iStyle: Make tracks underground

From old train seats to Tube station posters, the next stop could be your house, says Trish Lorenz

The London Transport Museum launches a range of home accessories this week, as part of continuing celebrations commemorating 150 years of the London Underground.

The collection includes powder-coated reclaimed luggage racks from the decommissioned Metropolitan line trains, metal trunks, furniture designed by Anthony Hartley and LED desk lamps by GroupDesign.

Based on the 12 colours of the London Underground map, including the sky-blue Victoria line, orange East London and mint-green Waterloo & City, you can now reference your favourite journey in your home: Northern line desk lamp anyone?

Overall, the collection has a pleasingly utilitarian feel that’s offset by the bright colours. The luggage racks in particular are one for Tube enthusiasts: made from aluminium, they are strong but light and have spent the past 50 years carrying briefcases, shopping and luggage for London’s commuters.

As part of the 150th anniversary celebrations, London’s Art on the Underground programme has also invited 15 leading artists to create a series of new posters. The project, entitled 15 for 150, includes work by Sarah Lucas, Wolfgang Tillmans and Gillian Wearing, among others. Each artist will create a special numbered and signed edition of prints that will go on sale on 6 June, at art.tfl.gov.uk/shop/.

But if thinking about your morning commute as you relax at home isn’t quite what you had in mind, there are a wide range of other travel-related accessories to choose from that will bring the allure of distant shores to your home without recreating the rush-hour crush.

Vintage trunks and maps work well as subtle references to an adventuring spirit. The secret is to aim for an understated look, with trunks that double as coffee tables and maps that hang in secret nooks.

And if you want to celebrate a particular journey you’ve made, you can now commission personalised pieces, too. Try notonthehighstreet.com for a bus blind print from Betsy Benn that lists your favourite destinations, or a typographic memory of your holiday from The Drifting Bear Co.