gooroom.

The Gooroom from Dune looks like a giant alien soccer ball that fell to Earth without the aid of a parachute. Which is a pretty specific look, really, but I happen to like it. Especially the name, which is just fun to say. Of course the Gooroom is not actually an alien, it's an ottoman that's upholstered in poly-urethane. Size is 16" high and 22" around. Did not see a cost on the Dune site, but it's Dune, so don't expect it to be cheap.

wonder. vase.

The Wonder Vase sounds dorkish but lives up to its name because it actually starts out life flat as a sheet of paper. (See the picture? The thing on the lower right is the Wonder Vase in its flat state.) It's so thin you can mail it to someone, hence the cards you also see in the picture. When someone also mails you flowers (or just hands them to you), it's time to put the Wonder Vase in hot water so it becomes malleable, then you can form it into its vase shape. Next, run it under cold water to "freeze" it, and it's ready for use. When the flowers die, throw them out, then put the Wonder Vase under hot water and make it flat again. All this fun for just $5.95.

multichair.

Usually designers who make furniture that can be reconfigured into different pieces give their creations funky names like "transmorgrafer" or numeric call signs such as "LV-22C." Not Joe Colombo. He created the Multichair back in 1971 and pretty much decided to call it what it is. It's chair made from two "transformable elements" that you can combine in multiple ways to create various chairs, sofas, etc. I'm a little skeptical that you can make them into an armchair (which it says you can) because they have no arms, but otherwise I buy it. There's a diagram that shows you what all you can do with it for the $1,500 it will run you.

angel's. trumpet.

The Angel's Trumpet is a ceiling light that looks sort of like an upside down blossoming flower and a lot more like some kind of alien infestation. Or even, perhaps, the trumpet of an angel. How does it achieve that effect? Because it's made out of sculpted Unyru Japanese paper. The 23" version will cost you $276, or $375 for 48".

mushroom. chair.

Bold, bulbous and dramatic. Words you don't usually use to describe a piece of furniture that's part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art, I'd guess. But that's what the Mushroom Chair by Pierre Paulin is like. Although I will dispute the "bulbous" moniker as it actually looks anti-bulbous to me. If convex is to concave, then I'd say bulbous is to (made up word here) bulbom, so I'd call the Mushroom bulbom. But I won't dispute that it's an awesome piece, and better still comes in a vibrant colors you probably won't find at Ethan Allen. Cost is $2,295.

a. note. about. comment. moderation.

I've had to turn on comment moderation to combat all the comment spam Funfurde has been getting lately. I'll try to approve comments ASAP and hope to be able to turn off moderation if/when the spammers go away. (Suggestions for dealing with this problem are very welcome.)

ds1025.

Despite its mundane name the DS 1025 from De Sede is a beautiful sofa set that looks "like terraced hills" and comes in elements. Two elements will give you enough 1025 to create a two-seat configuration or "a pyramid or a small range of upholstered hillocks." The pyramid looks striking if not particularly useful to me. The hillocks are sort of half and half. Somewhat useful, but only somewhat striking. More elements give you more configuration options, etc.

f41.

The F41 lounge from Marcel Breuer has five things that set it apart from the rest of the furniture world, and all five of those things are wheels! I'm firmly of the opinion that adding wheels to furniture is a great idea (as long as it looks reasonably fitting and tasteful), and the F41 is the best example of this I've seen. It's not just a lounger, it's a roadster. A sportster. A speed demon going 60 miles per hour even when it's sitting still. All that praise and I'm not ever sure if that fifth wheel actually does anything or not! Originally designed around 1930, it's being made today by Tecta and will cost you $2,165. Shipping is free, because it can drive itself to your house (not really that last part).