plates weren’t really designed to eat your dinner off!

Further details can be found on the Liberty website.

Recently opened in the Parsons Green area of London, is a new bar-restaurant called The Establishment.

Whilst its food is described as “hearty British fare with a contemporary twist”, its décor is firmly rooted in the past, apparently taking its inspiration from classic British cop shows and 70s gangster films. What this translates to is a pretty stylish mixture of bold geometric print wallpaper by Wayne Hemmingway, Foscarini chandeliers and leather banquette seating that is supposed to be reminiscent of the seats in a Ford Cortina!

The Establishment also has its own dog (not sure about the hygiene issue here), a bull terrier called Buster whose portrait adorns the restaurant and the website.

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Fancy impressing your guests with a design classic on arrival? You can with the Alvar Aalto Savoy Vase ice cube maker.

Iittala produced this in 2006, in the run-up to the 70th anniversary of the Savoy Vase. Just add water to produce your very own miniatures – and earn extra style points at the dinner party.

Yours for $15.25 (around £8).

Find out more at the Make website