Space…….it’s hard not to be fascinated with it. Impressively vast, home to planets, comets, meteors, radiation, the odd black hole or two, galaxies, stars and God knows what else, and still largely unexplored. How on earth (no pun intended) anyone couldn’t be intrigued by outer space is beyond me.
It’s this fascination that has led me to creating a large space themed collection at Smithers, with a particular focus on the upcoming 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 Moon Mission. July 16th at precisely 9.32am marks the momentous occasion and that giant leap for mankind when Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins blasted off from Launchpad 39A at the Nasa Kennedy Space Centre in Florida with only one destination in their sights – the moon.
Four days later on July 20th1969 at 4.18pm, Collins orbited the moon in the Command Module whilst Armstrong and Aldrin landed (or skilfully dropped) the Apollo 11’s Lunar Module – the Eagle – on the Moon’s Sea of Tranquility and making history by being the first humans on the lunar surface. Fast forward twenty-one hours which involved a lot of hard work, THAT famous phrase, a drop of flag resurrection and phone call to President Nixon and the Moon Mission was very much a success. Time to bring these boys home.
The Moon Mission was the year of my birth and whilst I was still enjoying a ‘womb with a view’ at the time of the historic landing, it never fails to entice me. I can only assume, it’s this slightly warped enthusiasm with the great unknown that has been the driving force behind our ever growing space themed products at Smithers. To ensure you celebrate Apollo 11’s 50thMoonwalk Anniversary in style, I’ve selected our Top Ten Space Inspired Gifts. Are you ready Space Cadets?! We have lift off!!
10) Kicking things off at number ten – because no space themed room is complete without one – we have our Spaceman Robot. Handmade from tinplate, our Spaceman walks, does a 360 spin and pops his chest open to reveal his ultimate weapons. Boom!!
9) Like a lot of people, I don’t do well without coffee. That said, in at number nine is the Cosmic Diner Lunar Coffee Cup Set. The black moon rock espresso cup sits in a gloriously gold saucer reminiscent of Saturn’s rings and comes complete with a stylish stirrer. There is no better way to start the day than with this proper cool coffee set.
8) Next up in eighth place is our Quasar Cutlery Set. When it’s time to feast, I like my cutlery to have some weight to it and being made from solid brass, these universally inspired knives, forks and spoons are no exception to that rule. Gold in colour, this visionary collection even comes complete with a perfectly placed crater or two.
7) The sky really is the limit with our next offering. In at seven is one for all those aspiring astronauts of the future – the Rocket Jet Pack Backpack! This super cool backpack has plenty of room for your future missions and storing those all essentials for launch time!
6) Space travel is thirsty work, so next up is our set of Meteorite Glasses. Thankfully they come in a set of six so there’s enough to go around your whole crew. The inside of these golden glasses perfectly resembles that of a meteor, giving a whole new meaning to ‘on the rocks!’ Mines a Spiced Rum and Coke when you’re ready.
5) No space inspired room would be complete without a spaceship so in seventh place is My Spaceship from Italian designer Seletti. Cast in porcelain and available in either a gloriously gold or simplistic white finish, this is very much space styling on a sophisticated level.
4) The Lunar Sugar Jar is in at number four and it truly is out of this world! The Lunar Sugar Jar pays homage to Saturn and its resplendent rings. A stylish golden scoop spoon is also included with the jar. I know everyone always harps on about how sugar is bad for you, but this awesome sugar pot has to be good for and your space themed home!
3) Our Golden Starman Vase takes third place and looks every bit the galactic Academy Award! Only destined for true Space Odyssey lovers, this vase will not only perk up your petals like never before, but guarantees to take your interior style to a whole new level of cosmic.
2) In the runners up position but by no means a loser, we have the formidable Retro Space Wallpaper. Showcasing some truly retro vibes, this luxurious paper features re-makes of typical space opera characters from a time gone by. I assure you this paper can achieve a feature wall like no other and is one of my absolute favourites from the Space Collection.
- There was never any question who would be our winner in the Space Collection. Taking pole position is our Cosmic Dinner Plates! The Cosmic Dining Plates depict the whole Solar System with the Moon taking pride of place for the 50thMoonwalk Anniversary. The stunning dinner service guarantees Space Time Lord status and never fails to wow your dinner guests. We can’t get Aldrin or Armstrong to your dinner party, but we reckon this is the next best thing
And that, my little space oddities, concludes our Top Ten Space Themed Gifts for the 50thMoonwalk Anniversary. I hope you’ve found it galactically good and been suitably inspired to create your very own space inspired space!
Until next time my friends……..nanoo nanoo!