Variety Storethe culture of ordinary things: a magazine about the history and design of everyday objects

An independent magazine about the history and design of everyday things. It is not a shop or a product catalogue: we sell nothing, do not advertise brands and have no connection with the former website on this domain.

Articles

Articles

This page sets out the themes the magazine is built around and a catalogue of standalone articles. We write about objects found in almost every home and try to understand why they look and work the way they do. Each topic is a way of seeing the familiar from a fresh angle.

You can go your whole life without noticing a spoon. But ask why it does not rust, and a whole century of metallurgy opens up behind it.

— Editor's note

How we choose topics: an object earns a place in the magazine if it has a verifiable history, a noticeable role in everyday life or culture, and a form worth discussing. We do not write product reviews, compare manufacturers or give advice on what to choose.

Magazine topics

Six strands from which the magazine's articles grow.

The history of household things

The vacuum flask began as a laboratory vessel, the pocket torch as a battery-powered novelty. We trace how inventions turn into familiar objects.

History

Industrial design

The shape of a handle, the curve of a lid, the colour of a casing: every detail reflects a decision. We look at how mass production changed the appearance of ordinary things.

Analysis

Objects in film and photography

A suitcase by the door, a torch in the dark, a cup on the windowsill: objects in the frame work as signs that viewers read without words.

Collections

Family objects

Things passed down from generation to generation preserve memory better than many photo albums. We write about how to ask relatives about them and keep their stories.

People

Repair and the long life of things

Replacing a stopper, resoldering a contact, fixing a loose handle: repair extends an object's life and changes how we feel about it. We cover the culture of mending in general terms.

Events

Collecting

Some people collect old tins, others travel labels or kitchen measures. We explain how a collection becomes a small archive of its era.

Archive

Article catalogue for English-language readers

This section gathers standalone magazine articles written specifically for the English-language edition. Topics are chosen with English-speaking readers' own homes, habits and memories of things in mind, so these are original texts, not translations.

What the editors are working on

  • The flask in the lunch box: how Dewar's laboratory vessel joined the working day
  • Torchlight: from the candle lantern to the pocket LED
  • Sheffield and the kitchen drawer: the story of stainless cutlery
  • From steamer trunk to wheeled case: how the traveller's luggage changed

Editorial rules

  • Articles in this catalogue are written separately for each language version and are not translations.
  • Some articles link to third-party websites, including gaming services; we do not control their content, prices or terms.
  • We do not sell products or publish advertising for shops and brands, rankings, prices or reviews.
  • Collections

    Three reading routes: light at home, things for the road and kitchen utensils.

  • History

    A timeline of ordinary things: Dewar's vessel of 1892, the 1899 torch, stainless steel in 1913, the wheeled suitcase and blue LEDs.

  • Analysis

    How a vacuum flask works, step by step, and how the materials of ordinary things behave over time.

  • People

    Inventors, designers, craftspeople, curators, restorers and collectors: the roles that together make up the culture of things.

  • Archive

    The magazine's contents and a note on the old addresses of this domain.

Sources

  • Encyclopaedic sources on the history of technology and design
  • Patent offices: specifications of patents for household inventions

Dates of inventions and patents are taken from open historical and encyclopaedic sources. Exhibition, fair and museum lecture schedules change, so always check them with the organisers.