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Dress up
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If this armchair (left; Euro3,400/HK$42,000) were a dog it would be a shar pei that has grown into its skin (mature shar peis lose most of their wrinkles). However, to Tel Aviv, Israel-based Arik Ben Simhon, who is known for his fashion-inspired furniture, the chair is reminiscent of a classic leather coat, complete with zips and roomy pockets - hence its name, Jacket. The armchair is available without zippers and can be upholstered in fabric. It can be shipped to Hong Kong (tel: 972 3 682 8669; www.arikbensimhon.com).
Display case
The etagere is to the French what the what-not is to the English: open shelving on which to display ornaments. Working with this concept, designer Alessandro Mendini has come up with a boutique-cum-mini-museum exhibiting more than 1,000 items from three Alessi collections. Visitors to the store in Sha Tin (shop 103, Grand Central Plaza, tel: 2634 1162) will find, among other treasures, the Pop-Up bottle opener (right; HK$430) by Giovanni Alessi Anghini, the great grandson of the company's founder. The device consists of a stainless-steel capsule containing a pressure-operated opening mechanism and a magnet, which holds the metal top.
Fine art
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If you're looking for a special something for your home, consider pieces from Manks' Scandinavian design. Bruno Mathsson's classic 1960 Superelipse table (below; HK$32,000) is made of burl birchwood and supported by legs designed by Piet Hein, a Danish scientist and poet who popularised the use of the super ellipse (a geometrical form between a rectangle and an ellipse) in architecture and furniture. Another conversation starter is a large 1950 vase (HK$33,000) by Alvar and Aino Aalto. The couple based their design of the piece on the dress of a Sami (an indigenous Nordic people) woman. Manks is at 2 Kennedy Terrace, Mid-Levels, tel: 2522 2115; www.manks.com.
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