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Category / Inspiration Vault

The Unsung Artistry of 20th Century American Bath Ware

I came across some gorgeous vintage sinks on the gram and got to thinking about American bath ware. All too often overshadowed by Europe’s long history of artisanal and design talent, we forget that American design is largely responsible for the transformation of the home bathroom. So grab a luffa, throw on some slippers and…

This guy collects Do Not Disturb signs from Hotels around the World

Don’t I always say you can find absolutely anything on the internet? Well, I said it to someone recently. Anyhoo, I came across a collection of “Do Not Disturb” signs from hotels around the world and as far as hotel collectibles go, the doorknob signs seem to have gone largely unnoticed, despite being pretty interesting design-wise.…

Ode to the Monobloc Chair

One of the ultimate icons of modernity and mass production must be the famously infamous wobbly plastic monobloc chair. Found across the globe, from homes to hospitals, gardens to grasslands, base camp Himalayas to frosty Antarctica, this migratory masterpiece of furniture has followed humanity to the far corners of the earth like a faithful hound.…

Meet the Paper Bag Baron of East London

Paul Gardner; the man, the myth, the London legend. If you ever have the pleasure of purchasing a paper bag from Paul, count yourself lucky. Like his shop, Paul and his family of ‘market sundriesmen’ are a longstanding East End institution. For over four generations, the Gardner’s have been servicing scales, stocking bags of all…

Rocky Horror Picture Show in the Paris Catacombs

For our latest adventure on the Don’t be a Tourist in Paris web series, we go 30 feet beneath the city to discover the subculture of iconic midnight movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show just in time for Halloween. Below ground, we’re in the subterranean cinema of Alexander J E Bradley a photographer, filmmaker and catacomb-dweller (aka. cataphile).…

Magical & Macabre Spell Ingredients to throw in your Cauldron this Halloween

We’re looking for a most powerful spell this year. Forget the “eye of newt” and “wool of bat” – to get in the spirit of Halloween, we’ve trawled our favourite curio corners of the net to find some alternative oddities to get our cauldrons a’ bubbling this year. In the tradition of rare and macabre…

The Beauty Who Created the Beast

Of the six original Universal Monsters, none is so ubiquitous and iconic as the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The film, released in 1954, still screens regularly at theatres dedicated to classic cinema. What few knew until recently however, is that the credit for the Creature’s iconic design was cruelly stolen from one of the…

Poke around the Psychedelic Fortress of a Self-Made Saint

Venturing down an unassuming gravel road grown over with grass in rural Marion County, Georgia, you’re met by a huge pair of piercing blue eyes. Look around, and you’re met by many more sets of eyes staring out from intense faces emblazoned with vivid reds, greens and yellows, adorned in geometric patterns and spiritual symbols.…

From the Beatles to Britney Spears, a History of Hidden Messages in Songs

The history of backmasking goes back to the early 20th century with occultist Aleister Crowley, who in his 1913 book Magick, suggested thinking backward by “external means,” such as listening to a phonographic record in reverse. It started as a fun urban legend. Musicians recorded secret messages backwards, inserting them into their songs. The Beatles…

Before the music died, he recorded and rescued it for the ages

Perhaps you remember the feeling of unearthing a really great gem at the record store – a forgotten band from another time with an original sound that sends those feel-good electric impulses to your brain. Imagine making it your lifelong mission to find that feeling; following it far past the local record store, to the…

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