February 27, 2026Comments are off for this post.

WoodyAndSpud Ceramic Dogs: The Charleston Farmhouse Best Seller

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

If you’ve ever visited Charleston Farmhouse near Lewes, you’ll know the vibe is not “generic gift shop”. It’s full-on Bloomsbury energy. Painted walls, pattern on pattern, and that sense that art and daily life should be the same thing. So when WoodyAndSpud ceramic dogs are the best sellers there, it’s not a random fluke. They just fit.

Read more

July 17, 2025Comments are off for this post.

Nooka Designing Time Review: A Bold Design Book Worth Your Shelf

Last updated: 22 March 2026

By Tristan · Arts, exhibitions and creative culture

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Cool Factor: 4/5 - Stone cold

This Nooka Designing Time review breaks down Matthew Waldman's 200-page design monograph and gives our honest verdict. Part manifesto, part visual archive, Designing Time tells the full story of NOOKA, the futurist brand that dared to reimagine how we see time. We read it cover to cover. Here's what we thought.

Read more

August 18, 2024Comments are off for this post.

Why You Should Donate to Save The Common Press: A Queer LGBTQ+ Bookshop and Event Space in East London

In the heart of East London lies The Common Press, a beacon for the queer LGBTQ+ community, offering a sanctuary where diversity and inclusivity thrive. As the world becomes increasingly digital, spaces like The Common Press play a crucial role in maintaining physical, safe havens for marginalised communities.

We also featured their book club membership as a great service and great gift. This membership not only provides access to an array of wonderful books but also supports the ongoing efforts to keep The Common Press thriving. It would be sad to see that end!

Today, this beloved bookshop and event space faces financial challenges, and they need our help to ensure its survival. Here's why your donation is vital and how you can contribute to preserving this essential community hub.

A Unique Cultural and Community Space

Celebrating Queer Literature and Art

The Common Press is more than just a bookshop; it is a cultural institution dedicated to showcasing queer literature and art. By curating a diverse selection of books, from contemporary fiction to historical accounts, this space celebrates the richness of queer experiences. Donating to The Common Press means supporting authors, artists, and creators who may otherwise remain unheard.

Hosting Inclusive Events

From author readings and book signings to art exhibitions and workshops, The Common Press is a vibrant event space that fosters community engagement and learning. These events offer opportunities for personal growth, networking, and solidarity, strengthening the bonds within the LGBTQ+ community.

Why Your Donation Matters

Supporting Marginalized Voices

Spaces like The Common Press are vital for amplifying marginalized voices. By donating, you are directly contributing to a platform that elevates the stories and experiences of the LGBTQ+ community. This support is crucial in a world where queer voices are often sidelined.

Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing

The importance of safe, inclusive spaces for mental health and wellbeing cannot be overstated. The Common Press provides a welcoming environment where individuals can express themselves freely, find support, and connect with others who share similar experiences. Your donation helps maintain this sanctuary, offering solace and community for many.

Preserving Local Heritage

East London has a rich history of diversity and activism. The Common Press is a continuation of this legacy, embodying the spirit of resistance and resilience. By supporting this space, you are helping to preserve an important part of local heritage that honors and celebrates the LGBTQ+ community.

How You Can Help

The Common Press has launched a fundraiser to secure the funds needed to keep its doors open. Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a significant impact. Here’s how you can help:

  1. Donate: Visit the fundraiser page and make a donation. Your financial support is crucial to the survival of this essential community space.
  2. Share: Spread the word about the fundraiser on social media, email, or by word of mouth. The more people know about the campaign, the more likely it is to succeed.
  3. Engage: Attend events, purchase books, and participate in the community. Your engagement helps sustain the vibrancy of The Common Press.

Conclusion

The Common Press is more than just a bookshop; it is a cornerstone of the LGBTQ+ community in East London. By donating to their fundraiser, you are helping to ensure that this invaluable space continues to thrive. Your support means preserving a sanctuary for queer literature, art, and community events, making a lasting impact on countless lives. Together, we can save The Common Press and continue to celebrate and uplift the voices that matter.

Consider giving the gift of a Common Press book club membership, a thoughtful gesture that supports the ongoing mission of this vital community space.

Donate Now and be a part of this important movement to preserve an essential community space.

July 3, 2024Comments are off for this post.

Emma App Review: Is It Worth Paying For?

Emma finance app

Last updated: 9 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Want to test Emma properly?

Our referral link stretches the standard 7-day trial to a full 30 days on any premium plan.

Start a 30-day Emma trial

This Emma app review breaks down what the budgeting app actually delivers for UK users in 2026, from the limited free plan to the paid tiers that unlock the features most people will want. Emma connects your bank accounts, credit cards and investments into a single dashboard using Open Banking, and layers on budgeting tools, subscription tracking and spending insights. It is well-designed, useful and impressively well-connected to UK financial services. The main gripes? The pricing is steep for a budgeting app, and the constant nudges to upgrade to the Ultimate plan get old fast.

Cool Factor: 4/5

Read more

June 30, 2024Comments are off for this post.

Sonos Ace Review UK: Premium Design, But Is the Sound Worth It?

Last updated: 22 March 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

This Sonos Ace review covers Sonos's first ever pair of over-ear headphones, a product that launched with sky-high expectations and a price tag to match. At £449 RRP, the Ace dropped into one of the most competitive categories in consumer tech, going head-to-head with the Sony WH-1000XM5, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, and Apple AirPods Max. After spending extended time with them, we can say with confidence that the Ace nails some things brilliantly and fumbles others. Here's where they land.

Cool Factor: 3/5

Read more

December 2, 2020Comments are off for this post.

KORG iWAVESTATION – App of the week – (mini spotlight)

This is the second entry in our new weekly mini-series that will focus on our favourite new App of the week. This week our choice is iWAVESTATION by KORG.

Read more

November 22, 2020Comments are off for this post.

App of the week – Reflection (mini spotlight)

Our new weekly mini series will focus on our favourite new App of the week. This weeks mini spotlight is on Reflection.

Read more

November 12, 2020Comments are off for this post.

Coronaviral survival toolkit

A curated anti-Covid toolkit for crisis navigation to help everyone stay safe.

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Coronavirus (Covid-19) has hit the world hard, and no matter your political stance there's no denying that the U.K. has been badly affected. So far over 50,000 people have died in the U.K.

But how do we stay safe in these unprecedented times? Are there any tools or products that are really helpful? How do we know what to believe in a world filled with misinformation and confusing rhetoric?

Fear not friend. Here at COOLCURATION, we've scoured the internet to come up with a curated anti-Covid toolkit to help you navigate this historic period.

Read more

November 11, 2020Comments are off for this post.

Gift guides go live for Christmas 2020

With the launch of the COOLCURATION website we also mark the launch of our Gift guides. Curated selections of gift ideas from all over the internet tailored to anyone's taste. We look everywhere, from amazon to independent retailers and will always keep our eyes and ears peeled for the latest and greatest that the curated internet has to offer. We're always looking for great gifts to add.

Read more

November 9, 2020Comments are off for this post.

About CoolCuration

CoolCuration is an independent UK platform covering the intersections of design, technology, culture, and personal finance. We started in November 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, with a straightforward idea: find good things and share them honestly.

Six years later, the principle hasn't changed. We write about what we genuinely like, use, and believe is worth your time or money. If we don't rate something, we don't cover it. There's enough noise online already.

What we cover

The site spans four main areas. Design and technology covers product reviews, smart home gear, apps, and tools we actually use. Personal finance covers mortgage overpayments, savings, investing, energy switching, and referral deals that save real money. Arts and culture covers exhibitions, artist spotlights, and creative work worth seeing. And our curated gift guides pull together the best finds across all of it.

Everything is tested, used, or experienced firsthand. We don't rewrite press releases and we don't review things we haven't tried.

How the site is funded

CoolCuration earns from referral links, affiliate partnerships, and commission on products we recommend. That means when you sign up for a service or buy something through one of our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

We're transparent about this on every page that contains affiliate links. Our editorial opinions are never influenced by these partnerships. If a product isn't good enough to recommend on its own merits, it doesn't appear on the site regardless of what commission is on offer.

What we believe in

Quality over quantity. Innovation that's about being better, not just being new. Curiosity over certainty. Sharing things that are genuinely worth your attention. And keeping "cool" subjective, because that's the whole point of curation.

Meet the team

CoolCuration is run by two people with very different backgrounds: one in design, technology, and finance, the other in fine art and gallery curation. That combination is what gives the site its range.

Meet the curators and read our full credentials.

Get in touch

We're always open to hearing from readers, whether it's a product recommendation, a correction, or just a tip-off about something we should look at. We're also open to guest writers and contributors. If you have expertise in design, finance, technology, culture, or anything that fits the CoolCuration world and you'd like to write for us, we'd love to hear from you.

Use our contact form to submit ideas, pitches, or just say hello.

Follow us: Instagram

Contact us

Copyright 2026 CoolCuration | Privacy Policy Cookie Policy | Affiliate Disclosure | Cool Factor

-----------

 

We are proud supporters of a safer more private internet via encouraging people to use Brave browser and are actively taking on Spammers as part of ProjectHoneypot. This site is hosted on servers that run on 100% renewable energy in the UK thanks to GreenWebHosting.

This site contains affiliate links, including to Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase or sign up for a service via these links, at no extra cost to you. All offers and promotions are accurate at the time of publication but are subject to change or withdrawal by the businesses featured. We cannot guarantee their continued availability. Read our full affiliate disclosure.

Reviews and opinions on CoolCuration reflect the personal experience of our writers at the time of publication. They are not professional endorsements and your experience may differ. Scores use our Cool Factor rating system and are given independently of any commercial relationship.

All content on CoolCuration is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice, investment recommendations or an endorsement of any product or service. We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and do not offer personalised financial guidance. You should always do your own research or consult a qualified financial advisor before making any financial decisions.