The World of Stonehenge: the best cosmic homeware buys inspired by new British Museum exhibition

A Bronze Age sun pendant, 1000–800BC. The sun being the principle around which Stonehenge is ordered

(Picture: The Trustees of the British Museum)

The World of Stonehenge is the British Museum’s latest big exhibition opening (17th February to 22nd July) and we wanted to celebrate its launch with a little tribute via the medium of decorative homeware.

If you’re wondering why we scurried off to find dazzling astronomical homeware instead of lots of things made from stone, it’s because Stonehenge (and its underwater counterpart, Seahenge – which features in the exhibition) and its belief system all centres around the sun and maps of the moon and stars.

Stonehenge’s fundamental principle is the sun, attracting visitors for the stones’ clever alignment with the rising and setting sun on solstice (Handout)

The reason people flock there for solstice is the clever and precise positioning of the stones to align with the rising and setting sun.

One piece on display in the exhibition is the Nebra Sky Disc – a 3,600-year-old map of the stars (the world’s oldest surviving example) which is inlaid with gold symbols against a blue-green bronze disc.

Nebra Sky Disc, Germany, about 1600 BC (Photo courtesy of the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt, Juraj Lipták)

Call it a tenuous link but this got us thinking about cosmic-inspired homeware designs.

After the popularity of shell motifs and with nineties and noughties homeware designs feeling as relevant as ever, it feels like the right time to bring back the sun, moon and stars.

Anything from Swedish design mecca Svenskt Tenn is worth the effort of shipping it to the UK.

This glorious brass candle sconce (£217) designed by Josef Frank in the shape of a sun is a real favourite.

The Solen brass candle sconce by Josef Frank costs from £217 (Svenskt Tenn)

Following the sun-meeting-candle theme, Italian icons Fornasetti have a fine line in lidded ceramic candles, which make useful trinket pots when the wax is gone.

The subtle sun design of Solitario Otto (£165 from Harrods) is a favourite.

Illuminate a gloomy corner in a different way by hang Caravane’s playful brass Astral mobile over your dining table, where the inlaid mirrors and metallic suns will catch the light for instant interior sunshine (£127 from Caravane).

The brass Astral mobile costs £127 (Caravane)

If gold isn’t your style, the blue ceramic ‘animals’ by Italian brand Bitossi are a great colour and never date. While this sun obviously isn’t an animal, it certainly cuts a lovely shape on a shelf (£141 from SCP).

They say blue is the warmest colour so why have a dull hot water bottle cover when you can spruce yours up with metallic sun and moon embroidery from Elizabeth Scarlett (£35 from Trouva).

Sun by Bitossi costs £141 from SCP (SCP)

Admire the nightsky from your dining table with this large linen Constellation tablecloth (£275) from tableware maestros Summerill & Bishop.

Finally, a striking investment piece from London design duo Campbell Rey for The Invisible Collection (£5,088), these mirrored Luna and Stella side tables are available as a gold star or a silver crescent moon.