It might seem a trifle obvious, but today we live in the 21st century and times have changed. Certainly, there are still people about who love antique furniture and paintings, but they are very much in a minority. So, too, are the pieces of antique furniture and paintings, as they gradually wear out over the years, or get damaged.

Today, the majority of the world wants to move on into the modern day and enjoy contemporary furniture and pieces for the home rather than things from 100 or 200 years ago. In the modern home, they have no place. The fact is that, for the millennials, or even those under 50, there is a huge choice of contemporary designs for the home. They look the part and they make a statement about who we are today and what we love.

In the 21st century, things move at an exciting pace, and we want to keep up with them. Only 20 years ago the milk was still being delivered by the milkman in an electric cart. 30 years before that it was a horse and cart! Who would ever have thought then that today we would think nothing of sending a message to someone in Australia and getting a reply the same minute?

Tomorrow, we will all be driving electric cars. Or rather, we won’t, because they will be driving themselves.

And we want our homes to keep up with contemporary furniture and fittings designed for the present day.

Here is an example. Although we are in 2019, a lot of people still find a pleasant way to relax at the end of a hard day is to sit down with a book – one of the old-fashioned types with a hard back, rather than a Kindle. Yes, people do still buy books - just ask Tim Waterstone. Waterstone’s has 283 stores across the UK and employs 3,500 people, so that’s a lot of books.

Of course, when you collect books you need somewhere to keep them, and the best place is a bookshelf. Now a bookshelf used to be a straight piece of wood attached to the wall with a couple of brackets. Very basic. But not any more.

We now have the Kartell Bookworm Short Bookshelf. This is 10’6" long and 8" deep and you can fold it into any sort of shape you like before attaching it to the wall. You could have it circular, in an "S" shape, or any other shape that you wish. You get the idea. It has bookends which attach to the shelf at various points which stop the books from falling off. Instead of a straight piece of wood, you get to design your own bookshelf.

The Kartell Bookworm Short Bookshelf is also available in two longer lengths if you have more books to store. The longest one is just under 27’ long and has 17 bookends! You can also choose from black, white, aluminium, cobalt, and wine red.

Bookshelves are not the only things that have come of age. Would you believe that doormats are available in some strange designs? There is one that spells out the word "Welcome", another that says "Beware of the Dog" and has the bottom right hand corner with a piece "chewed" out of it, and yet another that looks exactly like a pair of black sunglasses.

What about lighting? Designers have really let themselves go here with contemporary lighting. There are pendant lights that look like a white coffee pot and teapot with the light shining downwards out of the bottom. There is the Kare wall light in the shape of a hand showing the Victory sign with small light bulbs dotted about over it.

There are table lamps that look like a naked frog or rabbit standing up with their modesty covered by a white shade. Another pendant light looks exactly like a clear light bulb and has the actual bulb inside it. There are illuminated wall clocks which perform two functions: telling the time and adding light. There is a desk lamp that looks as though red paint is being poured from a paint pot, and there are a whole lot more designs too.

Certainly, for those who want to keep up with modern times, there are plenty of contemporary, and some would even say funky, designs.