The Elwynn bench is made from a mixture of concrete and steel, thus making it a solid heavy furniture piece which will stand up to the tests of time. It can also be placed outside and sits just as well in a garden as it does in a hallway, living room or kitchen. The concrete and steel have been given a faux bois finish. In French, “faux bois” can be translated to “false wood” and that’s precisely what it is. Ferrocement faux bois uses a combination of concrete, mortar and grout applied to a steel frame or armature to sculpt life-like representations of wooden objects.

Wherever in the home you want a furniture piece to grab people’s attentions, then this delightful tree themed bench will be a perfect addition to the space. Larger homes with bigger rooms will certainly be more suitable to this expressive bench and it can find a great home in a wide variety of interior décor schemes from Bohemian to Classical. You’ll no doubt have a few ideas already of where to put it in your own home. Perhaps in a large spacious entrance area or alternatively in a kitchen interior in place of a traditional breakfast table and chair set.

You can buy it from here: Large Faux Bois Elwynn Bench.

Ships in 1 to 2 Weeks.

The two tables, each with a different height and width, are constructed of spiralled metal rods which make up the body and form a strong and secure structure. Glass surfaces continue with the see-through nature of the table and help keep the focus on whatever is placed on top. The perfect combination of form and function is completed with a Canyon Bronze finish. The look of each table means it can combine well with most forms of furniture design already in place in the home whether contemporary or classical in nature.

Two accent tables like this do not have to be solely decorative. They can also be used as side tables next to an armchair or bed, or alternatively they can act as end tables either side of a sofa or cabinet. Their surface space is limited and thus items such as flower vases, sculptures, and picture frames will be best served on such eye-catching furniture pieces. They can however be used as a place to set down a television remote control, a mug of coffee, or a book you like to keep close to hand. There really are endless possibilities for two tables of this nature and they can be situated in just about any room in the home including the bathroom, hallway, master bedroom, or dining room.

You can buy the pair from here: Spiral Accent Tables.

The creation of the dripping furniture is nearly as remarkable as the gradual formation of real stalactites. Hot wax was gradually dripped and left to dry before more hot wax was dripped, and thus the process was repeated until an item of furniture such as a table or chair was formed. A mixture of chaos and control was attained and much like molten lave flows, the work seemingly took on a mind of its own. As each drop of wax fell and hardened, it became for Cottingham a kind of balancing act and the artist became more of an observer than controller. Finally, when complete, the hardened wax furniture was cast in metal so as to be ready for presentation and indeed, use.

The Oroboros name comes from the ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. It symbolises the endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth, thus becoming a significant title for this collection of work which reforms one substance into another and indeed into a completely different form. The destruction of a candle becomes something new and the fire creates when otherwise it destroys. There is a lot of philosophical food for thought with such an interesting melted wax collection of furniture.

They are available for purchase. Contact the artist directly for more information.

His website can be found here: Adam Cottingham’s Oroboros.

This French-style boudoir stool’s legs will remind most people of the famous French dancing style known as the can-can. The high kicking dance was hugely popular but not without its moments of scandal. Traditionally the female dancers would wear costumes with long skirts, petticoats, and stockings, sometimes with garters. This bedroom stool also comes with the decorative features associated with French theatre décor including the stage curtains and border frills. A comfortable and plush upholstered cushion provides a welcoming perch on which to apply, or remove, make-up.

The highly unique and delightfully charming Folies Bergère music hall themed stool will make a lovely addition to a bedroom or bathroom with a decidedly classical or bohemian décor theme. It’s humorous and culturally historical which will appeal greatly to people with a fondness and fascination with traditional French culture and history. It’s also a sexy piece of furniture and for women with a naughty streak, the boudoir stool will sit pretty in a related décor and furniture collection. It can also be used as a small table or purely as a decorative element in its own right without being used as a seating item. Alternatively, it can be situated in the living room, dining room, or hallway, where it will definitely attract the attention of visitors to the home.

You can buy it here: Folies Bergere Boudoir Stool.

It is a Design Toscano exclusive.

Haillard uses a variety of materials in his work including wood, bronze and silver. The most interesting items he incorporates into his furniture pieces though are wild animal skins such as those from crocodiles and ostriches, together with horns and tusks. The similarity between these natural materials and the shape and appearance of insects is clear to see. A beetle can easily be implied with the use of a rhino horn or elephant tusk. The antennae of many insects lend themselves well to inspired arching curves and chair legs. Haillard has combined these observations with the traditional design of African tribal thrones to create a gentle sense of nostalgia for pomp as well as for irony.

The French designer, who was once a cartoon artist, uses materials in a way that does not detract from their natural splendour whilst at the same time manipulating them to fit his imaginative creations. Placed in a domestic interior, the insect chairs would be impossible to ignore and would demand usage. In this sense, the work of Marcel Duchamp might well have been an inspiration.

You can read more about these chairs and their designer here: Michel Haillard Universe.

Via: Trendhunter.

The Julia Bench is made from two different materials and these are an exotic plank of Macassar wood veneer which is unique in each composition. This plank is held together by two hollow squares of stainless steel metal which creates the illusion of the plank floating in the square without seemingly being attached to the frameworks. The effect is amazing and adds interest to the furniture piece when situated in an interior setting of your choice.

As mentioned above, the versatility of the Julia Bench marks it out as a multifunctional furniture piece for use in a variety of rooms. Placed in a living room, the bench can act as a coffee table where coasters, fabric covers, books and vases will accentuate the simplicity of the item. Alternatively, it can be located at the end of a bed in the master bedroom where it will fulfil the need for a table to place clothing, small storage boxes and belongings that will be needed when first getting out of bed.

In another sense, the bench can be used solely as a decorative sculptural piece which will sit in a hallway, dining room or kitchen and bring a contemporary aura to the setting and interior as a whole. It can then be brought out as a functional furniture piece when a party or social function is held in the home and extra seating is required. As a cat owner, I can just imagine the delightful scene of your cat resting upon the plank and adding natural grace and elegance to the bench-cum-table-cum-sculpture.

You can buy this indoor bench from here: Julia Bench – Coffee Table, Sculpture and Bench All In One.

Price: $798

We often find travelling to be a rather uncomfortable and tiring experience where we have to wait in queues, sit in airplanes for hours on end and battle to find an unoccupied taxi once we arrive at our destination. This unique suitcase chair seems to play on this theme and is composed of a steel reinforced structure together with delightfully comfortable upholstery which has been covered with Liberty print floral fabrics.

Wooden legs which have been whitewashed so as to match the white linen, add a stylish finish to the overall furniture piece. Katie Thompson who studied in Cape Town likes to work with old and discarded items which she then transforms into new pieces of art and furniture. Extraordinary transformations take place which have made her name synonymous with energy and creativity.

You can read more about her and see more of her work, here: South African Designer Katie Thompson.

Unfortunately, this Suitcase Chair has been sold and is one of a kind.

H/T: Sutkutusu.

The KAIRO chair as seen in the picture is made from a solid piece of cedar wood which has been carved into what can be described as an armchair. This is due to the curving effect and double arc feature of the seat which allows the sitter to rest their arms on the edges when in a sitting position. The inspiration for this chair is said to have come from his land of birth, Egypt and the ancient Egyptian boat designs and hieroglyphs.

Rashid’s desire in making this KAIRO chair, named after the place where he was born, was to create “a piece of furniture from a simple block of wood, with the ‘objective of removing the least quantity of wood possible from the trunk”. The widely respected guest lecturer and part-time DJ, certainly knows how to work creatively with natural forms and to make impressive and beautiful furniture pieces without taking away the very essence of the material used.

See also: The website of Karim Rashid.

H/T: Bonluxat.

The pure crystal bathtub is in fact one of a pair. The other was sold to a Russian magnate back in 2008 for £567,000 (around $859,000). Both bathtubs were individually sculpted by expert craftsmen in Italy. Parts of the surface are purposefully left rough in order to show the natural beauty of the crystal. As one would expect, each of the two tubs is unique in appearance.

The impressive 7ft long crystal bathtub is currently on show in the famous Harrods store in Knightsbridge, London until the end of July 2010.

Source: Daily Mail.

Having won the 2003 Materiaalfonds Prize, this Random Chair is already known as a cut above the rest. In its style, it is reminiscent of a child’s design project involving soggy newspapers wrapped about a soon-to-be-burst balloon. In fact, this is precisely what inspired Bertjan Pot in the first place. However, in this instance, the chair is created using epoxy-dipped carbon fiber which was formed over a single-sided mould. The result is a hollow structure which is not only extremely light but also very strong and thoroughly capable of holding the weight of a human.

The Random Chair is a modern furniture piece ideal for a contemporary room. Bertjan Pot’s delicate yet sturdy chair is both a sculpture and a functioning seat and should be considered as so when deciding on its placement. Light will play an important part as well for the structure and materials used in the creation of the Random Chair are conducive to the display and shadowing of the lights and the general interior.

For example, one can imagine this chair placed beside a contemporary floor lamp in a minimalist themed living room or bedroom. The light will enter into the chair’s body and draw shadows on the floor and nearby walls. With a myriad of flickering candles, the effect will be magical and will hark back to the mysteries of the Middle Ages and beyond. The possibilities are endless.

Price: $1,219