Meandering rivers, icebergs and a deep blue abyss are invoked in layers of blue-green glass, burled wood and cast concrete and translated into tables. Ranging from self-taught artists crafting each piece by hand to high-end designers using precision laser-cutting machinery, these three sculptors and furniture makers take inspiration from the natural world to make practical pieces that mimic topography.

River Collection by Greg Klassen

The naturally wavy edges of discarded lumber, considered too imperfect for standard usage in construction and furniture, are aligned just right and joined with strips of pale blue-green glass to become watery landscapes.

Taking inspiration from the beautiful natural scenery of his home in the Pacific Northwest, theologist-turned-furniture-maker Greg Klassen sources his wood at construction sites and from fallen trees in the forest. “I Love the idea of taken a discarded tree and giving it a new life,” he says.

“The collection is inspired by the exciting edges and vivid grains found in the trees sustainably taken from the banks of the Nooksack River that twists below my studio.”

Designs include the striking River Console, with its undulating ribbon of water, the Pond Table carved from a massive maple trunk, and Folded River, an asymmetrical L-shaped design in which the glass trails down one side.

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Topographic Tables 12 Terrain Inspired Furniture Designs

These images may look like people photoshopped onto a background of sketches, but look again – those scribbles are actual, three-dimensional furniture. Art student Daigo Fukawa of Tokyo University for the Arts created a collection of chairs and benches that seem like they just magically popped up off the paper.

Made for his senior thesis, the series of optical illusion furniture appears to be made from welded metal, and while it’s probably not the most comfortable seating anyone has ever experienced, it’s definitely cool to look at, undoubtedly eliciting plenty of double-takes in person.

See lots more unusual, creative and transforming furniture including convertible designs, flat-pack furniture, recycled pieces and brilliant bookcases.

The boring benches installed in urban areas around the world are purely functional: you take a seat for a little while, and then you leave. But why shouldn’t public furniture be visually interesting, comfortable and even interactive as well? These 14 chairs, benches, loungers, tables and more often double as art objects, with designs that consider a wide range of needs.

Chitchat Swinging Seat

(image via: contemporist)

Forcing strangers to interact in order to keep their balance, the ‘CHITCHAT’ public seating concept by Dutch designer Teun Fleskens encourages conversation with humor – and good looks. The seat for seven rocks back and forth on its rounded base. Says the designer, “The ice is broken, the atmosphere has improved, and waiting has quickly become much less boring. The ‘rocking trees’ in the centre ensure a playful effect, especially when there are several CHITCHATS in a single space.”

El Filosofo Bench

(images via: bdbarcelona)

The flowing landscape-like shapes of The Swiss benches by Alfredo Häberli fill the needs of various personalities who might use them while waiting for the bus or stopping for a break. The benches, which have names like ‘El Filosofo’ (the philosopher) and El Solitario (the loner), include seating that either allows socialization with others or discourages it with separated seating. One bench, ‘El Banquero’, offers not a seat but rather an elevated platform for standing and eating, using a laptop or reading a newspaper.

TIME: Green Public Seating

(images via: woo home)

This clever and eco-friendly idea for public seating includes wooden benches and grassy platforms supported by wood and stone bases, bringing greenery to spaces where there was none. Spelling out the word ‘TIME’, the benches were installed by designer Dominik Schwarz at the Piazza-Tribunale in Bolzano, Italy for the Time Code Festival.

Skystation

(images via: design boom)

People join together to lounge in the sun or gaze at the stars on designer Peter Newman’s ‘Skystation’, a public seating concept displayed at London’s Hayward Gallery. Resembling a miniature UFO, the round lounger has curves that perfectly support the reclining human body.

Stair Squares by Mark Reigelman

(images via: mark reigelman)

People rest and relax on public steps anyway, why not give them a comfortable way to do so? Stair Squares, a concept by Mark Reigelman, are little blue tables that fit perfectly onto steps to offer little tables for eating and reading. The stairs were installed on the front steps of Brooklyn’s Borough Hall in the summer of 2007.

Urban Adapter Bench

(images via: rocker-lange)

This design proposal for a modern urban bench considers the varying needs of different people who might use it. The designers, Rocker Lange, use a computer program that takes data about the intended site and creates a form that offers multiple seating solutions including a flat bench, a sloped area for lounging and a seat with a  back.

Hydraulic Convertible Benches

(images via: dornob)

This smart set of hydraulic benches is flush with the ground when not in use, but those who want to sit down can simply pull a lever and watch it rise up. Designed by Carmela Bogman and Rogier Martens to give the public a little more control over the urban environment, the benches can be raised to the desired height for the particular people who want to use them.

Loop Bench by Jeppe Hein

(images via: swiss miss)

What looks like a roller coaster or a slide from far away is actually a fun and clever bench. The Loop Bench was installed at Art Basel Miami in 2009, and was designed by Jeppe Hein.

Leaning Mold by Maruja Fuentes

(images via: coroflot)

Making it more comfortable to lean against a wall, Leaning Mold by Maruja Fuentes is made up of interlocking pieces in two designs – one flat, the other convex – that fit together into customizable patterns. “Since the space is transitional, the needs of all passengers are taken in consideration. The design is made for a person to lean while waiting, leaving space for the other passengers to pass by without congesting the corridors.”

MUU Bike Table

(images via: muu)

What if people could simply use their bicycles for seating? The clever PIT IN by Store MUU functions as both a bike stand and a table, so that users can simply ride right into place for a coffee break or to quick emails. Made of plywood for interior use and plastic for exterior use, the PIT IN could be ideal for street-side cafes in cities with heavy bicycle use.

Modular Public Furniture by Escofet

(images via: contemporist)

Pieces with seats on either side fit together to form circles in this interesting modular seating design. The circle of seating offers two modes: one that is closed off from the environment, providing a sense of solitude and separation, and one that allows the user to face out toward the city.

Skateable Park Benches

(images via: we make money not art)

Most public places don’t exactly encourage skateboarding, especially on benches and other seating areas. But this design for London by Tom Hawes, which blends into both traditional and modern environments, is intentionally skateable. “By virtue of its status as a misuse of public space, and because it is a symptom of defensive design, skateboarding is exceptionally good at drawing attention to the quietly exclusionary nature of modern public space,” explains Hawes. “Older children and young adults are either not considered in urban planning or outright excluded from public spaces. Skateboarders add value to many unused public spaces and regulate possibly dangerous spaces with their presence.”

Mystery Spot Public Furniture

(images via: coroflot)

Designer Cameron Van Dyke offers this public bench entitled ‘Mystery Spot’, a stark white shape that is equal parts functional and decorative. Says Van Dyke, “Public seating in sculptural forms. This comfortable bench will seat two and provide variety of seating geometries across the width.”

Illuminated Stools

(images via: modern chair design)

Designed for the city of Sunderland, England, these illuminated stools by Charlie Davidson offer a small gathering place. Their rounded forms and rough textures call to mind boulders and stones, and the cut-outs in the center of each reflect light and give the stools a sculptural look.

During the day, these 14 furniture and home decor items like lounge chairs, sideboards, bathroom countertops, tiles and wallpaper look fairly ordinary (though beautifully designed). But when the lights go out, they reveal their versatility, lighting up with built-in LED lights or glowing from within.

Full Moon Sideboard

(images via: yanko design)

Not only does this gorgeous sideboard feature a stunning digital image of the moon over three-quarters of its surfaces, but it was also treated with glow-in-the-dark paint and ecologically friendly dark blue paint to create a heavenly effect at night. The sideboard was designed by Sotirios Papadopaulos for ENNEZERO and displayed in Milan in 2008.

Bright Woods with Embedded Glow-in-the-Dark Stripes

(images via: gruppo avanzini)

Rounded wooden furniture that can act as ottomans, stools or coffee tables, ‘Bright Woods‘ from Gruppo Avanzini includes stripes of various types of wood in between glow-in-the-dark resin.

LED Light Pots for the Garden

(images via: rotoluxe)

Why install extra lighting in your garden when your potted plants could glow? These pot lights from Rotoluxe come in various shapes and sizes including printed varieties, and include lighting elements that shine from within their transparent bodies.

Transparent Glowing Bathroom Counters

(images via: mastro fiore)

The soft illumination given off by these glowing countertops makes night lights in the bathroom a thing of the past. Italian company Masto Fiore hand-crafts these beautiful countertops from natural alabaster stone with integrated illumination. Pair them with translucent glass sink vessels and you’ve got quite a magical effect.

Light-Emitting Wallpaper

(images via: jonas samson)

It’s wallpaper that lights up! Designed by Jonas Samson, this light-emitting wallpaper is unfortunately just a prototype and not for sale, but it’s an intriguing concept.

Lounge that Glows at Night

(images via: solpuri)

By day, the Lagoon daybed by Solpuri is a comfortable and very chic place to relax, accommodating two and offering a removable shade. By night, the translucent base of the lounger lights up from inside.

Glowing Textiles by Kathy Schicker

(images via: kathy schicker)

Designer Kathy Schicker calls our attention to something we never realized that we needed: glow-in-the-dark textiles. Offering a range of prints, Schicker’s collection looks like ordinary fabric during the day but starts to glow when the lights go out.

Light-Up Outdoor Bar

(images via: vondom)

Furniture maker Vondom offers up yet another futuristic glow-in-the-dark offering in the form of a lighted outdoor bar. The Fiesta bar comes in curved and straight sections so you can adjust it to the size and shape you want, and is fitted with LED lights in your choice of colors.

Gumball Modern Garden Furniture

(images via: plust)

The unusual rounded shapes of this garden collection by Plust are enough to make it stand out, living up to its name ‘Gumball’ with candy-bright colors. But what sets this collection apart even more is – you guessed it – the capability to glow in the dark.

Via Lattea Furniture by Meritalia

(images via: meritalia)

Inhabitat likened this unusual furniture line to ‘ a collection of homemade marshmallows’, and it’s easy to see why. The chairs and couches of the Via Lattea collection, designed by Mario Bellini for Meritalia, are made of steel mesh covered with recycled fiber sacks that were once used to transport grain, stones and sugar. The sacs are filled with air and include LED lights

Lucedentro Glowing Tiles

(images via: lucedentro)

An Italian company specializing in photoluminescence has produced these incredible glowing tiles, which can be used to create a bathtub as pictured, an artistic mosaic or even to cover entire surfaces like floors and wall tiles. When the lights go out, the photoluminescence materials glow in a range of colors.

Ergonomic Lounge Chair Lantern

(image via: vondom)

Who doesn’t love a good dual-purpose piece of furniture? Vondom offers another modern outdoor lounge chair that is beautiful enough during the day, but turns into a lantern of sorts when the sun sets. The materials used to make it are 100% recyclable, and they can withstand extreme weather conditions, making it a durable and eco-friendly choice.

Vondom Pillow Patio Furniture

(images via: vondom)

Patio furniture doesn’t get much more inviting – in a space-age sort of way – than this. Shaped like comfy pillows, this collection designed by Stefano Giovannoni for Vondom is made of the same material as the lantern/lounge chair and comes in a range of shapes including bucket-like side tables that make perfect coolers.

Floating Sphere Lights for Indoors or Out

(images via: slide design)

Throw them in the pool, toss them on the lawn or just position them through your house. The Aqua Globo by Slide Design looks equally cool indoors and out, providing visual interest and a soft glow.

Origami artists transform a single flat sheet of paper into graceful figures like swans, butterflies and flowers. Who knew the same could be done with a sheet of steel? Furniture designers inspired by the simple elegance of this ancient art are creating incredibly beautiful and functional chairs, tables, sofas – even curtains, lamps and wall hangings – that transcend the ephemeral nature of paper sculpture, making it an integral element in the home.

Flux Chairs

(images via: flux chairs)

A single sheet of polypropylene plastic bends and folds to form a modern chair that can comfortably support the average adult despite a miniscule weight of just 11 pounds. The Flux Chair folds flat and has a built-in handle for easy transport and takes just seconds to assemble. The clean and simple yet visually interesting design, light weight, wipeable surface and stackability give it great potential for low-cost lounging.

4foldlow Table – Steel Origami

(images via: dezeen)

Folding a thick sheet of steel is no easy task, but that’s exactly what engineers did to create the 4foldlow table by British designer George Rice for Formtank – by hand, no less. The Japanese origami-inspired design is laser-cut from a single sheet of steel to minimize waste. “The development of 4foldlow has been long and extensive, requiring complex mathematics and precision engineering. The outcome is visually complex, while on closer inspection the structure begins to reveal itself,” Formtank explains.

Petal-Like Plywood Chair by Nina Bruun

(images via: modern design chair)

It looks like a paper blossom, but this modern folding stool by designer Nina Bruun is made from plywood upholstered with foam and woolen felt for both sturdiness and comfort. Six pieces of plywood are assembled with hinges in this pretty flat-pack design.

Modern Leather ‘Origami’ Sofa Bed

(image via: spacify)

This fun leather sofa from Spacify really does look like it could be a miniature, made of folded paper. It’s actually a sofa bed in a sleek and simple shape with triangle-shaped leather-upholstered panels, folding out into a basic bench-like bed platform.

Poissonmobile Fold-Up Chaise Lounge

(image via: inhabitat)

Imagine carrying what looks like a basic tatami mat to the beach, unrolling it, popping a few supports into place and, boom, you’ve got a full-sized chaise lounge! German design firm Confused Direction created just that in the ‘Poissonmobile’. It’s now available in more colors through the designer’s website.

Chairs from a Sheet of Stainless Steel

(images via: yanko design)

These incredible chairs by designers Enoc Armengol and Arnau Miquel even have a paper-like textured surface. They’re each made from a single sheet of stainless steel folded into a hook shape and accented with slightly folded angles. The chair is available in either black or white leather finish.

Shapeable Textile Décor

(images via: design milk)

Turn origami into interactive wall décor with Clouds – modular textiles by Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec. Each little colored section of fabric can be connected to the next with a special type of rubber band, making it easy to create works of art for your home, whether you want to hang them up as a wall hanging, use them as a room divider or craft some kind of sculpture.

.ORI Stool by Jakub Piotr Kalinowski

(image via: dezeen)

Playing around with origami, designer Jakub Piotr Kalinowski came up with a cool stool design that leaves no doubt as to its biggest influence. “Use of a bending and cutting method allowed to satisfy main design assumption: simplicity and lost manufacturing costs, by dint of that the mass production is possible.”

Folding Chair by Gregg Fleishman

(image via: piyori_becco)

Designer and inventor Gregg Fleishman created this awesome folding chair out of a single board. Barely a scrap was wasted, and it definitely looks like it would be fun to assemble.

Tripod Origami Table Base

(images via: yanko design)

No glue or nails are required to assemble this fun flat-pack table base, which forms a rather insect-like tribot figure once the pieces are slotted together. Designed by Anthony Dickens and Tony Wilson, the Origami Table actually gets stronger when you place a glass tabletop on it, because the weight causes the joints to tighten.

Magnetic Origami Curtain by Florian Kräutli

(image via: krautli.com)

Magnets sewn into the fabric of this curtain/window shade by designer Florian Kräutli make it possible to easily move the curtain into practically endless shapes. It’s almost like having a constantly changing art exhibit as part of your home furnishings. It’s just a concept, but the design would make any origami enthusiast eager to try out new designs.

Bloom Series Furniture by Christina Waterson

(images via: contemporist)

Designed by Christina Waterson, the Bloom Series includes a stool, a magazine rack and some more conventionally-sized origami ornaments. The simple stool is made from plywood in a shape reminiscent of an origami flower, while the magazine rack is crafted from recycled materials.

Folding Lamp – DIY Origami Lighting

(image via: yanko design)

A sheet of stainless steel comes with pre-scored lines that, once folded, create an interesting geometric housing for a lamp. The ultimate shape of the lamp depends on the order in which you create your folds, giving you creative control over the result.