Quinze & Milan is a design studio run by the mad man and egotist, Arne Quinze. Quinze, for American subculture freaks, was partly responsible for the massive wood structure in the Blackrock desert during Burning Man 2006 known as the “Belgian Waffle“. Before the Belgian Waffle came about, I had never payed much attention to Mr. Quinze, but there is no doubt after exploring Quinze’s work that he is one of the most important European designers today.

I’ve decided to feature a more subtle project of Mr. Quinze’s. It’s called Honeycomb, and it is as simple as it sounds. Inspired by the structures of bees, the honeycomb is an extremely flexible shelving structure that can be safely stacked up to seven meters high. Possibly more compelling is it’s ability to make you feel like a lying insect.

Christiane Hoegner graduated in 2003 from the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste with a degree in interior architecture. Since then,  she has  created a varied and exciting range of products from  a sofa made of sandbags to  a storage system made out of universal stacking boxes. But my favorite piece is probably the Electric Table. The concept is by no means new. For years, commercial furniture manufacturers have made systems with plugs integrated into the tables via raceways. But never before have I seen a simple table meant for consumer use that has integrated an electrical outlet into the design. Why? I sometimes wonder because the idea is so simple and so ingenious that Christiane needs to be commended for her decision to follow this pursuit.

The design is quite simple. Just a white table with a modest outlet integrated into the top rail or apron as we American furniture builders call it, and that’s about all you get. But what more do you need than a bit more flexibility with all the gadgets and computers that people have today.

About five years ago I bought my first orchid. It was a type of Cattleya with purple and pink striped leaves. It looked very exotic because there were tendrils from the flowers petals that twisted down an inch or two creating a sort of plant peyos. This was not a simple store-bought orchid but one I picked up at an orchid show. I became obsessed with caring for the orchid, However, the orchid died quickly. What did I learn from that experience. Don’t feel like you need to own something just because you appreciate it. I then went into painting orchids which I loved. I ended up doing a bunch of watercolors that were quite adequate and captured the beauty that I saw. I think that’s where I left my obsession.

But for those truly obsessed, I suggest possibly picking up the Orchid chair by Christian Flindt. I’ve recently come upon this and fell in love. It is made from a polished fiberglass and comes in three color combinations. I’ve show my favorite which is the gold on the back and black in front. The Orchid chair really touches the essence of the delicate nature of the flower. The only thing that I find at all troubling about this chair is its ability to collect stuff in the deep recesses of the chair leg directly behind the back. It seems that this leg is completely hollow and could easily trap a small pet.

I’m not a genius, but I know more than a couple of them, and if they have a singular trait it would be that they always need a pen and paper handy for sketching ideas. Now, along comes: The Genius Table! OK, Arash and Kelly’s design has been out since 1999. But it’s new to me which is all that counts. It’s a genius idea for geniuses. It’s a huge pad of Post-It notes integrated into the top of a table. You know, I live in what some people consider to be innovation central, San Francisco, and I’m thinking, “Why doesn’t every business buy of of these for each of their conference rooms?”. I’ve participated in a lot of brainstorms over the years, and we would have killed to have The Genius Table in the room. I’m talking to my boss right after I finish this post. Oh, also there are a number of other genius products that you might find cool. Definitely have a look.

Are you a parent with a modernist aesthetic? Now, here’s your chance to ween your kids early on the virtues of Mies van der Rohe by buying them a piece from Christopher Coleman’s Kids Collection. The X Cushion Chair is somewhat reminiscent of the Barcelona Chair if it were shrunk and spray painted completely yellow. I like this collection because there are not too many designers focusing thoughtful design on furniture for children, and this is one of the first I’ve come across. I hate to say it, but this collection would be an excelent opportunity for dwarves or midgets to buy modern furniture. I don’t know how many little people are in the market for furniture, but a re-branded postcard in each of their mailboxes could make someone very rich.

Object: Sneaker

Manufacturer: Campeggi

URL: http://www.campeggisrl.it

Category: Furniture and Housewares

Price: $?

Lust Factor: Warm

Description: Campeggi is a company that focuses on new ways of experiencing furniture, and the Sneaker is one of the most innovative. It’s a combination of soft, comfy exercise ball mixed with a mini trampoline. The objective is to create a casual, comfortable environment for personal physical fitness. As is the case with all of Campeggi’s work, the Sneaker uses the bold colors of sports teams mixed in with the forms of pulled taffy as it’s motif.

Object: Track Bike

Designer: Mercian and Paul Smith

URL: www.mercian.com

Category: Sports and Recreation

Price: $4,000

Lust Factor: Hot

Description: The Paul Smith Bike manufactured by Mercian is true design crack. Paul Simth is what I consider to be the Tommy Hilfiger of the UK. That is, he takes an interesting fashion concept, like the bold, multicolored vertical stripe, and beats you over the head with it until you never forget it. The Mercian manufactured bicycle is in this stripey extension of design heavy-handedness.

There is no doubt that the craftsmanship is absolutely beautiful. The handmade, vintage lugs and paint job of the bicycle is stellar. But, I live in a town where sexy fixed gear bicycles are a dime a dozen. This one barely stands up on the coolness factor. For instance, this bike has a break. Weak! Anyone who is going to glom onto the fixed gear bicycle trend better pay homage to why people find them cool in the first place. People appreciate their stripped-down simplicity and the fact that they require a highly skilled riding technique. That’s what makes them unique.

Also, the pricepoint on this bike feels a bit like brand-zealotry to me. People who love Paul Smith will buy this bike even though a very good comparable fixed gear bike goes for 25 to 50% of the Paul Smith sale price. This is a crack dealer in action.