Yes, you read it right – this is a seat from the 1940s, specifically the Carlo Mollino Ardea armchair.
Mollino came up with this design back in 1944, but to be honest it looks a good 20 years later – almost space age. A twist on the wing chair, the Ardea offers up a black painted wood frame, polyurethane foam seating and a removable cover in your choice of cloth. Not to mention some serious designer cool.
If you want one, expect to pay just over £2,000 for this Zanotta reissue.
The Zanotta Club Armchair is another recent design that owes a lot to retro styles.
The chair is has a visible internal structure, painted brown and reminds me of basket furniture popular in the Seventies. It has been designed for use indoors or outdoors, although given the price, it isn’t something I’d been leaving outside at the mercy of the elements. I’d want it in full use in my lounge.
Available to buy from Nest, the armchair costs £1,813. If you really like the design and have nearly £3,500 to spare, there is also a sofa version.
The riviera style glamour of the 1970s has been much maligned in the years hence, but it wasn't all Margo from The Good Life (though that's no bad thing either). Design classics with a splash of colour were a great part of the big design houses' output, and it still influences today.
This Tory Burch Alize Mini bag has classic lines in block coloured leather. It very much looks like a timeless accessory given some flair via the colour palette, which is no bad thing. With an understated branding, it's chic and not over the top, while the chain link strap gives a little bit of glitz and glamour.
It's available online from Net-a-Porter for £276.
Although digital photography now reigns supreme, most people still have some proper printed photographs lying around at home. Give them a proper home in this LP Photo Album.
A record has been cut into a square shape, making it unplayable but an attractive cover for the photograph album.
The photo album costs £35 and is available online from Urban Outfitters.
Shirt style dresses might seem a relatively modern invention, since they're constantly revamped by design houses and high street alike. The truth is, they've been around for longer than most of us, and are a great way to get some 1930s style, when they're done just right.
This French Connection Deco dress is a great example of how to get the pre-war version just right. Combining the masculine collar and sleeves with an ultra feminine skirt and print make this ideal. Fitting perfectly with the beginnings of androgyny in womens fashion at the time, this treads the line well. The muted, elegant colours of the dress make it look classically retro too.
It's available from French Connection UK for £75.
Bush is still making audio products, but none quite as interesting as this wall-mountable clock radio.
We don't need to tell you that this has been dragged kicking and screaming from the 1970s, that orange moulded casing says it all really. But that's not the star here – I love that large clock on the top, the still usable (just) radio and above all, the option to wall mount the thing. Shame it's not got mains power as well as battery, but you can't have everything.
If you want it, H is for Home is selling it, priced at £70.
