Tate has a canny way of keeping things fresh and interesting.

They are currently looking for a young and technologically savvy person to become a trustee. They have also just announced that they are introducing a £5 charge for people aged 16 to 25 for all of the paid-for exhibitions at their four venues.

Another clever trick they use to keep their customers gripped is, every few months, to invite a prominent person to act as guest editor for their Tate Edit shop, choosing a selection of gorgeous items that reflects their personal style and taste.

Online and at Tate Modern, the Tate Edit shop offers a carefully curated range of products including furniture, tableware and cutlery. Previous guest editors have included Jasper Morrison and Momoko Mizutani, of the Dalston homewares boutique, Momosan.

Now it is the turn of contemporary British fashion designer, Margaret Howell. Known for her pared back, androgynous style, Howell has been dressing men and women all over the world for almost forty years. In 2007 she was awarded a CBE for services to the retail industry.

She says of her edit: “I was asked, quite simply, to choose pieces I loved, and the selection ended up being a lot of what I sell in my own shops, not out of principle, but because those are quite personal items that I have a strong relationship with.”

tate-shop-edit-by-margaret-howell-butter-dish

Her Tate Edit collection is predictably pleasing, being both chic and practical. Among the treasures, there is a lovely enamel butter dish, a stylish yellow Anglepoise desk lamp and a perfect pair of Margaret Howell acetate sunglasses.

tate-shop-edit-by-margaret-howell-anglepoise-lamp

“I like well-designed and good-quality things, but they’ve got to be useful, and they have to work. My clothes are meant to last. And all that applies to objects, too,” says Howell. Each of the items she’s chosen reflects this.

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The collection is only available until October 26. Pursue now to avoid disappointment.

May 2018