By David Ponce

People still read paper books and it’s likely to stay that way for a while. Nostalgia and all that. So until then, why not store and display them in a visually (and organizationally) appealing manner?

“REK is a bookcase that grows with your book collection,” writes Reinier De Jong Design on its official website. “The more books the bigger the bookcase gets. The zigzag shaped parts slide in and out to accomodate books in the resulting voids. REK will always be full, regardless of the quantity of books. Also the books can be arranged according to their sizes. The narrow spaces are excellent for magazines.”

Sadly the REK bookcase is one of those items for which you have to ask the price. And we all know what this means.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ BoingBoing ]

By David Ponce

One Barry Shields over at Etsy spent one month making this coffee table modeled after the Star Trek Enterprise NCC 1701-C. It looks good. It’s a Star Trek related item and we know we love us some trekkie stuff. That should be enough to sell this… if it weren’t for the $3,100 price tag. It is a one of a kind though, which surprisingly hasn’t sold yet as of this writing despite the mounting amount of press it’s getting. This is what Barry has to say about it:

The glass is cut to look as though its in motion and the base was designed to portray the ship in orbit over a planet. It has a beautiful rubbed poly finish coat for complete protection for many years to come. Its solid, sturdy and you CAN put your feet up on it after a long day at the office. This is a one of a kind! You will not see another one like it. Glass dimensions are 34″ x 54″ x 17″ tall

[ Product Page ]

By David Ponce

Spanish artist Maximo Riera knows a thing of two about being an evil overlord. At least I think so, judging by this incredibly awesome chair/throne he’s created. “The octopus sculpture is created from compressed foam sections that are then attached and painted by hand to create the intricate details. [It's] upholstered in luxurious black leather [and] tentacles extend to 1.5 metres [to the back].” Consider the throne the crowning jewel in your undoubtedly already formidable castle of world domination; it’s certainly got the price tag to match: $53550.

Now to think of your evil name… Cephaloman? That’s pretty lame… Suggestions?

[ Product Page ] VIA [ GeeksAreSexy ]

By David Ponce

Back in 1966, Peugeot (the European car maker) commissioned a particular looking desk from an artist named Ben Swildens. This was a time where a design trend called Bolidism was popular. “The Bolidism movement sprung from the Italian futurism, which enhanced speed and a boldness of design, with a belief in technique and an enthusiasm for whatever could be assaulted and grasped.” Swilden had been impressed by another designer’s creation of a one-footed chair, so his inspiration was to create a desk with no feet at all. Three of these desks were made and put to use in Peugeot’s headquarters in France. And now, some 45 years later, 8 more will be manufactured and made available for purchase.

Weighing 110 kgs (242lbs), the desk is carefully hand made from steel, aluminum and stainless steel. It must be affixed to a large metal plate to assure its stability with a special fastening system. “A lot of 3 units of this desk will be on sale from next year, with a price tag of $87,000 each, and the rest to be sold individually, later. If one manages to visit Brussels Antiques and Fine Arts Fair around January 19, 2012, then one can get a chance to see it in person, and perhaps even take a shot at buying it. ”

[ Ben Swildens Desk ] VIA [ Born Rich ]

By David Ponce

German designer Elena Belmann was looking at a good ole’ flat QR code and asked herself two questions: “What would this look like in 3D and could we still read it?” So she got to work making a stool/mood light with hundreds of little wooden blocks (which, let’s face it, she took from a Jenga set). This is what it looks like and apparently, yes, you can still read it. Although we’re not being told just what data it contains.

Yes, sadly this appears to be a one off creation, which means you can’t buy it.

[ Elena's Site ] VIA [ Geekosystem ]

By David Ponce

It’s sad the things you want to buy are often concepts. Like this rocking chair. Come to think of it, let’s call it an optimistic rocking chair. Why? Because it assumes you have someone to share it with. Come on, now…

But how hard can it be to make? Steel frame, telescoping rod to lock it in place and turn it into a chair… Seems simple enough. And you can spend the rest of your days sitting on one side, wondering how things could be…

[ Product Page ] VIA [ PSFK ]

By David Ponce

Yeah… So it’s a couch. A Space Invaders couch. If you were born in the 80s, or have any appreciation for classic gaming titles, you’ve got to get cracking. Sell your firstborn son, your kidney or whatever it is you need to gather the £5,500 this couch is going to set you back.

Created by Russian industrial designer Igor Chak, it’s made using premium materials, fine leather and even memory foam cushions. Each one is handmade to order and it is designed and manufactured in Los Angeles.

Not that any of this really matters because, come on guys, look at this. It’s a Space Invaders couch.

Oh, and I just saw everyone was talking about this last August. Crap. Well, it’s still nice, isn’t it?

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Chip Chick ]

I’m not going to discount the joys of doing things in bed. Reading, writing and watching TV are all made more enjoyable when you’re sprawled out on a mattress. But for some activities you just have to draw the line and find the strength to get up. No matter what Brookstone is trying to tell/sell you. I mean look at this thing! The n•a•p is one of those cushions designed to help you sit up in bed, but all pimped out. In fact it looks like they presented a third grader with crayons and paper and asked them to design the ultimate back rest.

There’s a cup holder, pockets and compartments for books and TV remotes, an overhead adjustable LED lamp and even built-in massage functions. That’s right, this bad boy has to be plugged in. The only thing it’s missing is a chilled compartment for your prescription bed sore cream, and maybe a feeding tube because if you’re at the point of using one of these, odds are you can’t be bothered making your way to the kitchen for solid food. Brookstone also wants $99.95 for it, plus what looks like the majority of your bed’s real estate… If life was a board game, humanity would be moving two squares back now.

[ n•a•p Massaging Bed Rest ] VIA [ Fancy ]

The components that make this ‘luxurious’ HiCan bed so unique can easily be assembled for far less than its $60,000+ (EUR 42,000) price tag. But why go to all that trouble when you can just order one for the price of a moderately equipped luxury sedan? After all, you’ll be spending far more of your life in this bed than any car. So it’s easily justifiable.

Besides the normal luxuries you’d find on a bed like a mattress and pillows, the HiCan includes retractable privacy blinds, a hi-def video projector that works with a retractable screen at the the foot of the bed, a “state-of-the-art” sound system, a built-in multimedia PC and gaming console and most importantly, a pair of reading lights! (Now I understand why it costs so much.) For the truly lazy and/or bed-ridden the HiCan is also equipped with a home automation system for managing all of its built-in components, including an adjustable bed as well as other appliances or devices in your bedroom. You even get your choice of one of eight different colors when you place an order. The only thing you won’t get is the bed itself, as according to their website they’ve started an “exclusive reservation list.” Which basically means it’s not actually available yet.

[ HiCan Bed ] VIA [ Fancy ]

Over on Make, what started as a humorous suggestion to simply use spray paint to un-uglify a couple of old armchairs turned into a fantastic discovery. It turns out there is actually spray paint specifically designed to refresh the look of your old furniture. What’s more surprising? It seems to work pretty well. Simply Spray’s Upholstery Fabric Paint comes in 9 different colors, allowing you to refresh and even completely change the look of your upholstered furniture. Though Make found that it seemed to work best on subtle color shifts, like taking the yellowish chair shown above to orange. While changing the same shade of yellow to blue wasn’t a complete fail, after 4 coats remnants of the chair’s original color were still visible.

The product does have a few quirks though. Like having to basically use the entire can once you start spraying. You can store it mid-use overnight with the nozzle kept under water, but after a few days the rest of the product left in the can will presumably dry out. But since it took 3 entire cans worth to turn the yellow chair orange, it doesn’t sound like a big issue. The chair also had a bit of a crunchy feel right after painting, but it quickly wore off with use. Each can will also cost you about $12 when purchased through Amazon, which will add up when multiple coats are needed. But compared to having the piece completely reupholstered, it’s a bargain.

[ Simply Spray Fabric Paint ] VIA [ Make ]