Back in Early 2007, Council Design came out with a fabulous new collection they called “Optimism“. At that time, they were just prototyping the periodic table which they showed on their website for a while. But Derek Chen, owner of Council Design, had not yet perfected the table which he had commissioned from design superstars One & Co.

But at this year’s Zona Tortona and ICFF Council Design has introduced the Periodic Table which I had previously described as one of the most extraordinary pieces of furniture made in recent years. There are, of course, many pieces that Council makes well. But for some reason, the Periodic Table strikes a chord. It’s basically a coffee table made of four large pieces of douglas fir which are coated in silver and given a patina within the grain of the wood. The concept sounds simple enough, but the process to make the table is difficult and the result is astounding.

What might be more astounding is the price. I recently noticed that the piece is on sale at the design shop Matter for $42,000. The first reaction when I saw the price was my jaw dropped. The second reaction was that the price makes sense. This piece falls in line with a level of craft and years of contemplation that is only seen in the design work of such designers as Marc Newson or Konstantine Grcic. The Periodic Table, for me, really lifts the spirit of American furniture design and is in complete contradiction to Alice Rawsthorn’s March New York Times article “Dearth of a Nation“. The design freshness and talent is here, right now, in America. When it comes to new American furniture design, maybe the Americans are just a bit more modest than Europeans. I certainly concur with Ms. Rawsthorn’s re-evaluation of design education. She suggests a new emphasis on subjects such as engineering, but let’s not forget about marketing. One thing she left out of the discussion is that Europeans are simply more skilled at tooting their own horns. I like this, of course. It makes my job easier to find this special design talent.

I met the maker of the Blaue Blume Teacup at the 2008 ICFF, and I still have about one hundred of posts left to do covering the fabulous designers I met while at the show. This was one of my favorites. The design feature a baroque cup and saucer set in pure white porcelain. The twist is the addition of the legs of a beautiful woman which double as the handle to the cup. The beauty of this cup is it gives me the opportunity to fondle a pair of smooth silky legs without getting a slap across the face from my wife. Thank you Undergrowth Design for helping me expand my fetish.

Planters bring a little green into your garden. Some would say planters add a sort of park-like quality to your surroundings. Well if you live anywhere near the Stanyan entrance to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco then you’d know that your park experience includes more than looking at green plants. No doubt multiple drug offers and maybe a flasher will be in your journey. This is the inspiration behind Tristan Zimmermann’s Park Planters which feature little ceramic figurines of flashers and men receiving blow jobs. Possibly not one of your fondest park memories. Still, these are some cute planters.

Harry Winston, as you may know, creates the most insane and fantastic diamond jewelry know to man. The proceeds from the sale of some of the Winston necklaces could probably run a small country for a good length of time. It is that opulent. I personally do not practice flaunting excess, but that’s because I’m poor. If I had a spare million, though, I would definitely be owning my new favorite Winston piece: The Sunflower Diamond Necklace. It’s made up of 363 round diamonds and sparkles as if all the stars in the universe were concentrated in one band around the neck of the lucky owner. Unfortunately, that neck will not be my wife’s. I’ve calculated that, at my current rate of income, I will be able to purchase the necklace for her at age 147.

Have you ever wanted to give a girl the impression that you were richer than you really were because you thought that would help you get in her pants? Lord knows I have. But sometimes when impressing a girl with your wealth requires more subtle means than just waxing poetic about your yacht. That’s when I reach for the Gold Door Stop by superdesigner Arik Levy. Mr. Levy has created a design that allows you to hint at your fake wealth by covering a cheap steel bar with gold plating bringing the price of this door stop from tens of thousands of dollars if it were solid gold to a much more reasonable price. Using this as a door stop will say to an unsuspecting date that he might be rich, but he’s not afraid to play it down by using gold to prop open a door. Please let me know if this works out for anyone.