cacnews.

Inspired by the formidable cactus plant, Cacnews from Sintesi is one of the more innovative ways to hold your magazines and newspapers. The site's English translation doesn't make too much sense to me so I'll include it here in its entirety: "Column in calandered steel-sheet 1,5 mm thick green, aluminium C6, orange or iron lacquered
Base in steel-sheet 4 mm thick green, aluminium C6, orange or iron lacquered." Basically it's a big green metal tube with holes.

solar. system. chair.

In terms of "out there" design the Solar System Chair is so out that it comes from outerspace. Or at least it's sort of vaguely modeled on the planets. And honestly the planets don't look especially comfortable to sit on. But they are fun to look at. And only £99. (Via NerdApproved)

stiletto. doorstop.

The usightly doorstop gets a much needed upgrade with the Stiletto, which looks like exactly what it's named after. When something is this brilliant, there's not much more to say about it, except it's only $12 and comes with a money back guarantee.

period. table.

The elves at Brad Escalon Studio sent over an announcement about the new Period Table, which I instantly fell in love with. Not too much info on this on other than it's made of powder-coated steel and tempered glass. I like it because it's another one of those pieces that has both modern and classic lines to it, meaning it can fit in with (at least to my mind) with both contemporary and antique furniture. Or it can just give you a modern look without looking too modern, if you know what I mean.

paddy.

Paddy is a concept chair from Nick Melville that was part of the DesignersBlock London "Dark Design" exhibit. All the projects in the exhibit had "a slightly sinister edge but with a light hearted or humorous twist," and Paddy is Nick's take on a padded cell, here transformed into "a comfy chair for nutters." It's meant to make you feel safe and secure, giving you "a sanctuary from the rapid pace and noise of everyday life." It's also big enough for two so you can sit with your crazy friend.

bird's. house.

The designers at Industreal have come up with this concept birdhouse that let's us listen in on what our feathered friends are talking about when they're at home. Creator Simone Simonelli says, "This project is born from the idea of amplifying the words of those whom among us have little space, from the concept that the sounds of nature offers us may one day become ours souranatural hi-fi system!"

ravioli. chair.

The Ravioli Chair is the work of architect and theorist Greg Lynn, in collaboration with...his computer. I'll quote here: "By means of the opportunities afforded by computer simulation, a square surface is blown up in three dimensions into a spatial shape that can support any number of uses, offering a rest, a seat, armrests, and a backrest. Ravioli therefore constitutes a contemporary interpretation of classical upholstered furniture."

Cool, no? I think so. The pattern on the chair is digitally designed too and comes in three different color combinations. Seems to cost in the $3,650 range. I believe most of that goes towards the computer's commission.

f-598. chair.

For an orange chair the F-598 looks kind of tough to me. Hell, the name F-598 even sounds tough, like it's a fighter jet or something. It was made by Pierre Paulin in 1973 and is described as "compact, fluid and works very well in grouped sequences." Um, yeah. Sequences. Okay. Maybe not so tough after all. Each chair in that sequence will cost you $2,295 by the way. Oh, that price is tough! And the fabric selections are "Tonus-3" "Divna 2" "Interglobe" and "Novo". Those sound tough to me.

tripple. chair.

Too bad this is only a concept design from Frederik Roije, but what a great concept Tripple Chair is (yes, there are really two Ps in the name). Pretty self explanatory too: it's one "design object" that incorporates a chair, a table and a light. If it existed, it would be a wood and metal frame covered with embroidered wool on cotton, available in various colors. Presumably there would be a light bulb somewhere in there too.

compositional.

This is an awesome wall sconce especially for book lovers and librarians. The Compositional not only looks like a book, its white vellum shade comes with inserts of a William Blake poem and a Schubert symphony that are softly illuminated when the light is turned on. I would suspect you could also make your own inserts, and you can also talk to the manufacturer about other custom options. The lamp also works with plain white inserts but how much fun are those? Cost is a not cheap but not not unreasonable $236.26.