Muted accessories are all very well and stylish, but as April showers descend – and with the world in turmoil – sometimes you need things that are a little more joyful to elevate your everyday.
From a hoodie in a rainbow of colours to a bold, floral enamel tumbler, a bright Birkenstock shoe to a painterly umbrella, these products should provide a much-needed dopamine hit. Many are made by independent makers using recycled materials, so you can feel extra good about that.
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A very nice butter knife
Maldon butter knife
£44 at All Day Goods
£44 at Sous Chef
This butter knife is hand-forged in Somerset, and its distinctive marbled green handle is made from waste plastic from salt-maker Maldon’s production process.
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A Pollock-esque bud vase
Rainbow bud vase
You know what a bud vase is, right? It’s a vase designed to hold a single stem, or at most a small clutch of them. This one, handcrafted in Leeds, is made out of an eco-resin … and turns the splatterware trend all the way up to 11.
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A joyful cushion
Pistilla cushion cover
£54.01 at Nordicnest
£65 at Marimekko
If anyone knew about colour it was Armi Ratia, who brought optimistic, joyful-feeling designs to the world through her textile company Marimekko. This abstract, jacquard knit cushion cover by artist Petra Börner is made from recycled cotton.
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A colourful clog
Super Birki 2.0
When I realised the shoes Birkenstock used to make only for professionals (medics, in this case) are now available to the rest of us, I cheered. Enter: the Super Birki 2.0, the perfect shoe for days spent on your feet. They come in a rainbow of colours, from moss green to baby pink. Available in sizes from 2.5 to 13.
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A bright ceramic coffee maker
Hario V60 ceramic coffee maker size 02
£35 at Copper Coffee Roasters
£36.99 at Amazon
I bought a brightly coloured coffee dripper for my partner and, while I can’t speak for him, the sight of it in the kitchen genuinely lifts my spirits. Making coffee is a daily ritual in many people’s lives, so elevate it with a coffee dripper the colour of sunshine.
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A Fitzcarraldo book
Fiction
Fitzcarraldo Editions cotton tote
I’ve never seen a book by the independent British book publisher Fitzcarraldo Editions that I didn’t like (although I’m nowhere near brave enough to attempt Zone by Mathias Énard, which the New Yorker described as “a five-hundred-and-twenty-one-page novel written in a single swoon of a sentence”). Best of all, they have lovely covers – in International Klein blue. There’s also a highly covetable tote bag in the same shade.
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A bright sock
Cotton ribbed socks
A pop of colour is a sartorial magic trick. It can instantly elevate an otherwise standard outfit. For good-quality socks in Skittles-packet brights, handmade in Leicestershire, look no further than Community Clothing.
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A Matisse-inspired umbrella
Matisse print umbrella
£33.99 at Etsy
£39 at Original Duckhead
A cheerful umbrella will make those inevitable spring showers a little less unwelcome. This Matisse-inspired one from the cult brand Original Duckhead has all the pizzazz of the south of France.
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A floral enamel tumbler
Ododo enamel tumbler
Designer Yinka Ilori knows his way around dopamine-spiking design and this floral tumbler is inspired by days spent in Richmond Park and Kew Gardens during the pandemic. Perfect for a spring picnic.
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A pretty soap dish
Ceramic soap dish
This mint green soap dish, from Hastings-based ceramicist Harriet Cheal, features a geometric design to keep the soap dry. However, if you don’t mind a bit of a draining issue, let me also point you in the direction of vintage Charles Amand crustacean gratin dishes, of which there is a plethora on eBay and Etsy.
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A sweatshirt for a chromophile
Classic organic hoodie
Few brands speak as directly to those with a love of colour – and comfort – than Colorful Standard, which offers loungewear in everything from ultra-violet to bubble-gum pink, tropical sea blue to sunny orange. All of its garments are made from organic cotton or organic recycled merino wool in Portugal.
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A bold feminist poster book
See Red Women’s Workshop – Feminist Posters 1974-1990
£18.39 at WH Smith
£18.39 at Amazon
The print-making collective See Red Women’s Workshop produced many excellent posters, highlighting issues ranging from domestic abuse to racism, gender roles and politics, in the 16 years it ran from 1974. The posters still pack a serious punch (they were included in a recent Tate Britain exhibition).
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A characterful door knocker
Ghanaian Ashanti chameleon brass door knocker
This beautiful and fun Ghanaian chameleon door knocker is as much a gift for those lucky enough to visit your home as for yourself. The postman will be happier, your neighbour will have a chuckle. But it isn’t all altruism – this will definitely up your kerb appeal and, in my case, distract attention away from the fox stench invariably on our doormat.
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A daft bike bell
Tokyo Bell crystal bell
This is billed as a kids’ bell, but why should they have all the fun? With this crystal bell, which comes in blue, pink, orange, purple and more, you can feel a bit happier every time you have to ding someone that just pulled out in front of you.
