Want = Need. Agreed?

Only a couple of days ago someone accused me of being superficial - How very dare they!

Their assumption was based on the fact that I like stuff, not just any stuff it has to 'float my boat' as it were, but I must confess style and design is something I'm passionate about. Does this make me a bad  person?

To be clear, it's not that I judge someone by what they are wearing or driving or their wallpaper etc (although  I did tell my 'other half' that the relationship was doomed unless he ditched his sofa). I wouldn't think badly of someone with no interest in beautiful things, in fact I'd envy and pity them in equal measure for the fact that they've never experienced that stomach churning longing for an object of desire.

The person in question was coming from an ecological view point and that people buy from greed rather than need. And this got me thinking.

Now I must concede that no one needs a covetable www.culinaryconcepts.co.uk champagne cooler or a Willy Mia & Fred egg cup, both of which are on my 'wish list'. But surely it's the way we spend our money that is important. I'm not a prolific purchaser, I'm more a diviner of desirables, darting this way and that like a spaniel routing out game.  I prefer to wait until I see something that really sets my heart a flutter. As William Morris once said ' Have nothing in your house that you don't know to be useful or believe to be beautiful'. (Bad news for Mr H at Home)

It's not all about the 'thrill of the till,' I'm not adverse to a bit of 'up cycling'. One of my favourite pieces of furniture is a table I made out of a discarded old pub pedestal and a junk shop table top - total cost £15.

We are lucky in Britain that we have some of the best designers and manufacturers in the world as well as fabulous local artisans and I  believe that these are the  companies we should patronise.

In the Midlands for instance www.dainesandhathaway.com is a company based in Walsall manufacturing high end luxury leather goods befitting the heritage of the leather industry in Walsall. If I was able to financially justify buying such  beautifully crafted pieces surely I should  look to Walsall rather than Spanish or Italian brands.

My 'must have' egg cups are available on line but also locally at www.facebook.com/thekitchenshoplichfield along with a jaw dropping array of other desirables, together with excellent service by knowledgeable staff. I'd be mad to go anywhere else.

www.curboroughhallfarmshop.co.uk and www.packingtonfreerange.co.uk are excellent local suppliers offering top quality produce with little carbon footprint and local cafes and restaurants have identified that customers want fresh, local, traceable food. www.thesparkcafebar.co.uk  offers an excellent menu using this mantra.

So how can we ensure that  our desire for design is also a desire to support our local economy and ecology?

• Buy locally where possible and only buy what you love and will always love. 
• Buy produce in season to reduce carbon footprint. 
• Ask local supermarkets to stock local produce (customers are king) 
• Save on waste and use a 'bag for life'. 

I saw a bag for life recently which said 'I'm taking this old bag shopping' - enough said!!