The Livingstones rock cushions had me in for a big surprise. They look so real that you expect them to be hard and cold but as soon as you sit on them you discover how warm and comfortable they are.

I have no complaints about living in the city surrounded by a busy urban landscape, and even though the sea is about 20 minutes walk away from my house I rarely get to see it during the week. On weekends though, we like to venture out of the city and “recharge” ourselves with a dose of nature.

There is something very impressive about hiking along river beds and canyons where you see the effects time and weather. These areas are always strewn with boulders and pebbles in beautiful shades of gray, cream and white, some with spider striping, some plain, asymmetric and in different sizes but all worn smooth to the touch. These weather-worn rocks are exactly what inspired French designer Stephanie Marin when she designed the “Livingstones”.

When it comes to style, we all have our own thoughts and ideas; it is pretty much a matter of taste. I guess there is one thing most people will agree about – we’re all looking for something real good. We’re looking for real good design, real good style, and a real good product. Sometimes a picture is worth more than a 1000 words, in the case of Real Good Chair, I believe one video will change the way we view chairs, and their functions. This is definitely one of the best ideas I’ve seen in a long time.

Blu Dot, the manufacturer of the ‘Chair Chair’ go a far as to claim that this is the perfect chair and say that their aim is to bring good design and good value to as many people as possible. The chair is made of bent plywood with chrome – plated steel base and legs, and is the ideal height for standard tables. There is a selection of 5 finishes and there should be a suitable color to suit most décor plans. One of the special features is that the chairs are easily stackable and can be stored away when not in use.

I thought that it would be a good idea to have an extra bed in the house, so that I could accommodate a couple of guests that might be invited or that were just stranded overnight. I was particularly concerned that the sofa would not look too much like a ‘put–you-up’ and that it would be comfortable for sitting or sleeping. It also had to be a simple conversion process that did not require disassembling the whole unit in order to make the bed. Finally, it was absolutely imperative to make dual use of the spare room that I had available for this idea.

When I found the Blue Dot One Night Stand put you up sofa/bed I was really surprised to find that there exists a practical, comfortable and great looking piece of furniture to do the job.

Designed by Jonathan Olivares for Danese Milano, Territorio is a multi-purpose piece of furniture that can be used both for leisure and work activities and is large enough to share with a friend or two.

Designed by Marti Guixe for Danese, Xarxa is a multipurpose seat made of five large cushions. Each cushion is unique, however when you group them together you can enjoy diverse sitting arrangements for one person or lounge with a friend or two.

Designed by Japanese designer, Hiromichi Konno for Fritz Hansen, the Rin Chair has an elegant, contemporary design, which harmoniously combines Japanese and Danish design traditions.