Blow the budget
An unexpected collaboration between the industrial designer Karim Rashid and Veuve Clicquot Rosé has produced the Clicquot Loveseat. Rashid's sculptural creation is a modern take on the 18th-century love seat. Two huge, petal-shaped pink seats are joined together on a chrome-plated pedestal topped with an ice bucket, forming the pistil in the centre. It is available exclusively from Aria, which has the only one in the UK in the window of its shop in Islington, north London, for a limited period. Even if you don't fancy it in your living room, it's still worth a look.
£4,000, from Aria; 020 7704 1999, www.ariashop.co.uk
Hit the deck
The Deptford-based design duo Thornback & Peel are known for quirky products - cushions, bags, deckchairs and T-shirts - that combine Victorian illustrations with modern patterns and colours. They have just launched two great designs for deckchairs: Cabbage and Rabbit, right, and Pigeon and Jelly. The deckchairs are made of solid beech and the cotton slings are hand-printed.
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£114.50; www.thornbackandpeel.co.uk
Cheap'n'chic
The catalogue company La Redoute has been successfully selling French chic in the UK market for more than a decade.
It is best known for its fashion, but the company's homewares are well worth checking out.
The bed linen in the new summer collection includes ranges featuring nostalgic English cross-stitch designs, large checks and stripes in shades of classic French grey, and soft blues and reds.
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Try mixing and matching designs and colours for an informal look.
From £6 for a pillowcase, from La Redoute; 0500 777888, www.laredoute.co.uk
Back to basics
Nestling among the delis and boutiques of leafy Turnham Green, in west London, is the contemporary homewares shop Zecca. The shop's newly renovated rear courtyard has inspired the owners, Pat Devito and Diane Bennett, to introduce a collection of outdoor furniture and accessories. These fun, durable Daisy vacuum flasks are among the functional yet fashionable items on offer.
£9.50-£10.50, from Zecca; 020 8995 7700, www.zeccaliving.co.uk
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Let it flow
The new Axor Massaud range of bathroom fittings evolved from the innovative Waterdream installation at the Milan furniture fair in 2005. The broad chrome spout of the sleek, single-lever basin mixer was inspired by waterfalls.
It releases a fine sheet of water and doubles as a shelf. The range, by the designer Jean-Marie Massaud, is on display at the CP Hart showroom in Waterloo, London, until the end of August.
Axor Massaud single-lever basin mixer, £680, from CP Hart (020 7902 5250, www.cphart.co.uk) and Hansgrohe (0870 770 1972, www.hansgrohe.co.uk)
All in a spin
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The Beko Xpress is a contender for the title of quickest washing machine. It has a 14-minute Xpress programme, can tackle a 7kg load at 30C in 30 minutes - and has an A+ rating for energy efficiency. Great news for busy people.
Available in white and silver,£349, from Beko; 01923 818121, www.beko.co.uk
If you buy only one thing ...
... make it this Bastian stoneware tagine, by the designer Aaron Probyn. The attractive and versatile cooking pot can go straight from the oven to the table. The lid keeps heat in and bugs out, making it ideal for alfresco dining, too.
£49, from Habitat; 0844 499 1111, www.habitat.net