oskar.

The Oskar is one of those "why didn't I think of it?" design ideas. It's a book light that's actually shaped like a book, made in fact to sit unobtrusively among books. It can even be used as a bookend, which is pretty nifty. (You can also use it as just a regular table lamp, but for me that doesn't hold much appeal.)

well. designed.
The Oskar is solidly built from aluminum plates, with the

displayce.

Displayce is a brilliant idea for a multi-level table that changes its shape when you put things on it. In their words, "Displayce - From the definition of infuse: to introduce a thing into another, affecting it throughout. The Displayce table surface is broken into sections that begin level. After placing an object on one of the sections the others change in height reacting to the placed

offcut. series.

I'm not sure if this piece has a specific name or not, but it's part of the Offcut series by Beaudoir. The Offcut stuff is a line of oddly shaped foam furniture that looks like sculpture but is actually seating.

art. as. architecture.
I love furniture that's a cross between art and architecture because, even if you're not sitting on it, it's still a pleasure to look at. The drawback, of course,

tatlin.

The Tatlin sofa is "freely inspired" by the famous Tatlin Tower, even though the tower was never actually built. If you're into architecture, at this point you're knowingly nodding your head in understanding. If you're like me, you're probably wondering what the heck a Tatlin Tower is.

sad. story.
The short, sad story of the tower is that a Russian named Vladimir Tatlin was hired around 1920

watur.

Watur is a door made out of water. Or a fountain that looks like a door. Whichever you prefer.

functional.
The Watur is billed as "functional," and by that I take it they mean it can open and close. The promo copy for this is...er...well...here, you decide: "A functional door formed by constantly falling water which pushes for a redefinition of boundaries and obstacles by forcing one to

bel. air. chair.

The concept of a chair shaped like the front end of a car is not terrifically appealing to me, or at least it wasn't until I saw this picture of the Bel Air Chair. I've officially changed my mind. This thing is amazing looking, and the ottoman is an added bit of genius. And, bonus, the lights work.


vroom. vroom. vroom.
Okay, this won't go with just any decor, but if you've got a place where a

(c)lamp.

Cyber journalist, Wired blogger, science fiction author and design maven Bruce Sterling is putting the final touches on his first commercial lighting project, called the (C)lamp. Here he is in Paris reading by the light of his own creation. Nice work if you can get it, Bruce!

oh. lamp.
Not having seen it in person, my first reaction from the pic is "Oh, how orange!" And then "Oh, how organic.

i-lean.

The I-lean is a very strange concept. It's a piece of furniture that you ... lean against. Even in the world of funky furniture, that's a pretty specialized product.

i. deal.
The ideal spots for the I-lean are, so we're told, "areas where social interaction is constant and people linger." But I just can't see myself easily conversing or lingering with someone standing, er, leaning, against

kelvin. 40.

Take an uber designer who loves science fiction and airplanes, give him a commission from the Fondation Cartier Pour l'Art Contemporain, then sit back and gape in awe at the Kelvin 40. The "40" as I'll call it for short is a concept plane from Marc Newson, and although the mock-up doesn't actually fly, with a few tweaks and an engine, it could.

pure. fun.
But getting off the ground was never

campus.

Over the weekend I got a note from Aliona over at House of European Design inviting me to check out their Campus sofa. It's pretty cool, but I'll let HED explain it in their own words:

what. they. say.
"Campus is both an aesthetically and functionally designed sofa and recliner. It invites you to relax. The head and feet areas of the sofa recliner are infinitely variable. Via a very

kick. table.

Sometimes I like things that I see but I'm not sure why. Take the Kick Table by Toshiyuki Kita. It's basically just an oddly shaped end table on wheels that comes in some pretty bright colors and adjusts up and down. That's about all I have to say about it, other than: I want one. But not for the $500 they seem to go for. Ouch!

s.w.b.

The S.W.B. bed is yet another excellent design from Philippe Starck, but not for the usual Starck reasons. I'll be honest, at first glance the S.W.B. doesn't look much different from about a million other minimalist modern beds I've seen. So what is Starck giving us that's so unusual? One word: Accessories!

made. to. be. different.
One of my big complaints about beds -- and bedrooms in

nimbus.

Somebody over at Mosleymeetswilcox has a way with arts and crafts. They put some polystyrene balls together with some PETG plastic (nope, no idea what that is) and made "a seductive, lightweight material" that they then turned into the Nimbus.

shining. sunlight.
The Nimbus is a ceiling light that looks like a gentle, puffy cloud. Mosleymeetswilcox describesitthisway: "As light passes through

xes.

The XES is a small table. How small? Only 5 inches in diameter. Just enough to hold one drink. And that's exactly the way creator Edward Geluk wanted it.

put. on. your. glass.
The not quite grammatical text for the XES describes it this way: "When you need a place to put on your glass, you take the XES. Until that moment, it can be waiting for you in a corner."

decadent.
I love the XES

boalum.

If you're looking for a light to go with the Buldang couch/chair/thing, you won't go far wrong if you buy a Boalum. I'm sorry, I didn't mean light, I meant "luminaire," which is what this piece is called. (Luminaire means, among other things, "light fixture," so this is a somewhat fine distinction in my book.)

totally. tubular.
The Boalum has a flexible, tubular body of opal white plastic

buldang.

It's not often you find a piece of furniture that sounds like a swear word and looks like the plush version of someone's intestines. So let me just say upfront, the Buldang is certainly unique.

30. feet.
The Buldang is a "de-structured, padded, and segmented tube" that's 30 feet long and billed as a modular armchair-sofa, because those are two of the things you can arrange it to make. But

netsurfer.

The Netsurfer is one of those weird chairs that have been combined with a PC to make a surfing station. Although the practicality of these is questionable, I find myself oddly drawn to them in a slavering, geeky sort of way. Especially the Netsurfer, because it's built on the foundation of a funky rocking chair I happen like called the Chip.

chip. shot.
First let's deal with Chip, described

globlow.

Globlow is another one of those "living lamps," sort of like the Gravity but less aggressive. In the Globlow's case, the shade is made of rip-stop nylon that inflates when the light is on and deflates when it's off.

deflated.
I think the idea is interesting, but the execution isn't quite working for me. I don't think I want to wait for my light to inflate, and even if I did the deflated

satala.

How's this for a description: "It drips from the wall to the floor in one sinuous swoop balancing itself on a single foot." Ever think those words would apply to a hammock? Me neither.

one-tree.
The Satala is a one-tree hammock "inspired by a mother rocking her baby to sleep." Rock may not be the best word, as it really moves side to side. More of a "sway" in my book. But either way, it

gondola.

Here's an ultra-simple but ultra-modern-looking way to store those old fashioned things called "compact discs" that some people might still have lying around. It's called the Gondola and can be found at Bart Design.

mastro. work.
The Gondola (designed by Mastro Design) is made from two sheets of clear Plexiglas around a soft foam insert. It holds about 30 CDs (you know, those shiny discs they

lightwedge.

Somebody had a bright idea when they came up with the Lightwedge. It's a reading light for books made out of a sheet of optical-grade (whatever that means) acrylic and illuminated by LEDs. The LEDs light the acrylic which in turn evenly lights the entire page you're reading. This seems like a better idea than traditional book lights, which tend to brightly light one spot of the page only.

buildings. of. disaster.

Over on the Moss site I found some very strange "artwork" for your house called Buildings of Disaster. Like any other disaster, I find myself both fascinated and horrified by these. Fascinated that someone would make them, yet...horrified that someone would make them.

why?
The obvious question is, why? The answer is "Souvenirs are important cultural objects which can store and communicate

boy. girl. boy. boy. girl. girl. duvets.

Over at Fitzsu I found these duvet covers and pillow shams with the outlines of boys and girls on them. You can match the duvet to suit your lifestyle, with options including boy-girl, boy-boy, girl-girl and, for those of you who are unattached, single boy and single girl.

down. under. covers.
The duvets and shams are 100% cotton with a 250 thread count, and come special ordered from Australia

looking. for. funky. dressers. etc.

I've been looking around for funky dressers, chests and nightstands to complement the funky decor of a bedroom, and I haven't come across too much. If anyone can point me to some cool stuff, I'd appreciate it. You can reply to this post or send me e-mail at the address on the right. I'm particularly interested in stuff that has a curvy/organic shape, but would love to look at anything funky you

terra. by. nucleo.

What's a lawn chair? Dictionary.com defines it as a "chair left outside for use on a lawn or in a garden." The designers at Nucleo have a different take on it, though. Their definition is a chair made out of your lawn. Called the Terra, of course.

grow. your. own.
The Terra starts out as a cardboard form in the shape of a chair. Fill the form with dirt, then fill the dirt with grass seeds,

loch. ness. desk.

The Loch Ness by Bram Boo is a funky "storage element" with a removable chunk and an odd overhanging lip. Odd, that is, until you take the chunk out and sit on it in front of the lip, and then you realize the chunk is a stool and the lip is a desk. Mr. Boo is quite clever, no?

naming. names.
I'm assuming the Loch Ness is so named because it kind of vaguely looks like the Loch Ness monster if

gravity.

The Gravity from Front is a concept design (at least, I think it's just a concept) for an interactive lamp that reacts to your presence. When you're not in the room, it lays down and goes to sleep. When you enter, it wakes up, stands and turns on to give you light.

creepy. and. cute.
The Gravity is equal parts cute and creepy. Cute because it's sort of like a pet that's happy to see you when

lampadina.

The Lampadina is a simple, elegant light that deserves a simple, elegant description. The base is an aluminum audio tape reel that works as both a cord wrap and (via the holes) a wall mount. The base is fitted with a basic bulb socket that comes in black, purple or orange. Topping it all off is an oversized bulb with a round, frosted patch to reduce glare. The pieces work together to create a

meditation. pod.

The Meditation Pod from Edra is an interesting idea that to my mind suffers from a serious flaw. First, the idea: Create a three-leaf clover design that looks good in the center of the room and "whose ample proportions allow for the freest interpretation of the word 'comfort.'"

okay. but.
Now the flaw: Look at the woman in this picture. She's not quite sitting down and she's not quite lying

ak. rocker.

I was in Best Buy the other day and I came across what looked like a car seat attached to big plastic rails, and I'm thinking, "Okay, I'm not usually interested in car seats, but I have to know what this is." So I asked a Best Buy guy who told me, of course it wasn't a car seat. How could you put that in your car? "Good point, Best Buy guy. So what is it?" A rocking chair, he says. So now I'm

sofa. one.

Sofa One is yet another amazing design for people like me who want their furniture to multitask. In fact, designer Karim Rashid created the sofa specifically so he could get more work done. Which is a good thing, because I’d like to see more designs by Rashid.

bits. and. pieces.
The most interesting thing about Sofa One is that it has a chunk carved out of it. You can use the chunk either as a

yet. another. gmail. post.

It turns out Funfurde readers are so nice, they've been causing trouble (in a good way). In response to the gmail invitation thread, some FF readers have been giving invites to other readers, and the result is that I've sent out a bunch of invitations to readers who have already been invited by someone. Which is great for the person getting invited, but it means a gmail invite goes to waste since

more. free. gmail. invites.

Gmail just gave me more free gmail invites, so if you want one, reply to this note with your e-mail address. First come, first served. (Everyone who replied to the Monday, Aug. 30, post should have received an invite by now.)

hf02.

I usually don't cover things if they've been blogged somewhere else, but since you may not have seen Erasable Ink yet, and since the HF02 sink from Thoms & Nilsson is outrageous, I think I have to do it this time. So, behold the HF02.

water. water. everywhere.
The HF02 was designed to let you "capture the joy that water can bring," which it's already done for me and I haven't even seen it in

sticksound.

I bet you think the Sticksound is a joystick, don't you? As if! No, this clever little beast is actually an FM radio.

control.
Well, I guess technically it's a joystick, because you control the radio station search and volume with the stick part. (Which, I must say, gets a high rating on the cool-o-meter.) But it's not, you know, a gaming joystick.

details.
The Sticksound runs on 2 AAA

after. hours.

The After Hours by Roz Hayes and Dani Stoller is a giant sofa that's also a lounge. At first I thought they meant "lounge" as in a big sofa, but then I realized they meant "lounge" as in a room where people hang out and, you know, lounge around.

room. with. a. view.
Well, maybe not "room" per se but certainly room-like. I mean, it's got walls and a ceiling, plus built-in lights, and it even

free. gmail. invites.

Gmail just gave me six more invites that I'm going to pass on to Funfurde readers. If you're interested, reply to this thread with your e-mail address. First come, first serve.

the. tube. lamp.

I love this modern lamp made from retro tubes. How great is it? So great that it has its own Web site. The fact that creator Nik Willmore says it was "nerdily conceived" is just an extra bonus.

showcase.
The lamp is made of 9 so-called "showcase" bulbs controlled by a dimmer. They're called "showcase" because they're used in store displays and picture frame lights. Of course they are. You can

disney. faucet.

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a big Disney fan, but when I came across this Disney bathroom paraphernalia on the Kohler site, it made me smile.

subtle.
What most impressed me about the Disney Collection is that it doesn't scream DISNEY! at me the way a lot of their stuff does. I mean, 4.5 seconds in a Disney store is enough to drive me insane. But I think the Disney faucet, with its

flipper.

I didn't know I wanted an umbrella stand until I found the Flipper. Let me clarify here: I don't need an umbrella stand. I only own one umbrella, and it's a compact model that's only about a foot long, so it wouldn't even fit in an umbrella stand if I had one. I don't have one, because I don't need one. But I still want a Flipper, in the worst way.

end. of. the. rainbow.
The Flipper has me

solitaire. chair.

Alfredo Haberli is a pretty smart guy, and he's also a pretty good designer. He realized that people sitting on a chair might need a table to go with it. Maybe they'd want to just put their drink on the table, but maybe they'd need to write on it too, or put their laptop on it. So rather than design a chair and then designing a table to go with it, he designed the Solitaire, which is both at

travelland. river. table.

Based on the theory that rivers are relaxing, Oliver Beckert thought it'd be nice to put one in your house. But, you know, a river can take up a lot of space, so where to put it? At this point Oliver kicked his feet up on the coffee table to have himself a think and...eureka! If the table has room for feet, he thought, it's got room for a river!

maybe. not.
Okay, maybe that's not what happened

mars. chair.

The Mars Chair has a lot of angles on it, but none of them are right angles. That doesn't mean they're wrong angles, just that the chair has a unique surface geometry.

the. more. you. look.
All that edgy geometry makes the chair look different from different points of view, or so the copywriters say. They also make it comfortable to sit in, since the seat has a hollow for your, um, other

asana. floor. lamp.

In yoga, Asana means posture, or seat. In Italy, Asana means weirdo chair, or weirdo lamp. At least the Asana made by Kundalini does.

extrasensorial. signs.
To clarify, the 6.5' tall Asana is both a chair and a lamp. Either separately, or both at the same time. It stems from the Kundalini philosophy to create things that are not only beautiful but "also and above all extrasensorial signs.

flos. night. owl.

The Flos Night Owl carpet/nightlight might be a brilliant idea or just sort of, um, silly. It's a carpet with a pattern on it -- in that pattern is a circle -- on that circle you put an LED light -- at night that light lights up the carpet -- it also lights up the pattern -- and that prevents you from tripping when you go get a glass of water. So the theory goes.

i. liked. it. better.
I

ventana. lamp.

The Ventana is called a "lamp" but it doesn't particularly look like one, and you don't particularly need to use it like one. I mean, it is a lamp, but it's also a "light curtain" that can swing out and rotate sidewise to act as a room divider, or it can be used as a window treatment. I suppose if you work hard, you could get it to do all three at once.

versatile. ventana.
The "V" in Ventana

sapien. bookcase.

The Sapien Bookcase is a brilliant design that lets you stack books vertically instead of horizontally. Created by Bruno Rainaldi, it's primarily billed as a way to save space. But I think it does more than that. For me anyway, it's a more natural way to store books: in piles.

piles. and. piles.
When I'm not reading books it's pretty easy to keep them in traditional cases. But when I start

vector. tv. unit.

The Vector TV Unit from Axi sounds like a videogame system and looks like a podium, but it's actually something you put your TV on. Once the TV is on top, your DVD, VCR and other entertainment gizmos go in the shelf parts. (I think the bit that looks like a microphone is actually used to prop up a flat panel TV.)

attention.
What I like about the Vector is that while it looks fun and

performance. vip. club. chair.

If you call a product the "Performance VIP Club Chair" my feeling is you better deliver something that lives up to that name. I haven't actually sat in these chairs, so I can't comment 100%. But based on all the other home theater chairs I've seen and sat in -- and I love home theater chairs -- these look about eight times better than most. They're from Irwin Seating.

stylin.
Home theater chair

bond. age. beanbag.

The first thing you notice about the Bond Age Beanbag is the soft black nubuck suede that it's made out of, right? Yeah, me neither.

yes. they. are.
Yes, those are chains attached to the Bond Age, and yes, that is a girl attached to the chains. Deliberately. As manufacturer Jucci puts it, with the Bond Age you can "either just lounge with your loved one or, with the addition of clever little

bulbcaps.

The Bulbcap is (you know it's coming) a bright idea. It's a little rubber sheath you put over an unsightly bare lightbulb to turn it into a slightly more sightly, slightly less bare bulb. It comes in colors, and can safely be used on bulbs up to 40 watts. (I'm studiously avoiding going for the easy joke here...I just want you to know that.)

simple. concept.
The Bulbcap is a simple but elegant

morfeo.

According to the manufacturer, the Morfeo couch owes a nod to Morpheus, the god of sleep and dreams. Dreams I presume because the couch is dreamy looking and you'll hopefully have wonderful dreams when you sleep on it, and sleep because the couch also unfolds into a bed.

aether.
I think they should also throw in a mention about Aether, the god of light, because of the wicked funky flexible

weekend. web. updates.

Some cool Web sites I've added to the links section: Plushpod and Hive are well worth a visit, Steve pointed out that I didn't have a link to Design Within Reach, the name Lightology is fantastic but I wish the online store had a bigger selection, and the name TheMagazine.info is strange, but the store itself is wonderful (I wrote to ask them why they chose that name, but have not heard back yet

mago. serving. trolley.

Sometimes I could use a serving trolley and other times I could use a coffee table, but no times could I use both simultaneously, due to space issues. Since I can't have both, I don't have either, but if I did, I'd also want them to look kind of modern but kind of funky. And while we're at it, I have a weakness for tables with big wheels, so...why not throw those in too?

raul. barbieri.
There's

the. magic. pouff.

Some things you just don't realize you need until you come across them, like The Magic Pouff by Denis Santachiara. The Pouff is both an ottoman and a bed, depending on what you want it to be. Who knew such things existed?

inflatable.
Okay, it's actually an inflatable bed in an ottoman, complete with a compressor to pump the bed part up. And I really don't need one, but it looks so cute I want

lazy. lamp.

The Lazy Lamp from Chris Slutter is a cross between a floor lamp and a wall sconce. That makes it kind of perfect if you want a sconce, but you either a) don't want an on-wall kind with a cord hanging from it or b) don't want to cut into your sheetrock to add the in-wall kind. It's also kind of perfect if you want a floor lamp, but one that looks a bit unusual.

it. leans.
The Lazy is also

bouloum. chaise.

What could be more comfortable for the human body to recline on than a human body in recline? If that made sense to you, then you more or less understand the sentiment behind the Bouloum Chaise. It was designed by Olivier Mourgue in 1968 and named after one of his childhood friends (presumably someone he sat on and, if so, hopefully a comfortable someone).

characterful.
The Hive Web site

tipi.

What do you get for the person who has everything, including a Pony? A Tipi of course. A Tipi is basically the same thing as a Pony, but it's not a Pony. Which is to say, like the Pony it's meant to be a seat, but not necessarily a chair. And like the Pony it's meant to be fun. But it doesn't look like a Pony. It looks like, well, a Tipi.

is. it. better?
Is the Tipi better than the Pony? Only

art.

When you go to the ART Web site you'll see some pretty unusual vacuum cleaner images: there's one in a collector's case, another by an artist's easel, and a third by a couple in bed with a dozen roses. What's going on here?

art. as. art.
What's going on is that Miele has created a designer vacuum cleaner called ART, one that's supposed to look as good as it works. In other words, there's art

pony.

I don't think I can describe the Pony any better than creator Eero Aarnio already has: "A chair is a chair, is a chair, is a chair ... but a seat does not necessarily have to be a chair. It can be anything as it is ergonomically correct. A seat could even be a small and soft Pony on which you can 'ride' or sit sideways."

not. a. toy.
Aarnio maintains that the Pony is not a toy, at least not a

amleto. ironing. board.

I never thought I'd be blogging an ironing board on Funfurde, but (takes a deep breath) here I go: The Amleto is a seriously good-looking package. I won't say it makes ironing boards cool, but it comes as close as anything's ever going to.

style. elegance.
The Amleto looks pretty good when it's set up for ironing, and surprisingly it looks even better when it's hanging on the wall. The frame

ecco. lamp.

If you're looking for a table lamp that will fit into an industrial decor, you should be looking at the Ecco Lamp. From the chrome plating to the wall-style flip switch (illuminated, no less), this thing could have fallen out of the back of Monster Garage. Oh yeah, it has a dimmer too.

2 finishes. 50 watts.
If chrome is a bit over the top for you, you can soften the Ecco with a pewter finish,

up 5. chair.

Chris, a Funfurde reader, pointed me to the UP 5 chair by B&B Italia. It's part of the UP2000 series, which is based on a design first unveiled by Gaetano Pesce in 1969. The UP2000 furniture is described as "a series of seven seatings of various dimensions, upholstered in a particular stretch fabric, whose anthropomorphic forms conserve intact, thirty years after their first appearance, the

sheren-bett. expandable. bed.

The Sheren-Bett Expandable Bed is neat solution if you're not quite sure what size bed you'll be using down the road, or you're not quite sure what mattress or mattress-like-thing you'll be using it with. (I've gone from a twin-size mattress to a large futon to a full queen mattress in my time, buying a different frame for each, so this is something that interests me.) Designer Daniel Thut made

roma. mobile. work. unit.

I don't draw much of a line between work space and living space anymore. It all sort of blends together, and I tend to look for furniture that blends too. The Roma Mobile Work Unit from G.A.D. does some pretty serious blending, and looks like something I might get a lot of use out of. The name needs a bit of work, though.


deskable? tablesk?
I can see why G.A.D. calls this a "unit," since it's

lovely. rita. shelf.

You know that really cool long snaky Bookworm shelf that Ron Arad designed for Kartell? The one you always see in Real World houses? The one that costs way too much money? Well, this isn't that one. This is the other cool curvy shelf Arad designed for Kartell, called the Lovely Rita. It's sort of the same, but different.  The big difference is that this one's really really curved, not just kind

phoenix. chair.

Hank Vu isn't kidding around. When Urbana's chief designer set out to make a chair "inspired by the flight of birds," he made sure you'd know it at first glance. And when he put wing-backs on this chair, he really put wing-backs on it. Behold the Phoenix.

on. the. wing.
I think the Phoenix is pretty self explanatory: See. Desire. Drool. Beyond its looks, though, it's worth talking about how

aga.

Racing Green.  You don't often hear that color when it comes to ovens.  But then again you don't often come across ovens as amazing as the Aga, which is available in a whopping 15 colors.   Take that Kenmoore, GE and all you other bland brands that think almond, white and black are the only colors kitchens should have.
 
iron. age.
The Aga doesn't just look different, it's also built

trek. coffee. table.

I'm not sure furniture gets more funky (or maybe hokey) than Trek, a light-up coffee table inspired by -- I'm not kidding -- Star Trek. The thing comes from Jet Net in France, where they also make a Galactica Chair,  a piece called Lunaar (that can be used as a chair, a table or a chandelier), and a few other products. Obviously they have a theme going on. Oh yeah, all of it lights up.
 
it.

turnaround. chair.

The only thing that moves on the Turnaround Chair is the backrest, which swivels freely through 360 degrees.  What possible good could that do anyone?  Let me tell you...
 
front. to. back.
You know That Guy who always sits in the chair the wrong way, draping his arms over the back?  Hint: In the office he's the overgrown, obnoxious frat boy.  In the movies, he's usually the bad guy (who

pablo. vase.

Flower vases and pictures have always had a strange relationship, mostly because people feel compelled to paint endless pictures of flower vases. The Pablo Vase combines the two so that the vase is the picture, and vice versa. Brilliant.

picture. this.
What really makes this vase work for me is that it plays with my sense of dimensionality. My mind sees "picture frame" and thinks 2-D, but

fj-57

The FJ-57 sounds more like an XPrize contestant than a sofa, but a sofa it is. I think the full name is "Sofa Model 57" by Finn Juhl, but FJ-57 seems to be its popular abbreviation. Finn, by the way, was an award-winning furniture creator, architect and a father of sorts to Danish design. I didn't know any of that when I saw the FJ-57, I just thought it looked different and cool. But I can

radical. radiators.

I used to think radiators were crappy, unsightly relics of Victorian era plumbing that had to be hidden away at all costs. If I'd known they made them this cool (er, hot) looking, I wouldn't have been so quick to buy a house with central air. Seriously, these things are outrageous, and Bisque carries way more than I have pictured here. And, yes, by "radiator" I do mean those things that heat

word. clock.

When I think about what time it is, I usually think in relative terms, not the absolute numbers most clocks use. If it's almost twelve o'clock, for instance, I usually think something cunning like, "It's almost twelve o'clock." I don't usually think "It's 11:57:02."

dutch. architects.
Apparently some Dutch architects think the same way I do, which is why they invented the Word Clock. The

eva. solo. grill.

Over on the Dwell bulletin board they're discussing modern outdoor barbecues, and the pickings are slim indeed. It's obvious that grill makers have a long way to go when it comes to innovative design. There is a diamond in the rough, though, and it's called the Eva Solo Grill.

solo. style.
The Eva Solo is a gorgeous piece of stainless steel cooking art that doubles as a gorgeous mod-looking

ola. phone.

I was browsing the Funky Phone Company and came across this awesomely organic design by Philippe Starck. Called the OLA, it grew out of his desire to "make a telephone which was no more than an extension of the human limb."

human?
Although I love the phone, I have to point out that it doesn't look much like an extension of a human arm. Maybe an alien arm, or a body part from a Cronenberg film.

all. around. couch.

The philosophy behind the All Around Couch from Dnsign is "to meet." In this case you literally won't be able to avoid the person sitting next to you, because you sit in/around a big hole. Once you're in, you're in. And so is anyone who's brave enough to join you. Plan on getting to know them well.

accessorize.
You can accessorize the couch with back rests and a small glass table. They're

KLOC. floor. lounger

The KLOC Floor Lounger from Ligne Roset is basically a padded rug with a built-in hump. If you're thinking, "There must be more to it than that" then you're thinking too hard. Rug. Hump. That's all you get.

what. good. is. it?
If you're thinking, "What good is a rug with a hump in it?" I can't say I blame you. But it does have a few things going for it. First off, it's a pretty nice rug. It's

hag. pantonic. chair.

Xeni over at BoingBoing told me about her other Web site, Ambience Dore, where I found the Hag Pantonic chair. This is another one of those chairs that has "dynamic ergonomics," which means the chair moves when you do, and that’s supposed to be good for you. Read on.

what. hag. says.
"An ergonomic chair is a chair that naturally follows you as you move to the next sitting position. It must

droog. laundry. basket.

Dirty laundry is uninteresting and unsightly, and watching it pile up tends to be unsettling. Unless you have a Droog laundry basket. Then dirty laundry is simply a catalyst for an ever-changing work of art. The more laundry you throw in the Droog, the more changes you'll see.

plastic. fabric.
The basket is basically a thin sheet of plastic rolled up in a cone shape, with a piece of knit

desk. #230.

Rhoom is a Los Angeles based designer and manufacturer that advocates simplicity and functionality. I guess that's why this piece is simply and functionally called "Desk #230." Anything else you need to know, you can find on the Web site. Well, almost.

the. desk.
The #230 manages to be bold and minimalist at the same time. Bold because the designer chose to balance a built-in flower vase on

predicta. chalet.

Telstar has been making noise recently with their Predicta TV line, and deservedly so. I'm in love with the in-development Chalet model, which is described as "a tribute to the great American Icon, the Drive-In Theater." What's particularly cool about the Chalet is that the 18" color picture tube can be tilted up and down, and also turned right or left, so you can make sure the screen is just-so

cameleon. interactive. furniture.

Norman Coultur designed his Cameleon line of furniture to be interactive. Don't worry, this isn't another ill-fated attempt to let your recliner connect to the Web. It's a way to let you connect your furniture together like jigsaw pieces. Need a sofa but only have two chaises? Use your ottoman to join them together and you're set.

platforms. backs. arms.
The Cameleon line is made up of

evo. chair.

The Evo chair from Bo Concept is one of those body-hugging affairs that you'll either find super comfortable or totally wretched. I happen to find it super comfortable, both physically and psychologically. For me it's not a bit unlike curling up in a puffy eggshell: Snuggly. Safe. Secure.

the. look.
A glance at the Evo should be enough to tell you if it will fit in with your decor or not. It

cirque. ceiling. fan.

I love everything about ceiling fans except looking at them. Not to put too fine a point on it, but most are ugly. The worst offenders are the ones with brown faux wood paddles that seem to have crawled out of a 1970s kitchen. But even bold attempts to modernize fans tend to come off poorly. Try to add a bit of metal or a hint of a curve to the paddles and suddenly the fans look like death

dale. chihuly. piano.

Put artist Dale Chihuly together with Steinway & Sons and the result would be a piano like the Olympia. Actually, the result would be two Olympias, one that travels around the world on display and another for Dale's house.

art. case. collection.
The Olympia is part of Steinway's Art Case Collection and was designed for the 2002 Winter Olympics. According to Steinway's official Web site, the

low. volt. light.

The Low Volt Light from SuckUK is about as minimalist a design as you'll see. There's no shade and no on/off switch, just a bare bulb and two hoops of wire. Put the bulb in one hoop and it turns on, put it in the other and it turns off. (Okay, there are a few more parts, like a cord so you can plug it in and a shiny reflector plate. But that's it. Really.)

low. light.
The Low Volt Looks great,

weekend. web. updates.

I added some links on the right that are well worth checking out, including Sensory Impact, MoCoLoco, Generate, Apartment Therapy, SuckUK, Velocity, Black+Blum, and Design Addict. (The listing order is random and has no bearing on quality. They're all cool.)

mystic. sink.

I was browsing the archives of the excellent site MoCoLoco when I came across the Mystic Sink. I can't pick an adjective to describe it, but some that come to mind are: Stunning. Dramatic. Amazing. Jaw dropping. Beautiful. Gorgeous. I could go on, but instead I'm going to just go with an exclamatory "Wow!" for now.

not. practical.
Of course, this isn't a very practical sink. It's 50" long but

gmail. invites.

Gmail has given me a few more invites that I'm going to pass along to Funfurde readers. If you're interested, post a comment with an e-mail where I can reach you.

nixie. clocks.

I think a milestone of sorts has been reached. I've seen Nixie clock kits on the Internet before, but last week for the first time I saw one on sale in a brick-and-mortar store, albeit a high-end overly expensive brick-and-mortar store. But at least that means Nixies have finally gone mainstream!

numeric. indicator. experimental-1.
If you're wondering why they're called Nixies, the name comes

tivoli. model. one.

There's been a lot of blogging recently over the iPAL portable radio from Tivoli, which is an excellent companion for iPods. I'm a big fan of the iPAL but prefer Tivoli's also excellent Model One.

style. sound.
The differences for me come down to sound and style. The Model One sounds better to my ear, and indeed comes with a slightly bigger speaker than the iPAL. Also, the Model One in black (

noël. chair.

I don't usually buy into a manufacturer's hype, but the people at Szado describe their Noël chair this way: "In red it is the flame of passion. In green it is the bud of new growth." And looking at the chair, I get it.

art. not. furniture.
However, the Noël in any color doesn't look particularly comfortable, and even Szado wisely bills it as a "piece of art." And I suppose as art goes, $2,100

invader. wall. graphics.

I want the Space Invaders rug but not the $3,000 charge I'd have to put on my credit card to get it. While reading BoingBoing I found a compromise, the Invader Wall Graphics by Blik. For $45 you get eight decals in assorted colors, including "color-coded missiles." How can I go wrong?

hot. tip.
I noticed Velocity has them for just $40.

not. so. hot.
If I'm reading right, these are vinyl decals

designer. toys. as. art.

After visiting Ningyoushi.com I suddenly have a desire to buy designer toys from Japan and Hong Kong, like Box C and BB. Sadly BB (the orange one) is sold out, but Box C is just $95! (I'm also tempted by the Kubrick toy version of Edward Scissorhands, though curious why the Terminator 3 Kubricks are not in stock. Did someone actually buy those?)

the. story?
I'm sure there's a story behind

KIRK

If you're looking for elegant but inexpensive shelves (I always seem to need more), check out the KIRK from IKEA, which looks like a giant checkmark to my eye. The picture here is a bit misleading because the long side actually sits more horizontally than this. Here it looks like something from Downhill Racer, but on my wall the shelves gently curve in the direction of the end bracket, which

the. rig.

The Rig is a stylish mobile kitchen island on wheels from the folks at Urban Icons in the UK. It's got a removable block of beech wood for a top that serves as a work surface, along with some internal shelves and lockable casters (for when you don't want it to move so much). Seen here it's outfitted with the some "holdsters" that I'd recommend getting.

too. r2d2.
The Rig is gorgeous and has

eclipse. chair.

It's hard to miss the Eclipse chair from Carter Furniture, since the back is a towering 60 inches tall. This is not an everyday piece, but it would make quite the conversation starter in a grand entrance hall (with suitably tall ceilings) or at the head of a sizeable dining room table.

form. over. comfort.
I like the form of the Eclipse quite a bit, but not the comfort of it. Four words sum up

digital. sand. timer.

I came across this Digital Sand Timer the other day, which has a cool factor of 8 out of 10. The traditional part of the timer shows a numeric countdown in minutes and seconds, while the hourglass side shows digital grains of sand slowly falling from top to bottom. The neat part is that you can turn the timer upside down and it will reverse the countdown. The numbers reorient too.

complex.

cb2. online.

The CB2 site is now online. CB2 is a "new destination" from Crate and Barrel. So far there is only one physical store, in Chicago, but they promise more to come. The Web site is worth a mouse around, if you have a spare couple of moments to kill.

the. swopper.

I've run across the Swopper chair in furniture stores and places like Relax the Back that sell ergonomic stuff. I have to admit, it's piqued my interest, but not because of the grandiose claims behind it. I just think it looks fun.

sit. in. motion.
Swopper USA claims the chair allows you to "sit in motion," which supposedly gives you all kinds of benefits over normal chairs. Swopper dealer

float. bed.

Max Longin of Germany sent me a link to his intriguing "float" bed. I haven't seen it in person, but you can get the general idea behind this piece from the picture and Web site. Max says the site will be translated into English by the end of June.

big. brother. lamp.

You don't just switch on the Big Brother Lamp, you ignite it by turning a key (supplied). Of course that's not the only interesting design element of this thing. Just look at it. Someone clearly watched War of the Worlds before they sat down to build this. If you like your lamps with less sci-fi to them, the blue version is not quite as alien looking as the green. It's about two feet tall and

propello. fan.

It's summer, and summers tend to be hot. Heat tends to be diminished by breezes, hence the invention of the fan. But fans look unsightly and make noise, hence the invention of Propello.

black. and. blum.
Propello comes from black+blum, my new favorite designers. First, they made the fan look (sorry about this one) cool (told you) with a neat feat of design. Then they made it work to cool you

amsterdam. in. new. york.

Technically the Amsterdam sofa is a "sectional" but that's a pretty ugly word for this intriguing slab of furniture. It seems designed as a conversation piece, both in the way people will converse about how interesting it looks and in the way they'll be able to easily converse with one another while sitting on it.



compromising. positions.
When it's closed, the Amsterdam has room for three,

scooter. power.

I can't decide if the Scooter collection from Sitcom Furniture is more fun than funky, or vice versa. Each piece has two distinguishing features: it has to lean on something instead of standing free, and it has wheels. Sounds dangerous, right? It's really not -- the wheels are mounted parallel to the leaning surface (i.e. wall) and made of rubber, so they grip and steady quite well. But it

cool. hunting.

If you like Funfurde chances are you'll also like Josh Rubin's blog Cool Hunting. The site's subhead sums it up succinctly: Stuff From The Intersection Of Design, Culture and Technology.

more. design. blogs?
If you know of any other interesting design blogs, let me know and I'll check them out.

(Thanks Gizmo for reminding me how cool Cool Hunting is.)

sydney. sofa.

The idea behind this sofa is to give every person sitting on it a little place they can call their own. That's accomplished by the scalloped back, which partitions the sofa into three seating areas. Does it work? I tried it out in Urbana's showroom in Orange, Calif., and can report that, yes, it does. So well in fact that my friends--who it should be noted weren't even there to buy furniture

retromodern.com.

I decided to order one of the Charles Slutter "Lean Lamps" and found it for a good price at Retromodern.com. While there I checked out the rest of the site and found they had a pretty amazing selection, plus good prices. The home page is a bit messy, but once inside it's easy to surf their collection. Recommended.

thanks. luke.
I had a question for them and a fellow named Luke e-mailed me

weekend. web. updates.

The way Funfurë: works is that there will be at least one post every day about funky furniture and/or design, and then a post on the weekends to update the resource links on the right-hand side. This weekend I'm adding links for Joey Manic, The Well Dressed Home, Goodman/Charlton, Soho Spices, Agape, Inform, spOre [Products], and Design & Comfort. I'll also be intermittently posting some

free. gmail. invitations.

I have some extra invitations to join gmail that I'd like to give away as a "Thank You" to Funfurdë readers. If you're interested, leave a comment to this blog entry. (While you're at it, you can let me know what you think of Funfurdë, but that's not mandatory.) If there end up being more people asking for invitations than the number of invitations I have to give, I'll randomly select from

electra. chair.

I've got mixed feelings about this chair. On the one hand it's got a high funk factor, but on the other it might be just a bit too Jetsons for me. It's made by Goodman Charlton Inc., and it's actually quite comfortable as funky chairs go. It's nicely padded but doesn't feel like you're sitting on puff, and it's roomy enough that you can curl up with your knees under you and not feel cramped.

soho. spice. rack.

When it comes to spice racks, the typical offerings at Bed, Bath & Beyond or Crate & Barrel just don't do it for me. But the Soho Spice Rack does. It meets my two big criteria for a spice rack: 1) it's got to look good. 2) it's got to work. By "work" I mean, I have to be able to see all the spices at a glance, they have to be in easy reach, but they can't be in the way.

two. equals. four.
If

the. well. dressed. home.

I found The Well Dressed Home while scouring the Web for the lowest price on the Soho Spice Rack. The site is simple but professional looking, and despite the cheap pricing it didn't strike me as the kind of place that would just take my money and run. Since I was ordering three of the $88 priced racks, I e-mailed and asked if there was a discount for "bulk" orders. A fellow named Jim wrote

joey. manic. virtual. office

The Virtual Office by Joey Manic is my ultimate dream desk. It seems to have been made with only two things in mind: style and organization.

organize.
Let's take organization first. In the Virtual Office there's enough room for a little of everything, but absolutely no purchase for unwanted clutter. You can keep a few papers in plain view with the "file cabinet," store a pen or two in the "

flexible. pvc.sink.

This sink from Agape in Italy is made from a sheet of flexible PVC and seems to float in air. I first saw it at a store called Inform in Vancouver, B.C., then again in Inform's Seattle showroom. Both times it caught my eye straight away. When I reached out to touch it, I was delighted to discover it had a pleasant, flexible feel, not unlike a piece of licorice (or a gummy bear!). That means it's

spOre. bell.

Your spOre bell is ringing. No, you're not infected with mold, but you do have great taste. The spOre Bell from spOre [products] is a doorbell that's so cool, the first time I saw a wall of them on display I thought they (it?) were interactive art. Which, in a way, I guess they are. They look intriguing, and if you touch them, they react in interesting ways. Plus, they light up. And they

round. float. table.

I found this ingenious Round Float Table at a store called Area 51 in Seattle, Wash. I say ingenious because the leaves of the table (the wooden parts on either side of the center glass) actually fold in on themselves and tuck away under the table, making this ideal for small homes. The frosted glass lends this piece more warmth than many other glass tables we've seen, and the dark wood means

dragon. faucet.

I found this faucet in one of those trendy New York stores that sells items salvaged from old buildings. The height looks like it would be a perfect fit with a modern vessel sink. The style manages to be both funky and classic at the same time. Although it looks like it came from a well appointed home, I'd put this in a simple setting. When you have a piece this singular, let it fly solo.

the.

maly. bed.

This is the famous Ligne Roset "Maly Bed" that you see in virtually every designer magazine. I decided to check it out and see how cool it was in person. The answer is that it's pretty damn cool, but it has a few drawbacks.

the. cool. parts.
There is no fixed headboard on this bed. Instead there are movable back cushions that you can rearrange as needed. It also comes with optional pivoting

sleek. chic. chaise.

The Monte Carlo chaise from Urbana is "inspired by the design of classic American automobiles." It shows, doesn't it? But this chaise isn't just sleek, it's also comfortable and well made. Granted it won't fit in with everyone's decor, but if it fits in with yours, be sure to check it out.

hot. tip.
Urbana also makes a matching sofa.

the. picture.
This was taken at SOMA Sofa in San Francisco,

mirror.

This mirror adds a bit of funk to any room but can still blend in with more traditional furniture thanks to its gorgeous mahogany finish. You'll need a lot of room for this one, though, since it's 81 inches tall. You'll also need a lot of cash; it costs a bit over $1,000.

this. picture
We took this at Design & Comfort in New York, N.Y.

space. invaders.

Want a rug that's modern and retro? This Space Invaders piece should do it.

ouch.
Playing with this rug will cost you $3,000.

interesting. fact.
This rug is made by Dune in New York. The owner told me that they called Taito (creator of Space Invaders) to ask permission to manufacturer it, and were given the go ahead with no need for a licensing fee or royalty payment.

the. picture.
This was

naomi. bed.

The Naomi bed by Axi is a whimsical piece that's also comfy and cozy looking. Seen here it only has a boxspring, not a mattress, so adjust your perception accordingly.

hot. tip.
Axi also makes a dresser, a chest, a nightstand and an armoire in the Namoi line.

modern. vanity.

This vanity is a bit too modern for my tastes, but it's got some interesting things going on. I like the fact that the sink and counter are made from a single piece of see-through glass, and overall the lines are nicely atypical. Notice how the shelf above the sink is only about half as wide as the top piece with the inset lights? I'm not crazy about the cabinets being offset on an angle from

steel. martinis.

Martini set at Basics. A steal at $19.95.

hot. tip.
Bed, Bath & Beyond also carries these.

basics. furniture.

I popped into Basics Furniture today, which I stumbled across by accident. The store has definitely earned a place in my heart. On the retro/modern/funky meter I'd give it a solid modern with a bit of funk thrown in. But it's not modern in that annoyingly SOHO self-aware way like so many NY stores (especially ones not actually in SOHO). Not sure why they call it Basics, as it carries anything