Habitat describes this large button storage box as ‘quirky’ and we have to agree.
It is the obvious shape for a storage box for buttons, and anything else sewing related come to think of it.
The button storage box is available in cerise pink or pillar box red – both great colours which stand out. The size of the box is 30cm by 12cm. It was £30, but is now reduced to £21 in the sale.
Useful greenhouse caddy box
Strawberry Fool has a great selection of gifts for the home and garden.
For the hard to buy for gardeners, we like the idea of this greenhouse caddy, which looks really useful.
The green box is dived into sections so you can separate your gardening essentials, such as twine, plant markers, snips, seeds, gloves and other small tools. There’s a handle at the top of the box so you can easily carry it around the greenhouse or take it out to the garden with you and save time having to pop back for things you forget (or is that just me?!).
The greenhouse caddy gardening storage box costs £16.99.
Write on, wipe off ceramic notepad
If you are the kind of person who regularly mislays notepads take a look at this ceramic notepad and pen.
It can be hung up on a wall, or placed on a desk, and is heavy enough that it would be hard to lose. You simply write your to-do-list with the dry-wipe pen, and then wipe it off later.
The notepad can also be used as a cheeseboard, with Oliver Bonas suggesting that the name of the cheese be written on the board.
The ceramic notepads come in two sizes – £12.50 for the small one which is 20cm by 13.5cm, and £26 for the large one which is 29.5cm by 31cm.
Children's storage baskets
These buildings toy storage baskets are probably the most innovative I have ever seen for a long time.
Part of the Rice DK toy storage basket collection this set of three baskets offer a combination of fun and practicality.
The museum, the station and the petshop are all different sizes and would look fabulous in any child’s bedroom, as well as being big enough to hold plenty of toys.
The set of three building design storage baskets is £135 from Little Yellow Birds, but you can also buy the baskets individually too.
Fabric magnets
Live, Laugh, Love is the name of the shop which sells this set of six fabric covered fridge magnets.
Even just hearing the name of the shop makes you want to shop there. The delightful little magnets come in different sizes with material made of polka dots and of chintz. They are excellent for holding lists and using on a fridge, or magnetic memo board.
The set of six pretty magnets costs just £3.95.
Fabric memo board
These fabric notice boards are great. They are so easy to use as you don’t need drawing pins, and they are ideal for storing everything from menus for the local Indian takeaway to notices from the school.
This one has a lovely tea cup and saucer fabric. They come in various sizes, starting at £25 for the 30cm by 40cm one.
The teapot fabric notice board is available from Zebra Home Accessories.
It’s coming close to that time of year when the clocks go back, so what better time to look at the vast array of clocks on the market.
From alarm clocks and wall clocks, to traditional and novelty clocks, here are 10 of Home Gem’s favourite timepieces.
This clapperboard digital alarm clock is fantastic – very unique. It is an alarm clock which displays the time in twenty four hour format – hours, minutes, and seconds. It even displays the date.
To silence the alarm clock in the morning you simply use the clapper and clip the board like you would if you were a director beginning a movie take. The unusual clapperboard alarm clock costs £49.99 from Just Must Have.
This is another alarm clock, but it is quite different from the first. The cube shaped clock changes colour every hour, displaying the time in one of twelve colours. When you tap the top the light comes on so it works as a bedside light also.
When the alarm goes off the alarm clock beeps, but also flashes through the colours, an added incentive to get up and turn it off. Lazy Bone sells it for £9.99.
John Lewis has brought out this beautiful block number clock, available in black or in white. It is very contemporary in style with large arabic numerals which are very striking looking.
The large numbers really stand out against the background. The clock costs £30.
This “Who cares, I’m retired” wall clock would make a great retirement present. The jumbled numbers reinfornce the point that the owner doesn’t care what time it is.
Measuring 14″ in diameter, and with an aluminium body and sturdy glass face the clock costs £33 from Cafe Press.
This Glenmour Howard Miller floor clock is a traditional looking clock with double crystal-cut and grooved glass on the front lower door and beveled glass on the lower side panels.There is decorative molding at the base of the front door, with additional shell and vine embossings at the cut-out of the base. The cabinet is illuminated by an internal light, and the door is lockable.
The impressive clock costs £3,349 from Howard Miller and they will also send you out a free heirloom plate, engraved with name and date.
This is a fun and funky wall clock from Arti and Mestieri. Set with a laser-cut matte white metal with an elegant frosted brown glass face, the cup and saucer clock is 43cm by 37cm. This is definitely a clock for the kitchen.
Jazz It Up sells the choca cuppa Arti and Mestieri clock for £65.
Rubik’s Cube fans will like this Karlsson DIY cubic wall clock. The multicoloured clock is made up of twelve different coloured glossy cubes with a white one in the centre. The blocks can also be separated and moved around.
The Karlsson clock costs £49.99 from I Want One of Those.
We couldn’t resist including at least one cuckoo clock on the list! This beautiful Black Forest Cuckoo clock is carved from solid wood and has cast iron weights and brass mechanical movements.
R A James sells the cuckoo clock for £182.
Mad About Clocks sell some fantastic music themes clocks. We like this gold classic guitar clock in 24 ct gold for £27. It comes in a lovely presentation box and is intricately detailed.
We have included one retro clock in the top ten. The Pepsi clock dial has a large clock face with a retro American cafe look. Even though it’s branded, the Pepsi theme is not too over powering.
The clock is available from Andrew Thornton for £299.
By Jackie Cosh
It doesn’t matter what size your family is, coat hooks are always needed and no house ever seems to have enough. The problem is finding coat hooks which both look good, and which can handle more than one or two coats been hung on them. Here we have listed our top ten favourite coat hooks, some very practical, others with more of the novelty value.
These three giant bulldog clips designed by Alan Wisniewski get our vote because they tick both boxes. The bulldog clip idea is a rather unusual one. But at the same time they do look as if they would last. And it is great that handbags have not been forgotten. They look as if they could handle the weight of a handbag which not all coat hooks can.
Finished in brushed nickel, the coat hooks cost £18 from A Place for Everything.
Pine Solutions are currently selling this Vancouver oak hook coat rack for £66 instead of the original £132 – a great price.
The five stylish solid iron hooks sit on a solid oak back. As well as looking like a piece you would be proud to have in your hallway, or elsewhere, the hooks look sturdy enough to last.
Mydeco.com is a fantastic site and it is hard to choose a favourite. But if we had to choose this Quasimodo Q3 coat hook would be one of the top contender.
It is available in either green, grey, blue or orange, and was designed by Jonas Lindvall because his flat was too small for a traditional set of coat hooks. It has won awards and is represented at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The coat hook costs £57.
This branch coat hook from Nigel’s Eco-Store defeinitely falls into the novelty category. Designed to look like a bird sitting on a branch, the coat hook is made from recycled powder coated aluminium, and is available in black, red or white.
It is pretty endearing looking at would be perfect for hanging scarfs and other light items. Both the black, and the white hooks cost £49.99 with the red one currently on sale for £25.32.
It is the detail in this tembo cermic hook which makes it so appealing. The S shaped hook has two ceramic bead topped hooks lightly decorated with a touch of green.
This is another one from Mydeco.com, costing £9.95.
This highly ornate double hat and coat stand has some beautiful detail, almost Celtic like in design. It is intricately detailed with a series of loops and intertwinning bands, and has a real antique feel about it.
The quality of the workmanship means that as well as looking good it is well made and is sturdy enough to hold a few heavy coats. Black Country Metalworks sells it for £19.99.
This natural wall shelf is marketed as being ideal for kids’ rooms and indeed the company which sells it is called Kids’ Rooms. But the design is such that it would be suitable elsewhere in the house. Made from natural rubberwood, with four hanging pegs, the shelf can be used to store books, toys or ornaments, with the hooks being suitable for hanging coats, bags and hats.
The shelf is ideal for storing books, pictures and accessories on, and the hanging pegs beneath it are great for hanging coats, bags, and hats on. It is currently on sales, down from £31 to £20.
There are some beautiful children’s coat hooks available, but most are not made to last. This pirate in ships coat rack looks as if it is.
Three coat hooks sit beneath the two pirates and the hooks are wooden, rather than the more flimsy metal which many of them have. Boo Boo Designs sell the hooks for £8.
Dart lovers will love this one – a set of darts which are actually coat hooks. A set of rawplugs turns the darts into coat hooks.
Modern Gents sell the set of three dart coat hooks for £19.99.
Graham and Green sells this traditional French style 5 hook coat rack, which will fit in anywhere in the house. It would look good in a light and airy hallway.
The main feature is the carved floral design which sits above the ceramic knobs. The coat hooks costs £38.00.
By Jackie Cosh
Organise your post
This desk tidy letter rack is a fabulous idea.
Rather than having mail in an untidy pile you can place it tidily, but also in order of importance so that you can remember to deal with items.
The desk tidy letter rack is made of solid oak with red perspex inlay and costs £34.95 from Bella Home Accessories.
Stylish storage basket
These round rattan log baskets from Willow & Stone are perfect for storing logs in ready for the colder months.
But even if you don’t have a log fire, we’re sure you’ll find plenty of other uses for the baskets, and they would look good storing all sorts of items in.
They rattan storage baskets, which have handles for easy moving, come in two sizes – small and large – and cost £32 and £45 respectively.
