Categories / Design and Interiors

Santa & Cole 1950s Cadaques armchair

Santa

It might look like a space age design, but the Santa & Cole Cadaques armchair actually dates from around 10 years earlier.

1959 was the year of its introduction, the work of Federico Correa, Alfonzo Mila and Miguel Mila, the Cadaques (and matching sofa) was designed for lounging – specifically in the seaside town of Cadaques (hence the name).

It’s sat on walnut-coloured beech legs, with simple (and easy to maintain) hand-swen upholstery keeping you supported. Looks good and feels good – what more could you want? Well, maybe a drop in the price – currently retailing for £2,350.

Find out more at the Nest website

Categories / Gadgets and Tech

Pure’s retro-styled Evoke Mio DAB/FM radio

Evoke_mio

It’s always good to see a bit of leather on a radio – and Pure doesn’t disappoint with the Pure Evoke Mio.

Not just leather, there’s even a bit of suede (effect) thrown in too, with a colourful finish only adding to the overall retro effect. As a radio, it’s not bad either – DAB and FM reception, an OLED display for your info, 30 presets, an alarm, timer, connectivity for your iPod and a whopping 24 hours of battery life per charge.

Available before Christmas, it sells for £149.99.

Find out more at the Pure website

Categories / Cars and Bikes, Film and TV

James Bond’s Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me up for auction

Esprit

It’s one of the most famous screen cars of all time – and James Bond’s Lotus Esprit could be yours.

The car stole the show in the 1977 flick The Spy Who Loved Me, not only for its ability to speed around the Italian scenery, but for its ability to dive underwater and fire missiles. Sadly, you can’t do either of the last two (it was all special effects), but if you want to whizz about the country in a Roger Moore slacks and blazer outfit, this is the car for you.

The car itself was stripped of its movie extras (like the missile button and periscope screen), but was later painstakingly restored at great cost to the movie spec, all those buttons and gadgets going back where they belong. Check out the gallery for loads of images, then speak to your bank manager – it’s expected to sell for between £100,000 and £120,000 at the Olympia, London on 1st December 2008.

Find out more at the Bonhams auction website

Categories / Design and Interiors

Vico Magistretti Eclisse 1960s table lamp

Eclisse

I’ve just realised that we have never featured the Vico Magistretti Eclisse 1960s table lamp on the site – despite one being sat on my bedside table for many years.

Designed by Vico Magistretti for Artemide back in 1967, the lamp offers up an understated charm and variable amounts of light, courtesy of that sliding shade, exposing as much brightness as you require.

The casing is powder-coated metal, with a choice of white, orange and silver for the finish. Yours for £76.

Find out more at the SCP website

Categories / Women's Fashion

Diane von Furstenberg Olivier dress

Dvf_olivier

Diane von Furstenberg is best known in fashion’s annals of history as the inventor of the wrap dress. The world of women went crazy for the design then, and they’re still doing so now. Of course, none do it better than the inventor herself, and she’s reinvented it once more this season with this Olivier dress.

The deco print on this dress echoes that of an original wrap dress worn by Cybil Shepherd in the 1970s. They’ve updated the style with the addition of lace, which makes the dress more of an evening choice rather than the usual casual wrap style.

It’s available from Matches Fashion now for £331.

Find out more from the website

Categories / Books

Book Review: Sleeveface by Carl Morris & John Rostron

Sleeveface_book_2If you’ve never heard of the phenomenon of Sleeveface, you’re one of very few it seems. From its beginnings as a game among vinyl lovers across the web, this frankly brilliant idea has now been very deservedly turned into a book.

With the apt tagline "Be The Vinyl", this compendium of the best Sleeveface photographs, taken by vinyl junkies across the globe, is a great talking piece for any Christmas coffee table.

Lovingly compiled by the hands of the inventors, who dreamed up the idea while larking about during a DJ set, this is a book that is either high art, something ingenious, great fun, or all of the above at once.

It’s available from Artisan Books from the 1st of December for £8.99. No vinyl worshipper’s coffee table should be without.

For a glimpse of the mastery at work, check out the original website.