Object of the day: self-loathing ceramics

Had enough of schmaltzy, smug personalised homewares? So has Keaton Henson, whose refreshingly honest debut range of ceramics you can see here.



Above: in case you can't read the text, it says: "This cup is on the theme of self-loathing"

Henson, however, is the kind of 26-year-old over-achiever it'd be easy to hate, imagining him to harbour some of his own smugness. The youthful musician and

Simple pleasures

I wrote, a few weeks ago, about how I'd decided to start collecting the dubiously 70s brown range of Hornsey Pottery. 

Having inherited one piece – the biscuit jar among this bundle of treasures – I came around to the idea slowly, but was totally sold after visiting a park cafe filled with the stuff. It just made the place seem so homely and nice, and it went well with the many Ercol chairs in

Object of the day: hexagon brass bottle openers

On one hand, £27.50 is a lot to pay for a bottle opener.

On the other hand, when it looks like this...



...it doubles as a miniature sculptural work of art. This isn't a bottle opener, it's a beautiful object to add class to coffee tables, pzazz to show-off shelves and a general air of design-savvy smugness to its owner. AND it opens bottles.

Seems almost a bargain now, don't you think? I

Object of the day... Louise Wilkinson plates

These plates are just two from a small collection by designer, Louise Wilkinson. 

I'd like them all, but these – marginally – are my two favourites.



Nice aren't they? In dinner plate size they cost £19.50 each. Below are a couple of the sweet side plates, priced at £14.50.



Louise launched her range at Liberty in 2012 and will be exhibiting at Tent London later this year. See more and buy

Object of the day: Hundreds & Thousands tray by Jonna Saarinen

These colourful laminated birchwood trays by Finnish designer, Jonna Saarinen, are like useful little pieces of art.

I have previously mentioned my tray shelves. They are waiting to be filled. One or two of these mini ones could boost the fledgling collection...



Aren't they cheery?






After spying these trays, I checked out Jonna's website to see what other nice stuff she'd designed. But

Shopping: Branksome china

We've had a beautiful, teak glass-fronted display cabinet up on the kitchen wall since before Christmas. We still can't decide what to put into it.

All the stuff that actually needs to go in it for storage, doesn't add up to much of a display (as you can see here). So the pondering continues for now. It needs to combine practicality with beauty. Like this...





I love this bit of styling from

On the 11th* day of Christmas... old-school tea-towels

Have you ever not loved getting a tea-towel as a present? I like a gift that you can use every day – and I know that each time I use one of my own tea-towels, given as a gift, I also think of the person who gave it to me. Which is nice.

Tea-towels are also an excellently easy way to revamp a kitchen: instant (and practical) art. Who will you give yours to – and will it be one of these heavily

On the ninth* day of Christmas... Ikea butcher's block

I featured the new and stylish Ikea Trendig range when it came out a couple of months ago. 

And one of the standouts for me (among some really great bowls and unusual tea-towels) was this chunky bamboo chopping board. A good unisex present for anyone who enjoys their time in the kitchen.



Trendig butcher's block, £16, Ikea

Bamboo is hardwearing, so it should last the distance too – which is

On the seventh* (blogging) day of Christmas... Vanja Bazdulj cups

This weekend in south London the HQ of Cavaliero Finn, dealers in well-curated yet affordable art and art-driven homewares, threw open their doors to host a festive open house/festive shop. 

I was gutted not to be able to make it, but was out of town at two massive car boot sales out of town (more of which to come) and didn't get back in time, alas. Next best thing, I thought, would be to pick

On the second day of Christmas... Folklore slate supper board

OK. So it's not the second day of Christmas, it's the third day of December. But it's the second item on my gift-idea-a-day bonanza that is running until the big day.

And today's affordable present idea is one for foodies, table-styling supremos or people who just like to eat things off something more interesting than a plate.



Someone in my family is very fond of eating his toast off a nice

Object of the day: Folklore's breakfast cups

£15 isn't cheap for a cup. Or is it? A favourite cup is a thing you will use every day – and it will make you happy each time you do. 

And with that in mind, fifteen quid is almost a bargain. Especially if you only buy two of them.



The Basic Red Breakfast Cup is from Folklore and they are handmade with grey clay from a Burgundy village with a reputation among generations of potters around the

Ikea's new Trendig range: how long before everyone has some?

When Ikea launches a new range, the cynics among us may wonder how long it'll take for the products within it to become ubiquitous* (like these) – to be the things that elicit an "ooh, Ikea? I've got one of those" from house visitors. 

Nothing wrong with that, mind. But it can really take the shine off your spangly new bit of Scandi design, can't it?



Ceramic tableware, from £2-£8

So some