furniture

If you wouldn't be caught dead without your phone, the Ga coffin carpenters of Ghana have the perfect coffin for you.

This Nokia phone coffin is just one of several custom-designed caskets from Accra, Ghana. And here's the best part: you can e-mail your own ideas to eShopAfrica to have your own design created.

If you'd rather opt for cremation, or if you're blessed with eternal life, you can still get in on these hand-crafted gems. The Ga carpenters also make custom chests, such as this mouse-themed container (complete with scroll wheel).

Here are some particularly … Read more

It's very important to know that on this blog, there is a Code. Article #1 of the Code states that Crave is a gadget blog, and that its content should be accordingly relevant. However, at the same time, article #76 of the Code states that if something surfaces that is not really a gadget but which falls under one of the categories with which we are openly obsessed, we can blog about it anyway. One of those categories is piracy. Not software piracy, but rather the adventurous, old-fashioned breed of high-seas skullduggery. (Isn't 'skullduggery' the best word ever?)… Read more

OK, so, this is the "Wave Chaise," designed by Roberta Ramme and recently showcased on Born Rich. It's a gorgeous oversize comfy-chair with a flat-screen TV, storage space for CDs and DVDs, and a computer desk built into the back. The designer is touting it as a piece of furniture for tech-savvy, well-moneyed teenagers. I only fall into category #1 (and even still, I only like to think I'm tech-savvy), but I still totally want this thing. Why? This will be the centerpiece of my dream office.

The only problem is that because it's (ostensibly) … Read more

We've been logging some long work days of late--deadlines, you know--and the experience has given us the opportunity to make a few observations. First, most desks are just no good for geeks. In addition to the normal paper detritus, a mess of peripherals, accessories, and their attendant cords can quickly turn a desk into a disaster zone. Second, when you sit for a long time in the same desk chair, no matter how ergonomic your setup, your hip joints will threaten to fuse together in a permanent L shape.

The Milk Desk, though, looks to solve both those problems … Read more

The idea of a "light-up inflatable bar" might evoke corny 1970s kitsch, but this one is going for the swank factor. Made by a company called Bubble Miami, these bars are designed to set up easily and quickly, support a considerable amount of weight, and then deflate and when it's time to make everybody go home. Plus, they light up. How cool is that?

Unfortunately, you really have to be careful with anything inflatable at any kind of occasion that involves alcohol. There are all kinds of serious threats lurking around--you know, stiletto heels, or broken glass, … Read more

These are pretty neat. They're stackable stools that look like keyboard keys, and they say "sit" on them, just in case you thought they were for anything else (leapfrog, maybe?) They're available in both black and beige, but sadly no "brushed aluminum" hue to match your MacBook Pro.

Now if they could only make a "delete" edition. It could have a hidden trap door built in so that you can instantly "delete" annoying people from your house simply by making them sit on it.

(Home Rejuvenation Blog via Apartment Therapy.)… Read more

I'm guessing this contraption is geared toward the burgeoning demographic of well-moneyed executives who loved their race car-shaped beds when they were kids and still haven't gotten over their affinities for automorphic furniture. This little gem of a desk is shaped just like a Mini, although the dimensions of the desk actually look more spacious than those of the pint-sized novelty car that inspired it. There's even a stereo in the "dashboard."

You can customize just about everything: desk top, color, tires, and license plates. For that last one, I recommend "CORPRT HO."… Read more

Let's face it: no matter how much you spend, home theater gear is pretty ugly. That's why the stuff used to be built into fine furniture in the '50s and '60s. And now that is happening again.

The "Theatre" system is part of a collection designed by Marcel Wanders for HE of the Netherlands. It's a low-slung, modern wooden side table with all the home theater stuff built into it and barely visible. The specs are fairly modest at just 25 watts of audio output, but they're probably just being honest, unlike the labeling … Read more

Most of the so-called multimedia furniture pieces we've seen are unsightly contraptions that seem to treat their media components as an afterthought. Not so with the "Sonic Chair Boom Box."

This piece of digital furniture also has brains to match the beauty of its Austin Powers-era design. Uber-Review says its insulation reserves the soundwaves for the person sitting in it, without disturbing others nearby: "The speakers are encased in a carefully crafted body that creates sufficient volume for powerful bass tones, while two body-focused sound generators, in the seat and the backrest, further augment the lower … Read more