If you love pattern and colour, but are not yet aware of Laura Spring, you’re in for a treat: the Glasgow-based textile designer has a genius for joyful graphic prints. Her latest launches include this Lehariya flatweave rug, made by hand in India and named after a tie-dye technique from Jaipur in which the fabric is twisted before dying, producing zigzags. It’s available in three colours — red, yellow or blue — and two sizes, 120cm x 180cm and 160cm x 230cm. £295/£495; floorstory.co.uk
Brassica Mercantile has just launched these zingily coloured Poppyseed bowls, made from clay slip at Potter’s Workshop, a social enterprise in Cape Town. The South African studio teaches Xhosa men painting skills, and the bowls and platters they produce include these dotty patterns, reminiscent of African beadwork. Small bowls (13cm diameter), £26 each; brassicamercantile.co.uk
Launched last month on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, Grow! is an ingenious — and inexpensive — shelving system. Made from 100% recyclable materials, the lightweight modules can be assembled with no tools, and easily reconfigured. Clients for Movisi’s last modular shelving range, Build, included Google and Paul Smith. Available to order now, from £48 for four; grow.movisi.com
An environmentally aware designer of luxury furniture, Elise Som has launched the extraordinary QI table. Made from 95% recycled glass, from sources including mirrors and blue mineral-water bottles, the 35cm x 35cm x 45cm table has a built-in phone charger. It’s compatible with most devices, though, inevitably, you need extra kit for an iPhone. £1,692; elisesom.com
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News from the front line of design this week is that interior designers are soul-searching. The hot topic at the British Institute of Interior Design wasn’t how to create extra storage in your side return, or whether a bath in a bedroom can ever be OK, but how best to design for an ageing population. Life expectancy is on the rise, and everyone’s preferred option is to grow old in the home they love.
Of course, every client, young or old, comes with their own set of challenges, as Daniel Hopwood, giving a trend talk at Clerkenwell Design Week, explained. One of his latest projects is the home of a comedian whose best mate is the singer Adele. Though the comic was reportedly charming, big names can create performance anxiety in their design professionals. Hopwood said he felt the pressure most acutely when it came to the guest bathroom. He said: “I know Adele’s going to be sitting on that loo, so I have to do something special.”
Smell my spaniel? Er, no thanks, Tim Farron. But you might want to (a) work on your doorstep chat; and (b) buy a Bosch Athlet cordless cleaner for pet hair. The snappily titled BBH65PETGB (£240; euronics.co.uk) is lightweight and bagless, with SensorBagless technology to ensure that its performance is up to the sniff-and-scratch test.
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While I was doorstepping designers last month (well, visiting a trade fair called Pulse), the best new find was a Finnish brand called Gedigo. Inspired by Finland’s “harsh Arctic climate”, its products are portable, for people “on the move” who don’t want to compromise on quality and sustainability. The latest launch is the Odda bench, made from soft cowhide, naturally tanned and buckled onto an ash base that can be dismantled to travel — or post (£865; gedigo.fi).