Sale Shop in the Spotlight: All Up and On

Curses be on these blizzards! It's freezing outside, I'm cold and shivery, and all the Christmas sherry and Quality Streets have long been polished off. Bah and indeed humbug, but at least this wintery weather does have some advantages.

If you've been lucky enough to wangle a snow day today then might I suggest you take advantage of the rare opportunity to slob out in your pyjamas, amass every duvet and blanket in the house and build yourself a cosy nest, get Celeb Big Bro on the telly (I won't tell anyone, promise), and indulge in a little retail therapy to cheer yourself up. With the sales on, you won't be breaking the bank, and it's got to be better than traipsing up and down the high streets wanting to cry because of your frozen numb fingers toes.

One of my current favourites is All Up and On, who specialise in quirky, modern designs. They've gone to town with their sale this year, slashing prices across their lighting, soft furnishings, wallpaper and home accessories departments.

Strange as it might look to the untrained eye, I'm smitten with this Hucks Design Chain, a bizarre but strangely beauteous contemporary storage solution, which is now less than half-price at £70. Working on the same modular principle as a bicycle chain, it's made from versatile and hard-wearing plastic that can be divided and shaped to suit you. Each set comes with ten linked tubes and a wall-mounting kit. I'm quite taken with the idea of having it in my bathroom (in attempt to organise the vast mountain of toiletries, make-up, candles, shells and other miscellaneous accessories that seem to accumulate there and threaten to spill out and takeover the entire house), but it'd be an innovative and original solution for any tricksy space which for one reason or another just won't quite work with traditional shelves. Or it could also be used with the tubes upright to keep pens, make-up brushes or booze bottles organised, like in the top image above.


This sleek and sophisticated black and clear acrylic table lamp is half price from £251 to £125.50, and comes with a dimmer switch and black silk lampshade. Small white bath duck sadly not included. It'd look rather seductive on a bedside table in a opulent silk-decked boudoir, or maybe in a lounge with black and white candles arranged artfully around it.


Or, if you prefer your lighting more colourful and, ah, geometrically unique, then how about this Blue Marmalade Hollow table lamp, made from recyclable materials? It's been reduced to a measly £31, and is available in an array of colour combos. So if this weird but wonderful little beauty takes your fancy, there's sure to be one to suit your colour scheme. Snap 'em fast, though, because at that price they won't last long!

And the best news of all for those feeling the pinch after the cash-splurging excesses of Christmas? Until midnight next Monday, 11th January, there's an extra 15% discount on absolutely everything. So now I've no excuse for not keeping my new year's resolution to keep my pad looking perfect in 2010. Dammit.