Product Diaries

I’m Eleanor! East Midlands born, London shaped. I moved here at 21 to study fashion and, nearly a decade into my career, I’m still finding new ways to see myself. I’m the Buying and Brand Acquisition Manager at Glassette, where I look after all of our brands - sourcing new ones for the platform, curating the ranges we bring onto the site, and help identify future marketing opportunities for them. As I approach 30, I’ve become more aware of how differently people shape their lives through their surroundings and what they consume. Glassette is a constant source of inspiration for me in that sense - so much of my everyday ends up reflecting the brands and products and content we bring onto the site, and it continually shapes what I’m drawn to and want to explore further. From the latest snack I keep in my bag to how I reposition the lamps in my room, the artwork I choose to live with, and the skincare I rely on day to day - these small, considered choices quietly mirror the kinds of products and routines we champion, each one reflecting a different way of living.

Back to school: primary colours I get a bead of sweat and a flash of dread every time the "back to school" banners appear - before I remember I'm nearly 30, with a grown-up job, and in fact I'm not returning to school, thank you very much. Still, I've caved slightly and bought myself a new notebook anyway, because apparently that urge never quite leaves you - Glassette x Papier’s Coastal Tile design with Papier, personalised on the front, feels like the smartest kind of nostalgia. And primary colours have been finding their way into everything I've been drawn to this month too, so my subconscious is clearly still marking September in the diary somewhere. I recently visited The Conran Shop's showroom - always a joy, we could talk shop with them for hours - and came away completely inspired by how well they do block colour. These photos, with the linen napkins and backgammon board laid out together, are exactly what I mean. Late Afternoon's cutlery does primary tones in the most perfect, nostalgic shades - playful without tipping into childish. We've also just added this Projekt 26 print to site - I'm obsessed with the red, blue and yellow waves cutting through that warm brown background. And finally, it's finally cool enough in the evenings to justify actual pyjamas again: Desmond & Dempsey's baby yellow pair is the perfect in-between - still warm enough for summer, but a gentle nudge that the evenings are drawing in, and back to school season is very much upon us.

Polaroid frames I love what Stonebridge Frames, Framette and Late Afternoon all understand instinctively: a polaroid deserves better than a bulldog clip and a corkboard. Framette and Late Afternoon do it through colour - mounts in shades that turn a strip of Instax photos into a proper piece of wall art - while Stonebridge Frames, new to Glassette this month, have designed frames built specifically around the polaroid strip itself, so it slots in perfectly rather than rattling around. I love the idea of a polaroid strip from a late-night wedding moment, a spontaneous shopping trip with friends, or that one blurry photo-booth picture from the club - held, finally, in a frame as considered as the memory itself.

Tea towels as framed artwork This is one I keep coming back to - I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of it, but I love framing tea towels. So many are simply too artistic to risk near a stack of dirty dishes, so I've started framing a few instead, and it's become one of my favourite cheats for wall art that doesn't look like everyone else's. Print Sisters' new Soleil tea towel is pure joy - yes, another primary-colour moment, apparently that's just where my head is at this month - and I love how artistic, almost illustrative, it feels. Cherry Flips is another I'd frame without hesitation, laid out like a bingo board of odes to spring and summer. And then there's Amuse La Bouche's tea towel, destined for the kitchen or bathroom - a gentle, artistic reminder that it's always, always important to wash your hands.

PUNCH, bowl, yoghurt snacks "What have you put on that?" - I'm talking about the Glassette team here. I make my breakfast and lunch in the office most days: a mini food shop gets stashed in the office fridge, and from it comes whatever seasoning, dressing or topping I'm currently obsessed with. This month, it's PUNCH - a superfruit-and-nut mix that goes into yoghurt but honestly goes into most things. It's the texture that gets people first - crunchy, bright, genuinely more interesting than granola - and then the questions start. I'm also always asked about the bowls the yoghurt's sitting in and the cup I'm sipping my coffee from too. There's something about serving even the most mundane five-minute breakfast in a bowl you actually love that changes how it tastes, not just how it photographs. Turns out the vessel is doing as much work as what's in it. PUNCH is one to add to the cupboard, and the Service Projects bowls and cups to the shelf.

Mirrors Glassette's mirror edit is one of my favourite corners of the site, and I don't think that's an exaggeration. What I love is that no two brands are doing the same thing with the same object. Josh Page's Fold mirror is basically art that happens to reflect you back. Smith & Goat do quiet confidence - nothing flashy, everything right. Cahoots' ebonised oak mirror has heirloom energy despite being brand new. Hannah Dinsdale's curly cord one is the "wait, where's that from?" mirror. Days & Years keep things classic, for anyone not ready to commit to anything too directional. And OINK's sapele Kruller might be the only mirror I've ever wanted to touch as much as look into. Proof a mirror can carry a room on its own.