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

Lina Bo Bardi spent her childhood playing in the shadows of the basilica of St. Peter's. As an adult, she undertook a classical architectural training at Rome University and later went to work for the offices of the famed Gio Ponti in Milan. Applying herself to numerous disciplines -- including house

Functional, Italian rationalism, Modernist architecture, Organic, Organicism, Political, Round

A child of Modernism, Ettore Sottsass elevated the structures of design to new intellectual and philosophical levels. After receiving an architectural degree from the Polytechnic in Turin, Sottsass opened his own design studio, where he dabbled in furniture, sculptural projects, and the fine and appl

Excessive, Geometric, Hi-tech, Layered, Pop/surrealism/anti-design, Round