"Milliner" is too staid a term for Philip Treacy, contemporary sculptor of wacky headgear. The Irish, London-based artist dwells in an artistic field almost exclusively his own. He fashions extraordinary, otherworldly hats that threaten to throw the heads they adorn fantastically off-balance. Since

Elegant, Fantastic, Kinetic, Surreal, Voluminous, Whimsical

George Sowden began his career in the old school of design, before you could work from the comfort of your own bedroom with a computer on your lap. Sowden learned early the absolute necessity of working with others to avoid mistakes. Educated at the Gloucester College of Art, and later at the Olivett

Bright, Ebullient, Fantastic, Lush, Postmodern furniture, Profane

Slinky, kinky, and plastic. These are the descriptors that Joe Colombo's version of a utopian space-age future calls to mind. In the 1960s, sci-fi fantasies gave rise to molded curves, tubular furniture, and synthetic fabrics. The Italians and Scandinavians were at the forefront of the design revolut

Fantastic, Playful, Pop/surrealism/anti-design, Quirky, Round

He hails from the land of tea and crumpets, but Nigel Coates first found success in a country better known for sushi and sake. But though Japan was the first to embrace his futuristic, semi-permanent "pop" stylings, it wasn't long before his buttoned-down countrymen recognized Coates' avant-garde vis

Eclectic, Fantastic, Pop, Postmodern architecture, Quirky, Round