1. PERFECT PITCH
Prop your laptop or tablet at an angle that makes it easier to see the screen and more comfortable for typing. The Cricket stand’s springy folding mechanism collapses like a pocket knife to 8 inches long, 2 inches wide and 1 inch deep. It will cost about $40 when it hits the market in October. lcdarms.com
2. MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES
By day, the sleek Lubi daybed from Denmark is an elegant couch or chaise. By night, it can sleep one as a twin or unfold to become a double bed. It has a kiln-dried hardwood frame, dry-cleanable top cover and headrest. $749 at CB2 (cb2.com)
3. SUPPORT GROUP
Toronto designer/sculptor Robert J. Southcott’s United We Stand bench was conceived as a reminder that we can’t stand alone–we need a little help from our friends. Made of birch plywood with brass hardware, it stands 8 feet tall. $4,525 at robertjsouthcott.com/werkstate/
4. RENAISSANCE REVIVAL
From Watts Contemporaries comes 15th Century-style stemware with a distinctly modern edge. The Florentine Glassware Collection’s opaque glass goblets come in three sizes in a choice of black, white, gold, turquoise or crimson. Starting at about $102 for a set of four.
wattscontemporaries.com
5. A TISKET A TASK LAMP
It moves with a touch of a finger. Restoration Hardware’s Counterpoise task floor lamp is a gleaming tribute to the 1920s balanced-arm lamps of Parisian lighting designer Edouard-Wilfred Buquet. In polished nickel or bronze. $699 at restorationhardware.com
6. POT LUCK
Finnish designer Timo Sarpaneva was inspired by an ancient cast-iron pot when he designed his award-winning three-quart version for iittala in 1960. $265 at I.D., Chicago, or idchicago.com
7. BRITANNIA!
Londoners Jimmie Karlsson and Martin Nihlmar, masterminds behind the madly embellished furniture line Jimmie Martin, describe their custom, one-of-a-kind pieces as “classical but also completely in-your-face.” Imperfection chest starts at $7,000, at Kara Mann, 119 W. Hubbard St., Chicago. karamann.com
8. PENDANT PERFECT
Los Angeles artist Alison Berger trained as an architect and glass blower. Her work has been seen in movies, exhibited at museums and commissioned by Hermes and Comme des Garcons. Her leaded crystal lantern pendant is neutral but sophisticated enough to illuminate any milieu. It measures 8 inches wide, 10 inches high. $2,100 to the trade at Holly Hunt Chicago, Merchandise Mart, Chicago.
9. BLACK AND BLUE
The boldness of the Spot table’s glossy blue top over its dark mahogany base provides serious graphic punch to this small side table. From Councill Furniture, 28 1/2 inches wide by 22 inches high x 30 1/2 inches deep. $2,660 at councill.com for retailers.
10. INTERIOR MOTIVES
The hotly anticipated new design book, “Axel Vervoordt: Timeless Interiors” (Flammarion), examines the luminous style of one of the world’s most influential dealer/designers, showcasing everything from a Tuscan farmhouse to a turreted Medieval castle. $47.25 at amazon.com
11. SUPER HOME
It’s a cabin . . . it’s a cottage . . . it’s a trailer . . . it’s the miniHome, a 350-square-foot RV designed to be a year-round dwelling in virtually any climate. It took 10 years to develop by Sustain Design Studio in Toronto. It’s insulated for freezing Canadian winters and fortified with a structural system that its maker says exceeds the Miami-Dade hurricane standard. Costs range from $107,000 to $160,000, depending on options ( www.sustain.ca).
12. THE GOOD LIFE
The famed Fountain of the Cardinal’s Table in the gardens of the Villa Lante outside Rome–a massive stone slab with trough that cools food and drink in trickling water–inspired the Le Bon Vivant table by 30E design. A single slab of mahogany with a stainless-steel trough, it comes in two sizes. $7,500 and up at 30edesign.com
13. C-SPAN ON WHEELS
Great form and true flexibility are benchmarks of the clear C-Table on casters. Roll it anywhere in a room and it works as a side table; wheel it right up to a sofa or chair and it becomes the perfect perch for a laptop or consummate tray table. It measures 13.5 inches wide, 15.5 inches deep and 23 inches high; is made of thick molded acrylic; cleans up with mild soap, water and a soft cloth; and costs $159 at CB2 (cb2.com).
14. THE EAMES HAVE IT
The plywood elephant, designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1945, was never put into production because it was too complex to fabricate. Two were made then and only one survived (the Eames family owns it). But thanks to a 2007 Anniversary Edition, you can own one too if you hurry. The new herd is limited to 1,000 pieces in each of two versions, natural or red-stained maple. Each one has its own serial number and costs $1,900. vitra.com
15. GOOD RIDDANCE
Making housework seem hip, the Mago broom by Stefano Giovannoni looks so good, why hide it away in the closet? Available in seven colors, with a selection of spare brushes and colorful wall hooks. Brooms are $57 each at unicahome.com
16. PLAINLY PAMPERED
You don’t have to be a Modernist to appreciate this pared-down yet plush pet bed by Ursula Dayenian, an interior designer whose stints at Knoll International and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill inspired doggie furnishings that would work in her own apartment. Made of lacquered birch and brushed stainless steel, it comes in dark brown for $685 or natural for $665. At 23 inches long and 17 inches wide, it can be dressed in an upholstered Ultrasuede or fabric cushion ($205-$230) or faux fur throw ($130-$145). ubxdesigns.com
17. WONDER WASHER
Miele’s Touchtronic front-loading washing machine has a unique interior drum that resembles a honeycomb, greatly reducing stress on garments. A thin layer of water further cushions delicate clothes. From $1,649 at Abt, 1200 N. Milwaukee Ave., Glenview, or abtelectronics.com
18. FRENCH ACCENTS
These Carole Gratale andirons, inspired by the work of the late 20th Century metal master Gilbert Poillerat, will inject a shot of French ’40s cachet into even the most mundane hearth. $4,500 to the trade at John Rosselli, Merchandise Mart, Chicago.
