KEVIN McCLOUD, Grand Designs presenter, Ercol Butterfly Chair

“The biggest investment I’ve made in furniture was a set of 12 butterfly chairs, designed by Lucian Ercolani for Ercol after the war. The particular ones I bought, about three years ago, were reissued by Margaret Howell, the fashion designer.

“The thing that gives me such a buzz about the chair is that, rather than being made in some factory in China, it’s made in the Chilterns, where I grew up, by people who are real craftsmen. Because I’m 6ft2in, I rang up the factory and they put an extra inch in the legs, so we’ve got these slightly tweaked Ercol chairs that are very elegant and super-robust.

“For years, we had those chairs with flimsy metal legs that everyone puts in restaurants. They were cheap and nasty things from some mail-order catalogue and would bend on our flag floor. It made me realise the mistake of buying rubbish; it just made me feel dirty. Sitting on our Ercol chairs, for me, felt like redemption. I had been forgiven.”

NICKY KINNAIRD, Founder of Space.NK.apothecary, Agate Wooden Bathtub

“Ever since I was a child, the bathtub has been my refuge. I’ve had my Agate wood-lined bath for 2½ years; it’s as close as you can get to a Japanese soaking tub, which are straight-sided baths made from cedar wood or hinoki.

“The best thing is that the base is contoured marine ply, which makes it far more comfortable than getting into a cold, enamel box. I first saw it at the Milan furniture fair a while ago, and I got my name on the waiting list. The day it arrived, I couldn’t wait to get in; it was my dream coming to fruition. I love the contrast of my granite walls with the wood. I’ve carved a shelf along the side of it so I can put candles next to it. Sure, it’s different, but in a good way… You take to it like a duck to water.”

STEPHEN BAYLEY, Writer, Duralex Drinking Glass

“One of my very favourite objects is the classic French Duralex glass. They come in packets of six, they’re economical, they’re practical, they’re pleasing to look at, plus you can throw them against the garage wall and they won’t break. What fascinates me is ordinary things extraordinarily well done, and the Duralex glass is almost the definition of a well-designed object.

“The French excel at what you might call ‘vernacular chic’; things like drinking glasses, bottles and simple objects related to the arts of the table. So you can have a mass-produced thing such as the Duralex, and they still have value that is independent of their price. The glass develops a nice pattern after it’s been through the dishwasher several hundred times. You can pour rough old Gascon red wine into a Duralex glass on a filthy day in London, and for a moment, you’re transported back somewhere sunny and charming.”

SALLY CLARKE, Chef, Chopping Board

“After I left college, I worked as a teacher at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London, and Richard Dare’s shop in Primrose Hill supplied us with chopping boards. They kindly said that the teachers could order a board of any size, so I had them make me one 3in thick, 14in wide and 20in long. I wanted a big, heavy-duty one that was going to last. It’s a beautiful piece of art.

“Most chopping boards are thin, but worktops are often too low for normal-sized people, especially if they’re wearing high-heels, so mine is perfect for adding that bit of height. Because I use lots of olive oil, it’s beautifully stained and has some real character. I'll even take it with me when we go on holiday to France, though my husband’s eyes were raised when I first suggested it was going in the back of the car. The chopping boards you get in rented accommodation are no good for trimming meat for a dozen people.

“I have had it for almost 25 years, and my 9-year-old son is already very handy in the kitchen. It would be nice to pass it on to him.”

TJINDER SINGH, Musician/singer with Cornershop, Thomson Toaster Record Player

“I’ve got about 20 portable record players, but this is my favourite. It’s from the Seventies, and its nickname is ‘the toaster’, because it’s meant to look like one. I think it’s sexy. I found it in Paris. It was early morning, and a market was setting up. I got it for €6, a steal. It’s very hard to get a bargain from a stall nowadays.

“I like the design of the buttons, knobs and meters. A nice feature is the red button you press, which makes the lid come open very, very slowly… It’s a joy in itself.

“But it’s also interesting because it’s a sort of prototype, isn’t it? It’s a precursor to what we have now and what the designers were hoping for back then – the idea that music could be a lot more portable.”

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