For men who pride themselves on having unique pieces that no one else owns, we offer a selection of the world's best custom design-furniture, lighting and home accessories.
Zen does not come easily. To find inner peace means peeling away the superfluous to reach the elemental. So it is in the life of the Buddhist, and so it can be in the world of furniture design. The Zen coffee table ($8,000) by Nick Berman and Gennaro Rosetti looks simply elegant, but such simplicity only comes from conquering complexity. "The challenge in designing minimal furniture is that you have so few elements," says Berman. "The details then become all you have, which makes the piece about subtlety, about a pleasing composition."
In addition to the coffee table, Berman Rosetti has a complete line of furniture, including chairs, beds, benches and accessories, all sharing a similar clean-lined aesthetic. The Zen coffee table is also available with a rectangular top and as a dining table.
Berman Rosetti
coffee table
Tom Dixon has always been a rebel. First as a dropout of the prestigious Chelsea School of Art; then as a bass guitarist in the band Funkapolitan (they reached No. 39 on the U.K. charts), followed by a de rigueur bad-boy motorcycle crash and a successful stint as a London rap club promoter; and, finally, as a designer-manufacturer whose daringly innovative designs, many in metal, are in museum collections from Paris to Tokyo.
The Mirror Ball, one of Dixon's latest light creations, is made from polycarbonate plastic that is blow-molded and given a high-gloss metallic mirror finish. Its elegant spherical shape falls squarely within Dixon's design philosophy, which emphasizes form and simplicity. Therefore, it is perfect for, in Dixon's words, "light lovers looking for an illuminating retro design that will age gracefully, or design devotees on the hunt for a statement piece to add some style to their home."
The Mirror Balls come in two sizes and range in price from $650 to $1,094, and will be joined by a Miniball, a Mirror Tube and a wall-mountable Mirror Blob.
The Mirror Ball
Most men have a comfort chair. It typically reclines just enough for a power nap or the perfect TV-watching position. And, just as typically, it acts as a repellent for your partner and is banished to the basement.
With the DS-255, the Swiss company de Sede recognizes this deep-seated need for a chair that is quietly functional but also conveys the strength of a throne. De Sede's newest swivel recliner looks more like a piece of modern sculpture than your father's beloved Barcalounger. The DS-255 recliner is available as either a low-back club chair ($3,050$4,010) or a high-back chair with a footrest ($4,370$5,760). It comes in five different categories of leather or a felt like synthetic micro fiber, and in a variety of customizable colors.
De Sede's recliner
A ripple in the water. The pitted surface of a pinecone. Seaweed moving with the tide. Maria White is fascinated by textures as they appear in nature and by how organic forms are altered when exposed to elements like water and light. "The carvings and texture I create on the surface of my pieces interplay with light and shadows," she says, "causing subtle changes as the day progresses."
The resulting porcelain vases, plates, bowls and cups are both captivating to behold and practical. "I like to walk the line between form and function," White says. "It's exciting for me to make a piece that can be of service in a home or just be on display." To assure functionality, whether it is for sculptural pieces such as the pod (12 inches high, 9 inches wide and retails for $650) , the items are watertight so that they can hold flowers and food.
The Pod
