The Pro-Ject Elvis Turntable is in the building 16 Oct 1:56 AM (2 days ago)

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The Pro-Ject Elvis Turntable is in the building

You don’t have to be a fan of The King to love this, but it helps to justify the price of the Pro-Ject Elvis Turntable.

Let’s be honest, you don’t need to have a love of the music of Elvis to recognise the design of this one. The light-up Elvis is pretty much a pop culture icon.

It was used as the backdrop for the NBC 1968 Comeback Special, one of the most-watched TV shows ever. And it still looks striking today. Striking enough to be used as the backdrop to this new, limited edition turntable.

Part of the Artist Collection that has featured designs from Charlie Brown to The Beatles, this one has its own selling point outside of the Elvis logo – a dimmable option for the turntable if you don’t want the light shining out all the time.

The deck itself is based on Pro-Ject’s popular and highly-rated T2 record player, with each one handmade in Europe. As you might have guessed from that, this isn’t a cheap option.

The limited edition deck, launched for Elvis’ 90th birthday, features a 9-inch aluminium tonearm, an adjustable spring-based anti-skating system and a factory-fitted Sumiko Rainier cartridge. There’s also a 10mm 1.7kg glass platter, which promises stable rotation and low resonance. 33 and 45rpm as you would expect. Because no one is playing 78s on this. Not even Elvis 78s.

£1,199 is the price.

Find out more at the Doug Brady HiFi website

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Dawson retro swivel chairs at Habitat 15 Oct 4:51 AM (3 days ago)

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Dawson retro swivel chairs at Habitat

Go plain or go colourful. Whatever you do, the Dawson retro swivel chairs at Habitat are perfect for kicking back after a tough day.

This is Habitat doing what, for me, it does best these days. Retro furnishings without the ‘vintage’ price tag. Habitat used to be a pricey destination, but since it came under the Argos umbrella, the price points have dropped. But the designs are still interesting.

And every now and again, it will produce a retro gem that’s great value for money. Enter these swivel chairs.

There’s something really cool about a swivel chair. Everyone gets in one and fancies themselves as a Bond villain. Especially if you happen to have a cat on your lap too. Some swivel chairs are really expensive. Way back in 2020, I did a top 10 Bond villain chairs round-up, mixing seats from Bond movies with alternatives that could have been used. All were on the pricey side. Less so these.

Habitat has three colour options. Or rather, two colours and one natural finish. The natural one does have the option of a matching stool, though. The design for the chairs is much the same, regardless of the shade.

An in-house design, this is a micro-cord swivel chair with chunky seating and wide arms, as well as that lovely chrome base for swinging and swivelling to your heart’s content.

£200 for a statement retro chair isn’t bad at all, with the stool just £60 extra. No one will know it’s not an original.

Find out more at the Habitat website

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Andy Warhol neon signs for your home 15 Oct 4:19 AM (3 days ago)

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Andy Warhol neon signs for your home

Not cheap by any means, but I love the look of these Andy Warhol neon signs for your home.

They are made by Yellowpop, and if you love Warhol’s take on pop art (which I am assuming you do if you have read this far), then you might well want one taking centre stage in your living room—or any room, for that matter.

Originals are way out of our price range, and prints aren’t even cheap. If you want a good-sized Monroe print for your home in a frame, you are looking upwards of £200.

And those prints aren’t going too light up, which is ultimately the selling point of this particular selection.

Take your pick from the designs here, which pretty much skip across the classics. If you are thinking of Warhol, you might well have thought of at least one of these images. The soup can is pretty much the calling card. The Marilyn Monroe one isn’t far behind. All of the others are instantly recognisable Warhol’s works from the 1960s.

The one you choose depends on your personal taste and budget. As I said, none are cheap, but some are cheaper than others.

Each one lights up, with LED light being used to bring the ‘neon’ up to modern-day standards. It’s dimmable, too, if you don’t want the full beam screaming out from your wall all the time. But for the full pop art effect, fire it up to the max.

The Brillo Box (which happens to be my favourite) is the priciest design out of these, coming in at an eye-watering £890. But if you want a cheaper classic, the banana, famously used on the Velvet Underground’s debut album, comes in at a more palatable £310.

Other prices hover between those two but lean more towards the bottom price rather than the top one.

You can pick them up either at Currys or the Yellowpop website.

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Go old school with the Revival Flask by Thermos 15 Oct 12:55 AM (3 days ago)

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Go old school with the Revival Flask by Thermos

Bringing back memories of car journeys as a small child is this Revival Flask by Thermos. And I’m all for it. In the sale too.

Do you still use a flask? Not sure I do a lot. I take a heated cup pretty much everywhere with a hot drink inside, and I think those have probably taken over from the classic thermos flask in recent years.

But if you want a couple of drinks or want to share your coffee (other hot drinks are available), then the flask is still a useful bit of kit. Whether that’s for a drink with a picnic or an emergency should you get stuck somewhere in the car. The classic flask can still earn its keep. And never more so right now, as temperatures plummet.

And if you are going to buy one, why not something unashamedly retro? Yes, like the one you might recall from days gone by. The classic ‘tartan’ flash by thermos. They were all tartan, weren’t they?

What you have here is a replica of one of the original Thermos flask designs, known officially as the Model 18 and in production for years. I have no idea when it came out, but I suspect it as far back as the 1950s. Maybe even longer.

So the original pattern and colourways, this is a 500ml retro flask with a five-year guarantee, able to keep a drink hot for 18 hours and something cold for 24 hours. Cup on the top, naturally.

Picnics, festivals, a drive out, allotments, something warm on a cold day – you name it, this is an ideal companion. In the sale right now too, selling for £18.36 in all colours.

Find out more at the Pearl and Bear website

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Newcool 1970s-style bedroom furniture at La Redoute 14 Oct 5:05 AM (4 days ago)

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Newcool 1970s-style bedroom furniture at La Redoute

There’s a ’70s revival going on right now, and this Newcool 1970s-style bedroom furniture at La Redoute fits right in.

The high street has a few interesting 1970s designs right now, and La Redoute is always big on that kind of thing. You might recall the 1970s cluster ceiling light I featured a while back from the same maker/seller.

But when it comes to furniture, midcentury modern seems to still dominate the retro ranges. So it’s interesting seeing something a bit more retro and 1970s on the racks.

La Redoute has a habit of dipping its toe in the water when it comes to new ranges, gradually adding new designs in. It looks to be the case here, with just two pieces so far. Don’t discount more appearing as the year progresses.

But the two designs are pretty cool. Both are made of tinted MDF, with a polyurethane finish, as well as melamine particle board, to give something of a shiny look that screams that particular era. The curves on the handles are pretty much the icing on the cake.

The drawer unit features three drawers, and as you can see, it offers plenty of storage within. The bedside cabinet has a further drawer, as well as an open section below for pretty much anything you want to stuff in there.

Only the ivory colour option right now, but both units are discounted. The drawers are down from £579.99 to £492.99, and the bedside cabinet is down from £269.99 to £202.49.

Find out more at the La Redoute website

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Smiths style: Salford Lads Club sweater at Joanie 14 Oct 3:28 AM (4 days ago)

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Smiths style: Salford Lads Club sweater at Joanie

One band will forever be associated with this place. And if you’re a fan, this Salford Lads Club sweater at Joanie is for you.

Of course, I’m talking about The Smiths, who made a semi-famous building on the outskirts of Manchester worldwide famous after some classic and timeless photos in the 1980s. I drive past this building regularly, and it really hasn’t changed since, which is a good thing.

Known as the Joyce Jumper (you might guess why), it is made from a soft, fibre blend yarn in a classic bottle green shade matching the building, with a crew neckline, long sleeves, ribbed detailing at the cuffs, hem and a neckline with contrast cream tipping. The iconic ‘Salford Lads Club’ sign has been reimagined as a cream intarsia slogan.

Profits from this are going to Salford Lads and Girls Club, which has struggled in recent years in terms of funding. Talking of money, this is temporarily discounted (along with everything else at Joanie) right now, down from £65 to £39.

Find out more at the Joanie website

And please, can someone make a version for men? I would love one of these!