Desirable and Different

With new arrivals all the time, it’s exciting when we discover a real treasure - something handmade, unique or unusual - to add a touch of the exotic to our extensive collection. Usually in limited numbers, these are special items, sometimes never to be seen again.

Here are a few highlights of what we like to term, ‘desirable and different’:

A striking example of repurposing, this football table has been made from recycled materials and hand painted by Senegalese artists, resulting in a unique piece full of African colour and energy. Destined to be a talking point in any home, the table offers the perfect after-supper kick/flick around with friends.

Hand-woven, woollen kilim rugs have been made in Turkey for centuries and this stunning headboard has been hand crafted using an authentic vintage example. A one-off piece, it adds a rustic, Bohemian feel to a bedroom, its muted, natural colouring offering a soothing palette.

Cornish tea producerTregothnan has been growing manuka bushes to shelter its tea plantation since 1880s - the first manuka to be grown outside of New Zealand. The unique microclimate has allowed these bushes to thrive, attracting bees who produce rare manuka honey with a beautiful, light and floral fragrance and gleaming, golden colour. Known for its antibacterial properties, it offers many health benefits, captured in this limited edition British manuka honey.

Handmade in France, these ceramic guinea fowl are painted in various colour combinations, and, with each one unique, it’s fun to extend the flock. Full of expression, they have always been a favourite of ours and tend to fly out of the door very quickly.

It’s not every day that you see the classic, enigmatic Mona Lisa presented in sheep form. Artist Maísa Stolz is known for her work celebrating the natural world, using mixed media to reimagine classic masterpieces through expressive and highly imaginative animal characterisations.

Grown in Southern Italy and refined by stone, this purple coloured rice naturally turns pink when cooked, adding a little ‘je ne sais quoi’ to a risotto or other rice dishes. Celebrate a baby shower or just surprise a loved one with this unusual larder staple.

This terracotta dish beautifully illustrates the technique ‘sgraffito', with scratching made into the surface of layers of tinted plaster, unveiling parts of the underlying layer.  The poetry is from Rainer Maria Rilke’s timeless ‘Book of Hours’: “Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going, no feeling is final.

South Korean craftsmanship is evident in this handmade hand trowel, crafted from railroad steel. Master Shin is the owner of the oldest blacksmith shop in Korea, and, with a wealth of experience gained since age 13, has been named an Intangible Cultural Heritage Treasure by the government. He uses shade dried wood for the handle to ensure the trowel bears both the correct weight and stability, whilst also providing water resistance.

Handmade in East Sussex exclusively for us, this luscious two-piece velvet sofa really packs a punch. Generously padded with feathers and spacious enough for all the family to recline in comfort, the bright orange colour adds an uplifting, contemporary accent to any interior.

As one of only 9,000 special editions available worldwide, this vast volume of David Hockney’s works has been personally signed by Hockney and is sold with an adjustable Marc Newson bookstand. The 60-year retrospective of the artist’s works was compiled in close collaboration with Hockney, forming a definitive record of his colourful oeuvre for art lovers everywhere.