Alternative Valentine Gifts

There are so many bad cliché Valentine gifts out there that I decided to share some fun, less obvious items I've come across recently.

First up is this fantastic poster for the Ettore Sotass designed, Olivetti 'Valentine' typewriter. Available as a limited edition of 1000 exclusively at the Design Museum.

Secondly this great Ace of Hearts tea-towel. Ok, so maybe a tea-towel isn't the most romantic of gifts, but Manicule's giant playing card design certainly is fun and look, it has hearts and everything - perfect...

Rob Ryan had to be on the list, his prints always have an air of romance about them and he's even created one especially for the occasion (below right). Both these prints and more are available from Soma.

And finally, you can't beat a bit of Marvin Gaye to get you in the mood for love, so these lyrical prints are just perfect. It's Pop, It's Art was a collaborative project between London design studio Airside and EMI Publishing UK - "built upon a love of both music and art".

Below left, lyrics to Marvin Gaye's - What's Going on? and below right lyrics to Primal Scream's - Come Together. Both available in the sale at Soma!