COMMANDINGLY MODERN, BNT’s versatile Boss Sofa features a swiveling backrest with four positions (from upright to horizontal). The seats also slide forward, enabling the sofa to convert to a chaise longue or bed in relatively short order; note the helpful stainless steel pull-handles underneath each cushion. Although essentially a sofa bed, this is one of most tasteful ones we’ve seen; the Boss is almost too good for guests, and better suited for the head (or boss) of the house.
$1,675-$2,575, inmod.com

AUDI AND RED BULL love Anthony Dickens for his creative yet commercially sensible hand; we therefore hope these timepieces see production sometime soon. For those who love the idea of linear time, Timeline’s fixed red line is suspended above a strip of numbers that moves right to left (or, more romantically, from future to past). More traditional yet simultaneously quirky is his Around About, which wraps time around a circle. Watch the clock using the static red bar; the cylinder itself rotates clockwise.
anthonydickens.com

STARGAZERS WOULD BE APPALLED: Sven Adolph’s self-named Sven Light not only features 24 LEDs shining downwards but an additional 16 pointed straight up into the sky. Thankfully, the Sven is designed for indoor use and as such provides excellent direct and indirect lighting. The spun aluminum shade features a horizontal slit with an 80s futurist appeal, and is painted white on the inside to maximize reflectivity. Available in red, black or white.
$475, unicahome.com

CONTROL FREAKS WILL REJOICE with Viesso, a custom furniture store based in Southern California. Although not pioneers of the design-it-yourself concept, Viesso’s online execution is definitely one of the best we’ve seen. Starting with a basic model of chair, bed or table, you can select everything down to the fabrics, legs and cushions; you can even filter your results for eco-friendly materials. The result is modern, tasteful furniture that is uniquely you.
viesso.com

ORANGE IS what initially got our attention, but the Jam Stool and Chair’s simple, modern design is what keeps us captivated. The seats are curved without being ostentatious, although the perforated seatbacks and orange-on-white color scheme are anything but subtle. Still, the seats are predominantly white and clean, with thin, chromed legs designed to minimize visual weight: these are fundamentally minimalist chairs, perfect for those who still crave the occasional flash and pizzazz.
$169-$199, eurway.com

IT’S A SQUARE, although not for square personalities: West Elm’s patterned veneer coffee table is conservative yet stylish, with a square wooden top that includes two drawers on opposite sides. Choose from bamboo, chocolate or acorn, all of which feature subtle but orthogonally aligned wood grain; depending on the type of veneer you select, polished nickel and gunmetal bases are also available.
$349, westelm.com

LIKE A MULTIDIRECTIONAL HAMMOCK, Max Longin’s Float Bed is suspended via a system of four stainless steel ropes, similar to a waterbed (minus the orthopedic drawbacks). The legs themselves are a sight to behold, obtusely angled with stainless steel bows at each corner; any sustainable hardwood can be used in its construction. We particularly like the way Float ships: efficient down to the last panel, the entire shipping case is used in the construction of the bed.
max-longin.com

TAKING WOOD to new extremes, Cornwall-based sixixis uses steam to bend wood in nearly every conceivable direction. Chaise Longue No. 4 is the result; its moebius-like design features seemingly impossible twists, turns and convolutions. Each piece of solid wood is unseasoned, while multiple layers have the added effect of maximizing strength and lightness. Seen above in oak, the chair is also available in ash.
sixixis.com

ESSENTIALLY SUITCASES WITH STYLE, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec’s La Valise is designed to minimize paper clutter while providing easy transport between the home and office. Made from injection-molded plastic, the La Valise opens from the side with a simple tab-lock system. Although basically a plastic suitcase, the vertical orientation is more intuitive for paper filing and storage than its traditional counterpart.
$35, unicahome.com

SUSTAINABLE TEAK generally makes for inviting, casual lounging, yet the Maku Lounge Chair’s outlined armrests and contemporary lines add a healthy dollop of sophistication. Designed for both indoor and outdoor aesthetics, the Lounge Chair (like all of Maku’s furniture) is targeted primarily at surfers, travelers, and other lifestyle enthusiasts. However, we believe that the audience for clean lines, quality construction and eco-conscious attitude goes far beyond this select group; this is handsome furniture we’d love to have in our own homes.
$829 (+$229 w/cushion), makufurniture.com

THE BIRD FIGURINES MARKET may not interest most of our readers, but Oiva Toikka’s birds are much sleeker than anything you’ll find at your local giftshop. Taking advantage of the naturally reflective properties of glass, Oiva’s pieces are elegantly designed, handmade and feature distinctive color variations. Toikka hails from Nuutajarvi, a village with at least 200 years of glassmaking history; he has made at least one bird a year since 1973, and personally signs each one.
Prices vary, julesseltzer.com

IT LOOKS MORE LIKE SATURN, but Zuo Modern’s Mars Chair is unabashedly modern. Essentially a stool, the Mars Chair features a ring-like rim that serves as a backrest and armrest and sits atop a stylish chrome base. Available in leatherette, we prefer Mars in black, although orange is much closer to its planetary namesake.
$292, zfurniture.com