Contemporary Furniture & Lighting Design Stories

A modernist dream team Alvar and Aino Aalto, a pioneering Finnish couple, left an indelible mark on the world of modern architecture and design. Born in Kuortane, Finland, in 1898 and 1894 respectively, Alvar and Aino Aalto met while studying...

Tour Tom Dixon's new studio & showroom space A former coal yard may not strike you as the most fitting location for one of the UK's leading designers to set up shop but one look inside Tom Dixon's new showroom...

Our Favourite Outdoor Garden / Patio Furniture We may not get as many Al Fresco dining opportunities as some of our more weather fortunate European neighbours but thankfully, due to advances furniture design, we can have the garden / patio...

Last Updated : December 12th 2021 Dining Chairs The right dining chairs can do wonders to your home. They'll unify the space, create a comfortable seating area, and can instantly update the room. If you spend leisurely Sundays around the...

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Along with Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is widely regarded as the as one of the pioneers of modernist architecture. With his "less is more" approach to design...

Charlotte King, or @lepetitfika as you might know her, effortlessly blends French chic with Scandinavian soft minimalism to create a warm and inviting home with no shortage of elegance. Updated : 5th July 2021 – Having recently worked with Charlotte...

That Scandinavian Feeling As part of our Utility Follows series we met Ingrid, the voice and driving force behind interiors & lifestyle blog That Scandinavian Feeling. Although Ingrid has completed a Masters Degree (Graphic Design) in Leeds, lived in London and...

The first of its kind in many ways, the Panton S Chair was destined to be iconic. Epitomising the mood of the time, the Verner Panton S Chair design was possible due to chance: post-war advancements in technology were a...

Our favourite Arne Jacobsen designs Arne Jacobsen is fondly referred to as the grandfather of modern Danish design and widely regarded as one of the most influential architects and designers of the 20th century. Throughout his life Jacobsen made significant contributions...

Ever found yourself scrolling through your favourite interiors Instagram account and wanting to know more about the creator? Well we have - and that's exactly why we started the 'Utility Follows' series. Over the last few weeks we've caught up...

The Helsinki based Aalto residence is a living monument to the pioneering design concept conceived by the Finnish design duo. Modernism is widely considered as one of the most important new styles or philosophies in architecture and design of the...

For this week's edition of 'Utility Follows' we had the pleasure of chatting to interior blogger and author of "Scandinavian Style at Home" Allan Torp about his blog bungalow5.dk Embarrassingly, despite following Allan on Instagram for over a year, we actually...

For this week's edition of 'Utility Follows' we catch up with interiors writer & stylist Dan Hull of interiors, lifestyle & food blog 'millergrey'. We first stumbled across Dan's Instagram account about 18 months ago and since then have been marvelling...

This week's 'Utility Follows' feature is Hannah Thinnesen Trickett, founder and editor of interiors and lifestyle blog 'Hannah In The House'. Hannah's keen eye for beautiful details and the personal approach she takes to writing has made her one of our favourite sources...

Get The Look This small one bedroom apartment in Sweden features many of the styling elements synonymous with the recent trend of Scandinavian inspired interiors. White walls and furniture pieces create a bright and airy space while in contrast, the accompanying...

In Conversation with OLVH In terms of interiors, we've seen a noticeable shift in attitudes in recent years. A new wave of young (and not-so-young) creatives have popped up and are blurring the lines between fashion, interiors and product design. They...

If you're a regular reader of the Utility Design Blog then you'll know that our 'Utility Follows' series kicked off last week when we sat down with Liverpool based interior designer Natalie Holden. Staying in the North West, this week we...

We love the fact that design inspiration is now more accessible and readily available than ever before. We regularly check in with our favourite online creatives and we're happy to be discovering new influences daily. In our newest blog series 'Utility Follows...

The Story Behind The Gun Lamp The Gun collection by Philippe Starck for Flos Lighting is an exemplary series of lamps consisting of table and floor models. The 'gun' is made of a die cast aluminum with injection-molded polymer overprint...

How to Extend Your Style Outside For most of us, our home is a haven and the beautiful décor within, a labour of love. We put a great deal of effort into styling the inside of our homes, but why...

Italian furniture & lighting brand Kartell have continued their foray into affordable seating designs with the release of two new chairs - Generic A and Generic C - designed by the prolific Philippe Starck. The Generic range aims to uncover the 'essence' of furniture...

As it's London Architecture festival this month (June 1 - 30), we thought we would share and celebrate some of our favourite architecture styles with you. Architecture is like a timestamp, leaving a lasting impression of the current world climate...