One of my preoccupations is having the best – although not necessarily the most expensive – version of everything. I am not talking about big furniture-type purchases, but about the almost anonymous items we use every day.

After a 12-hour stint at the office, there really is nothing more glorious than sinking into a freshly made bed. While we can aspire to time-softened linen sheets, good quality Egyptian cotton is deliciously cosseting. A brilliantly reliable source of all things linen is, of course, John Lewis. Alternatively, try The White Company, whose 300-thread count Capri Satin Stripe range I particularly like (from £10 for a pillowcase; www.thewhitecompany.com). Add a contemporary woollen blanket from Welsh company Melin Tregwynt (from £175; www.scp.co.uk) and tune into Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime for the complete treat (fogey – moi?). Roberts, that most iconic of Brit brands, has produced a digital radio in its Revival design, which has never been bettered (Blue RD50 Revival DAB radio, £150, www.robertsradio.co.uk). If it’s good enough for the Queen, it’s good enough for me.

Towels are another essential that often get overlooked. One of the nicest wedding presents I received was a set of huge Frette bath towels from my aunt, who lives in Italy. If you can’t stretch to Frette (available from Harrods), then check out traditional towel manufacturers such as Christy (www.christy-towels.com) – after all, specialists tend to know what they are doing. Do yourself a favour and buy only the bath-sheet size.

The utensils we use can make a difference to our enjoyment of a meal. David Mellor makes cutlery that just feels right in the hand (Pride stainless-steel cutlery, £95 for a six-piece place setting; www.davidmellordesign.com). A glass of tap water will taste that much nicer if it is poured from a Nicole Farhi Tunis carafe (£40; www.nicolefarhi.com) and swigged from one of her tactile Dimple glasses (£15 each).

She is one of the few fashion designers who can lay claim to an interiors range with real soul. Finally, good china can turn builders’ brew into liquid ambrosia, and time and again Wedgwood is worth a look (Wedgwood Night and Day fluted teapot, £70; www.wedgwood.com ).

It’s all about turning the little things in life into luxuries.

Faded beauty

The first time I saw a Huw Griffith mirror, I immediately fell for its sepia-tinted good looks. The pieces are created from vintage finds, which are backed with rare antique textiles and papers that show through parts of the glass. Griffith’s work is all about giving a time-worn, overlooked object a new lease of life and turning it into the most beautiful version of itself. His ethos fits in perfectly with the reuse and recycle zeitgeist, along with Squint’s reupholstered patchwork chaises and Claire Coles’s needlework reimaginings of vintage wallpaper. It sounds simple, but to do this kind of thing well, you have to have the right aesthetic. In Griffith’s case, it is Miss Havisham crossed with faded country-house chintz. The new-old pieces are made to last, and each is a one-off. These are definitely the fairest mirrors of them all.

From £1,200, from a selection or to order, from www.huwgriffith.com; 07941 988287

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