Objects
Single things worth thinking about — lighting, furniture, ceramics — and what your money actually buys at each level.
Decide · £8–£150+
Handmade ceramics: makers worth knowing at every price
'Handmade' is on every plate. We name what actually changes from £8 to £80, and the ceramic and stoneware makers worth knowing at each price.
Understand
What modernism took from Africa, and what Africa did with modernism: the long history behind 'Afrohemian'
From the Trocadéro to Ghana's independence to a 2026 Pinterest trend. The story of African form in modern design, and the names left off it.
Decide · £11–£50
The best design books of the last decade: which to read, which to display
The design books of the last decade worth reading, not just displaying — architecture, interiors and material culture, reviewed honestly.
See · £2,200 original · £180 alternative
Object study: the Arco lamp, fifty years on
Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni solved a specific problem in 1962 — and produced a lamp that still costs more than most people's first car. Whether that matters is the interesting question.
Decide · £119–£4,425
Eames DSW: Vitra original, licensed replica, or inspired alternative
The Eames plastic side chair was built to be cheap. So why does the licensed version cost £450 — and is a replica a betrayal of the design or its truest expression?
Decide · £59–£400
The best floor lamps under £400: ten options that earn their place
Most floor lamps are filler. Good ones do something specific: anchor a corner, layer warmth over a ceiling light, or quietly invoke a design tradition without requiring a second mortgage. Ten options, honestly tiered.