« September 2008 | Main | November 2008 »
The Foscarini Orbital lamp certainly isn't the shy and retiring type.
Designed by Ferruccio Laviani, it's a strange beast, offering the functionality of a standard floor lamp, but with the added bonus of being a pop art-style installation, with red, green, yellow, blue and white blobs positioned up the stem, each one lit up by a 40w bulb.
You'll be the only one on the street with one of these, that's for sure. And it retails for £637.
If you're reading this on a laptop held together by sellotape (not unlike the one I'm using to write it), you might be interested to know that Apple has unveiled its new range of MacBooks.
So what's new? Well, on the face of it, not a lot. But as ever, it's all in the detail. Both the new MacBook and MacBook Pro offers up a case made from a single piece of aluminium, an all-new glass trackpad (no more mouse buttons - just flick your finger to control) and next-generation Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics processors (with the option to upgrade further on the MacBook Pro). They're slimmer too - just 0.95 inches thick.
So is Apple also making a concession for the recession-riddled world in which we now live? Not a hope - the minimum you'll pay for new MacBook is £949, while the starting price for the MacBook Pro is £1,399. Boost your spec and you'll be adding much more too. Still - what price style?
If you're looking for something that fits the phrase 'stylish simplicity', look no further than the Naughtone Silhouette two-seater sofa.
Understated as well as being eye-catching, the Silhouette has a solid beech inner frame, rounded aluminium legs and upholstery in a choice of fabric and leather. And if you're loving the look, you can also get a similarly-styled three-seater and armchair.
Handmade in Britain, the two-seater is priced from £1,307.
When you hear the name Eero Aarnio, you tend to think of weird and wonderful space age designs. Well, these Rocket and Baby Rocket stools are space age, but in a slightly different way.
Yes, as the name suggests, the space element is the old school 'rocket' shape, the nose holding a round seat in place at two different heights - 73cm for the standard, 52cm for the 'Baby'.
Both are made from oak and offered with a soaped or black or white painted finish, priced at £136 or £165.
TwentyTwentyOne website
Sky has unveiled its new range of Sky+ HD Designer Boxes, hoping to tempt the art fans amongst us into a subscription.
The new range features the work of designer Henry Holland, fashion duo PPQ, hip fashionista Erdem and avant-garde fashion illustrator Julie Verhoeven. Which is all well and good - but when they're hidden under your TV, will anyone actually see them?
If you want to take that risk, you can order your favourite from 15th October, priced from £75 to £150, as long as you sign up for a subscription from £27 per month.
