The sculptural human furniture pieces one can see in the images are by Dzmitry Samal, head of ‘Samal Design’ which is a design studio based in Paris. Samal describes his human furniture creations as being “a mix between the pragmatism and efficiency of the geometrical shapes and sculptural beauty of the human body”. There’s a lot of philosophical points to be made regarding these beautiful and unusual furniture pieces. I’m reminded somewhat unsurprisingly of Franz Kafka’s short story ‘The Metamorphosis’, where a man turns into an insect one morning. However, in the case of these sculptural furniture pieces, the human form is transforming into something altogether more attractive and indeed, functional.

The designer of the sculptural human furniture pieces, Dzmitry Samal, has a rich cultural background and education in design. He’s worked with fellow designers from around the world and travelled widely during his studies and for work. The sculptural human furniture pieces are therefore the creation of a highly imaginative mind which has been cultivated through experience in countries such as Belarus, Italy and France.

I’ve written about living human furniture before but these pictured here are something else. Their metamorphosis from human to furniture, or alternatively from furniture to human, create existential questions about our very nature and how we shape the world around us. Do we become furniture to our surroundings or perhaps we are merely decorative art like a poster on the wall? For designers, the questions about how furniture is designed can be given an extra impetus through the viewing of these sculptural human furniture pieces. Surely a wardrobe for example can be made to mirror the main torso of the human body? A wardrobe does act as a storage area for clothes which hide the main frame of a human being after all.

The sculptural human furniture pieces in many ways echo the shape of the human body when interacting with the furniture piece involved. For example, the closet shows the human body reaching out to take something from within, such as a shirt or coat. A floor lamp is shaped like a human arm reaching for the on and off switch. Low shelving is shaped like the bended knees of someone searching for a book on the lower levels. The furniture becomes us, like a mirror image, a statement of who we are.

You can read a lot more about the talented artist and designer Dzmitry Samal on his website which can be found here: Dzmitry SAMAL Design Website.

For more images and information of this human furniture collection see: Sculptural Human Furniture by Dzmitry Samal.

Note: All images in this post belong to Dzmitry Samal and were reproduced here with his permission.

The Carnival Skull is an item that was once part of the famous Carnivale which took place in villages, towns and cities across Italy and still does to this day. The Carnivale, which include the much loved Martedi Grasso in Venice, begin in mid-January and continue until Ash Wednesday. It’s not until the last three days of the events that the festivities and colorful pageants really enter their zenith. During this time, music, dancing, parades and the famous mask masquerades are everywhere.

This Carnivale skull was used as a mounted fire breathing decoration which gave the terrifying vision of a ghostly skull with flames pouring out of its grinning mouth. It’s most likely from the Martedi Grasso carnival where it would have been paraded along with harlequins, symbols of the 12 months and a representation of ‘King Carnival’. The King is always a straw model of a fat man who is eating and drinking and generally scoffing his face before the period of Lent. At midnight, the body is burned in the Piazza San Marco.

If you love Italian traditions and European carnivals, plus have a weak spot for skulls (perhaps you were a Goth as a kid), then you will probably find this former fire-breathing carnival skull to your liking. Perhaps it will find a home on your bedroom bedside table or by the hearth in the sitting room. Have a scout around their entire collection which you can find here: Blackman Cruz Design Collection.

When first entering the interior of the Brussels Royal Palace, it can be difficult to know what exactly the glowing green ceiling is made of. Many visitors offer their best guesses which range from silkworm yarn, wool, gem stones and painted shells. The ceiling itself rests above the intricately decorated and luxurious interior filled with ornate and classical art and designs.

The ‘Heaven Of Delight’ as the jewel beetle adorned ceiling is called, took four months to complete. The reason for choosing this particular bug was because of the jewel beetle’s unique shine and deep green hue. For an artist who has previously worked with various bodily fluids, the insect was a perfect choice as a rather macabre element to a modernist ceiling design.

The exquisite setting means the visitor will possibly assume that the ceiling is made from some precious rocks or gems. Upon close inspection they will see textile-like patterns in a layered format. Suddenly, they will be told what the ceiling is actually made from which has no doubt provided some squeals of amazement and even horror.

You can see more of this artist’s work on his website found here: The website of Jan Fabre.

H/T: dornob.com

The Parisian artist was first inspired to make these toilet roll gargoyles after sitting in school origami classes as a child. Card, in his eyes, has endless potential as a creative medium and he has now made over 40 unique toilet roll tube faces. He cites his inspiration in the art world as being from, amongst others, Swiss surrealist sculptor Giacometti and Senegalese artist Ousmane Sow, who worked in bronze and clay respectively.

It’s not just toilet roll tube gargoyles that Junior Fritz Jacquet makes but also card figurines and illuminated paper sculptures. He says of paper: “Paper is surprising in its fragility but also complex in its texture, elasticity, capacity to absorb light and its memory of being folded or crumpled. … I treat paper like a living material. It has a memory in that it holds or forgets folds or the pressure of a finger.”

These toilet roll tube faces sell at 60 euros each.

H/T: Daily Mail UK

Rolfe’s work is heavy influenced by the natural world and he has created a range of human sculptural forms similar to these in the images. You can see more of this young Englishman’s work as well as his bio by visiting his website here: Peter Rolfe Sculptural Furniture.

Quite what you’d want to put in these drawers is something to contemplate. I’m not sure if the designer intends to sell this range but you can imagine the wonderful possibilities and locations for such a piece. However, I am certain most buyers would be rich bachelors.

Where would you put your sexy female anatomy drawers and what would you use the drawer space for?

The personal urns are created by taking a photographic image of the recently deceased person and turning it into a 3-D Urn where the person’s ashes can be stored. High-tech advances in facial reconstruction along with 3-D printing have led to the possibility of such a detailed and personal representation of a human head.

Quite who would want such a “head urn” like these is an answer I wouldn’t mind knowing. For Elvis and Michael Jackson fans, you could consider having a personal urn in the form of their heads to put on your mantelpiece or hallway table. Of course, you don’t have to keep ashes in these urns, you can instead fill them with lavender, peppermints, nuts or house plants. Just don’t offer any of the mints to someone with a heart condition.

You can find out more about these “head urns” by checking here: Personal Urns

H/T: Gearfuse

The Stamen chandeliers were made by the simple process of gluing thousands of toothpicks together whereby a flexible disc shape was formed. This allows the lamp to be moved and reshaped depending on the look required. Many commentators have remarked it looks uncannily similar to the small Australian mammal the Echidna, or their more well known name, spiny anteater.

Hiraiwa began the process of forming these contemporary lampshade by arranging hundreds of toothpicks upside down in a container. A special Japanese glue was then spread over the bases and allowed to dry. The resulting disc then provides a dynamic base with which to manipulate the lamp’s shape.

Daisuke Hiraiwa was born in Tokyo and later studied architecture and ceramics at Art Collage in Japan. He moved to London in 2006 where he set up his own design company in 2007. You can read more about Hiraiwa as well as his other unique designs here: gdotplus.com

What do you think of this toothpick lamp? Would you have one in your home?

HT: Inhabitat

The Swing with the Plants has a seat that doubles as a planter, from where plants of your choice can grow. If you plant vines then they can grow directly up the ropes and provide a beautiful accompaniment to relaxing afternoon or evening swings.

Whether you put it up outside or inside, both are perfectly possible, the swing will provide a fantastic talking point for friends and family. For nature lovers and adults who are really just big kids at heart, this swing with plants will be an ever changing and developing aspect of your home scenery.

You can see more pictures as well as pricing by swinging over to the following location: Swing with the Plants

The bathroom uses phyto-purification which is a principle based on natural filtering. The waste water we use is recycled and regenerated, ready to be used again. This is achieved by filtering the water from the sinks and shower through an organic system. Yasumoto has taken the commonly used scientific principle phyto-purification and transferred the process into the domestic interior.

The waste water goes through a number of steps on its way to being recycled and purified. A series of rushes based in a foundation of sand, filters the larger waste particles. Inside the root systems of the rushes are a multitude of bacteria which break down and allow the plants to absorb the resulting matter.

Next to the rushes mentioned above, there are planted reeds, which are able to filter heavy metals from the waste water coming from the sinks, bath and shower. There are also a number of floating water hyacinths which take up any further particles that are still present in the water. These are drawn up through the roots of the hyacinth.

Gosh, before my head explodes with all this wonderful science, I am going to hand you over to the experts and makers of this dynamic and fascinating water recycling bathroom system. Follow this link to read more about it: Phyto-Purification Bathroom by Jun Yasumoto.

What do you think? Would you like one of these in your home bathroom? Or is it just plain silly?

Adam Wallacavage discovered this when he set about designing a serious of octopus chandeliers. They come in various shapes, sizes and materials, some even morphing into other animals such as snakes. The original designs are certainly eye-catching and in a way have a certain beauty to them. Most are pretty true to form even including the suction cups on the tentacles. If you’re squeamish, these are not going to be the lighting instillations you are looking for. Would I have one? No, probably not.

What do you think of them?

You can see the whole collection here: Adam Wallacavage’s Octopus Chandliers.