If you crave furniture that’s over-the-top and contemporary to the core, we’ve got good news. Alfonso Dominguez, co-owner of Oakland’s way chic premium denim boutique Drift, recently unveiled another venture: FiveTen Studio. The architecture firm and gallery, located at 831 Broadway, is stocked with ultra mod ultra pricey pieces (think unusual installations made from woven horse hair) by local and international artists. Call 510-451-9900 for details.

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Before you board your next plane, take a whirl through Scout, a darling Oakland store that stocks journals worthy of your ink scribbles, holders for your beloved passport (the one with the photo you can’t stand) and limited edition stationery to impress all of your pen pals. Inside you’ll also stumble upon an array of antique globes and vintage home furnishings for decorating your home. Many of the items are acquired from the owner’s global travels. In other words, this is our kind of place.

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It’s hard for us not to melt over Jonathan Browning’s timeless, beautiful designs, and the Palissandre sconce is no different. Around here, we’ve dubbed it the “chalice of illumination.” With just a smidge of French 40s and earthy African sensibility, the piece’s oiled palissander wood torch is residence to a 60-watt krypton-xenon bulb, and attaches to the wall with either a satin nickel arm, or one with an antiqued oil-rubbed bronze finish.

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Is that roadkill or a cow getting devoured by a dragon? Well, actually, it’s Frederikson Stallard’s symmetrically peerless Felt #2 rug. The rug derives its inspiration from amorphous Rorschach blobs. A sleek wool felt piece, it’ll definitely inspire admiration beyond simply trying to identify what it’s supposed to resemble. Available from Citizen-Citizen.

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Lilipad Studio’s gorgeous Bohemian Garden Table reminds us of an ornate Turkish drawing room or a Rumi poem made tactile. Hand-painted and crafted from responsibly forested hardwood, it’s covered in an eye-catching collection of sprigs, posies, and mehndi-like florals. The burst of color adds pizzazz to patio teatime services, or really, anything you choose to use it for.

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Chella Textiles creates kitten-soft luxury fabrics perfect for nuzzling up to on cold evenings. Take their jacquard Aretha, injected with a dose of fuzzy spring color. Canvas sateen and luxury chenille create the most touchable pattern we’ve gotten our hands on in a while. A chintzy-sweet print is jazzed up with baroque swirls and fat pointillist flowers. Aretha comes in seven colors, but our favorite is the lime/blue (aka Caribe/Kiwi).

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Heller’s gone and done it again with their Vignelli chair. A classic injection-molded nylon puts this glossy little throne at the top of its game. Lella and Massimo Vignelli are the proud parents of this beauty, a UV- and weather-resistant chair that’s a lovely addition to any patio. The trademark lipstick red shade adds glamour and sex appeal to the Vignelli. (As if it needed any.)

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No, it isn’t origami, but Holmegaard’s geometrically stupendous Morph pendant lamp has a starburst appeal that won’t be lost on lovers of tactile fixtures. Hearkening back to the retro era of space travel, this glass lamp brims with adventure and discovery. Perfect for the design pioneer in us all.

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Turkish-born Atilla Kuzu got his inspiration for the soothing Taklamakan bench from the undulating lines of desert dunes. A subtle ripple extends across the surface of the bench and makes for the perfect loveseat, which is made up of sycamore and pure acrylic polymer—both of which denote, together, organic beauty and functional sustainability.

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So you’re ready to rip out your hardwood floorboards and replace them with something a little more current? You might be happy to discover that Swiss designer Andreas Dotzauer has teamed up with Wicanders, the foremost manufacturer of cork flooring, to create the gorgeous Nuances collection, which includes 12 subtly Mediterranean-inspired shades of environmentally conscious cork oak floors, such as Orzo and Patina.

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