William Morris famously said to have nothing in your house that you don't know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. These things do their best to hit both targets.
From fathers to brothers to lovers, we run through some smart ideas for Christmas presents for the men in your life.
There are many ways to show your dad that you love and appreciate him. There's breakfast in bed, an offer to mow the lawn, a big hug and the offer of the last biscuit. Or you could just buy him something that he definitely doesn't need, but we're pretty sure he'll want.
We've rounded up all the utterly inessential products — posh tennis gear, in other words — that you absolutely do not need to enjoy Wimbledon, but would probably fancy having anyway.
Is your mum the sort who's happiest with what she knows — or one who loves a surprise?
Our Utterly Inessential Shopping List returns with some technology that is far cleverer than we are.
Going somewhere nice? You might be soon, so here's Hetty Lintell with her pick of the finest holdalls and best weekend bags you can buy.
Smart speakers are no longer the preserve of tech geeks and millennials — these handy speakers are, and (as we'll discover) particularly handy for those living in the countryside. We've looked at some of the main contenders to see which one comes out on top: Google Nest Audio, Amazon Echo Studio, the Apple HomePod Mini, and the Audio Pro G10.
Nothing is too good for our furry friends, as this pick of utterly marvellous — if slightly unhinged — shopping options demonstrates perfectly.
Hetty Lintell and Toby Keel pick out some, all the while desperately trying to avoid using the word 'eggsquisite'.
Make the little one’s room a haven of calm, says Hetty Lintell.
If you'd told us 11 months ago where we'd be now, we wouldn't have believed you — but here some tips on keeping your head held high.
If you stuck to your resolutions in January, congratulations. If, like the other 99.999% of us, you didn't manage it then step this way...
Not all the best purveyors of luxury hold January sales — but some do, and the Country Life team has picked out some of the most beautiful items on offer.
Every week in this little slot, we lament the nastiness out in the world and suggest that you alleviate some of that negativity with something to make you smile. This week's selection comes from Victoria Marston and Toby Keel — enjoy.
If Nero were alive today, he wouldn't have fiddled while Rome burns — he'd have bought stuff off the internet. And this is the page he'd have come to in order to help make his choices, where he'd have found the weird and wonderful as picked out by Victoria Marston and Toby Keel.
Is it right that we fight off the ennui of 21st century life by buying things we don't really need, but want anyway? Probably not, but that's the world we're in, and Toby Keel and Victoria Marston are here to help you navigate your way through it.
Much of this year, Utterly Inessential has focused on things to make staying in your own home for months on end a more pleasant experience. This week, though, we've handed over the keys to Country Life's luxury editor, Hetty Lintell, who went up to Scotland over the summer — and made these notes on how to make it through in one piece.
