retro-the-best....: Latest articles from Retro To Go

Friday, June 3, 2011

Latest articles from Retro To Go

Reclaimed Tap Light
The Modernist Magazine launching this month
Naomi Murrell Citroen Brooch
Koziol Babell cake stand
eBay watch: Original 1930s art deco three-piece suite
Set Sail Playsuit
Officially-licensed full-size replica Dalek at Firebox
Herb Lester vintage-style Paris Map by Lord Dunsby
James wallpaper by Sandberg
Eames House of Cards mugs

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 09:07 AM PDT

As we urged to consider how much we throw away and waste, we are seeing more and more of these products that find new uses old things.

This Reclaimed Tap Light is the latest and probably one of the more unusual. Industrial piping has been refashioned (or up-cycled as it is often called!) to create a desk lamp that is a bit different without looking too much like a novelty item.

It costs £115 from Graham and Green.

The Modernist Magazine launching this month

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 09:05 AM PDT

If you have a passion for midcentury and modernist architecture and design, you might want to subscribe to the forthcoming Modernist Magazine, although the content is very much focused on the north of England.

The magazine is the work of the Manchester Modernist Society, which organises events around the north of England, focusing on its 20th century art, design and architecture. The magazine follows a similar path, with general articles covering Oscar Niemeyer's Brazil, Esperanto, logos past and original mods, to more specific regional pieces on Liverpool, Manchester and Blackburn's heritage, to name just a few things.

With a foreword by Jonathan Meades, the magazine launches in late June with a launch party in Manchester. But you can pre-order or subscribe now at the website.

The Modernist Magazine website

Via Modculture

Naomi Murrell Citroen Brooch

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 08:49 AM PDT

This Citroen Brooch is by the Australian designer Naomi Murrell, whose wooden birds we featured last month.

The brooch is in the shape of a vintage Citroen car, cut from rock maple wood with a brass clasp on the back. It would look cute pinned to the lapel of a retro-style jacket. It costs Australian $29 (around £19) plus an extra $9.90 for international shipping (free if you are in Australia).

Buy it online from Naomi Murrell's Big Cartel store.

Koziol Babell cake stand

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 07:31 AM PDT

Forget 1950s cake style with this Koziol Babell three-tier cake stand.

Making cake and displaying it doesn't have to be about the post-war years and this cake stand shows how 1980s fluorescent bright lights can be combined with the art of cake making (and eating). If you're not much into cake, use the stand to display your ornaments or pretty trinkets.

This funky stand is available from Heal's for £21.00.

eBay watch: Original 1930s art deco three-piece suite

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 07:26 AM PDT

Yes, we know you can pick up reproductions and replicas. Indeed, we've featured one or two on the site in the past. But for authenticity, this original 1930s art deco three-piece suite fits the bill.

For your money, you get a two-seater sofa and two 'club' armchairs. They have been re-upholstered in the 1960s in a tan leatherette with stud detailing, but apparently, the material used was the same as was used on Concorde. Another talking point thrown in for free! Love those curves though, screaming the era.

Condition is described as 'very good', with the odd scuff and one small tear to the back or the sofa. The frame is 'very solid'. Of course, you have the option of getting it re-covered. The price right now is £250. Lots more detailed images on the seller's page.

Find out more at the eBay website

Set Sail Playsuit

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 07:15 AM PDT

This set sail playsuit is the ultimate swim suit for those wanting to embrace the fashion from days gone by.

The lovely velvety material is slightly different to your normal lycra swimming gear, but stick with it and you'll have a uniquely beautiful outfit to wear on the beach. It's ideal for lounging around in and if you're feeling brave you could always don this outfit on a night out matched with high waisted shorts. It features navy blue velvet with a bright red anchor stitched onto the chest and white rope lining along the neckline and straps.

Because of the material this swimsuit is best reserved for outside of the pool. It costs $60 (£38) and you can buy yours online from Etsy.

Officially-licensed full-size replica Dalek at Firebox

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 04:44 AM PDT

The perfect addition to any Doctor Who obsessive's home - this officially-licensed full-size replica Dalek, which you can order at Firebox.

Not just some knocked-up thing out of cardboard, this icon of 1960s sci-fi (and beyond) is made to order, using the original moulds and specifications from the BBC Props Department, the finished product standing at an imposing 5'3" tall. You can even choose your favourite colour - another of the colour options is pictured over the page.

The arms are mounted on ball joints, allowing them to be moved, while the plunger arm can be extended in and out and the dome can be rotated 360°. It's also on casters, so you can mocha it around the house. Sadly, you can't ride in it, nor does it speak. So not perfect.

But if you have £3,000 to spare, this is certainly going to be a talking point for many years to come. Shame there isn't a matching Davros though.

Find out more at the Firebox website

Herb Lester vintage-style Paris Map by Lord Dunsby

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 04:23 AM PDT

We have featured the vintage-syle Herb Lester city maps in the past, but we think It's Nice To Be Alone In Paris is the best one yet.

For a start, it's by one of our favourite illustrators, Lord Dunsby and also, because it's about Paris, one of our favourite city to spends days wandering around. This map flags up some pretty leftfield things to do as well, 32 in total, including a taxidermist extraordinaire, mint tea at the Grand Mosque, found photographs at Images & Portraits, along with places to eat, swim, drink, buy vintage 'gentlemen's imagery' and enjoy a solitary ice cream. In short, something for everyone.

It's an A3 (297x420mm) map, folded to A6 (105x148mm) and litho printed on recycled paper. As ever, ridiculously cheap at just £3.

Find out more at the Herb Lester website

James wallpaper by Sandberg

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 03:04 AM PDT

This James wallpaper is another treat from Sandberg whose Lilly design we showed you last week. While that was aimed for a kid's bedroom, this is a design that will appeal to well-travelled adults.

The paper is covered with a depiction of old-fashioned travel labels from around the world. The fact that Sandberg are Swedish influences the selection slightly but look closely and you'll see stamps from Vienna, New York and Holland too, to name but a few.

The paper is available in a variety of colourways - I think this yellow/gray combination works well with the nostalgic feel of the image.

The paper costs £50 a roll.

Buy it from Wallpapers Direct

Eames House of Cards mugs

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 02:49 AM PDT

Though you won't perhaps get the reference at first glance, this new range of mugs uses images from Ray and Charles Eames's House of Cards.

The House of Cards was devised by the couple in 1952 and involves a series of cards that slot together. The images on the cards were taken from their own collections and were intended to be a nostalgic look at the everyday. It's those photographs which have been used to decorate this collection of mugs which are colourful and eye-catching in their own right.

The mug above shows a selection of pills while other designs feature things like cotton reels and crayons. The images were all intended to look good together, so buy a selection and your kitchen shelf will reap the rewards.

The mugs cost £14.10 each.

See the range at Made in Design