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