The Hot List: Weave in wit and whimsy into your interiors

1 Fun and games

Since its launch in December, Wamli.com has fast become one of our go-to sites for fun items for the home. The Dubai-based "geek-chic" webshop features a wealth of unusual items, from dog-shaped lamps and megaphone-inspired iPod docking stations to colourful cameras, witty wallstickers and quirky prints. If you haven't visited yet, do so immediately.

• Stay Hungry Stay Foolish print, Dh477.10, www.wamli.com

2 Monochrome magic

There's nothing more eye-catching than a classic combination of black and white. A monochrome palette is also dead easy to work with, so why not start with this statement chair from United Furniture and take it from there?

• Dh2,450, United Furniture, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai and Al Qasimia Street, Sharjah

3 Literary journeys

These stylish Literary Transport Mugs from The Contemporary Home feature the titles of classic novels in the style of traditional bus blinds. We love the premise: a good book is like a bus - it can transport you to a completely different place. There are 12 book titles, in a range of vibrant colours, to choose from.

• Literary Transport Mugs, Dh59, www.tch.net

4 A table for all occasions

Designed by British designer Lee West for Ligne Roset, the Glacon occasional table would look great at the end of any sofa. Made from enamelled earthenware, the table's soft, simple lines and metallic hues make it a firm favourite.

• Glacon, Dh3,850, Ligne Roset, Sheikh Zayed Road, Aati, Za'abeel Road and Bloomingdale's Home, Dubai

5 Light fantastic

A contemporary reinterpretation of a classic Baroque chandelier, Rockoco is made from transparent polycarbonate playfully interlaced with red wiring. The coolest thing about it is that it can be hung outdoors, so use it to bring much-needed drama to a drab balcony.

• Rockoco, Dh2,799, www.filini.com

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It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”