Plenty of quirky cards available for this year’s festive season, but our favourites so far are these Shag-designed Christmas cards.
All are distinctively Shag in look, but with a traditional Christmas scene on each design – from the snowman through to the gathering round the Christmas tree…and monkeys.
All are sold in packs of five (of the same design) with envelopes, with each pack selling for £5.50.
Find out more at the Notorious Kitsch website
Ok, it’s not real gold, but if you want to bling up your iPhone on the cheap, the Yubz Talk offers all of that and the authenticity of a ‘real’ telephone.
Much like the Hulger handsets, the Yubz Talk offers your ears a break with a proper handset for calling in comfort, ideally for an iPhone, but thanks to a range of adapters, for just about all leading phones on the market. You can even use it for your PC for VoIP calling.
Other colours are available if gold is a bit bold, all available from November 28th for 40 Euros.
Find out more at the Yubz website (in French)
A chandelier doesn’t have to be a stuffy/fussy old thing, it can be as cool as the Gino Sarfatti 2097 mid-century chandelier from Flos – although you will need a decent-sized room to carry it off.
Designed by Sarfatti back in 1958, the 2097 is available in two sizes and two finishes – chrome or brass. A central steel structure offers up brass or chrome-plated arms, home to either 30 or 50 different bulbs. Those aren’t included, so you might want to budget for that too.
But if you can afford them (and the accompanying electric bill), the 2097 can be yours from £944.
Another inventive piece of Norwegian design, the Ekstrem Chair is a striking sculptural piece, but it is also functional.
It is produced by VARIÉR who specialise in furniture that is ergonomic without being dull and the Ekstrem is a perfect example of this. Despite its unconventional looks, it is comfortable to use and is actually for sale on a number of sites that specialise in furniture that is good for your back, as well as the usual design led sites.
It is available to buy from Back in Action for a reduced price of £695.
Lush Designs are design duo Marie Rodgers and Maria Livings. Their products are distinguished by a love of colourful and quirky prints and they produce a great line in lampshades.
The Mermaid Lampshade is a recent addition to the range and this print is very much in the style of Scandinavian folk art, featuring bizarre images of mermaids, storks and trees. It is available in a choice of colours (turquoise, orange, cream or grey) and three sizes, which can be changed to suit either a pendant or a lamp. Prices range from £24 to £48.
Visit the Lush Designs website to see the range.
Back in 1958, Arne Jacobsen drew admiring glances with his newly-introduced Swan Chair. And 50 years on, it’s still impressing – especially with the introduction of the 50th anniversary Arne Jacobsen Swan Chair.
There isn’t any difference in shape, it’s still the same old Swan from a distance, but the devil is in the detail. The new version is upholstered in swan-white semi-aniline leather with a pearl white base and sterling silver pendant, engraved with a unique number. And ias that suggests, this is a limited edition – 1,958, to coincide with the year of production.
Fritz Hansen claims the chair went on sale on November 1st, but we’ve checked the listed dealers (including Skandium, Utility Design and Aram) and so far we haven’t found one for sale – or indeed, found a selling price. If you want one, it might be worth ringing round, but make you check that bank balance first.
Find out more at the Fritz Hansen website
