As far as affordable contemporary design goes, Ikea pretty much is tops. And every few years since 1995 they have strengthened that idea with their Post Scriptum (PS) collection of works, a bold addition to their existing product range at the same affordable prices. The seventh and latest PS collection was exhibited in Milan a few weeks ago and we got to see it displayed at ICFF in New York this past weekend.

(To wit, above: IKEA PS MASKROS pendant lamp $89.99 by Marcus Arvonen. IKEA PS AUGUST bench $499 Solid pine and leather by Nike Karlsson)

Studio Charlie's Punto Pecora family of fabrics will be on display in Milan this week. An intriguing mix of old and new, the pixelated design was inspired by and abstracted from a late 19th century logo and the fabric is produced on a traditional Jacquard loom, it too dating back to the turn of the century. The original 19th century logo and the loom that makes the fabric, blanket and plaid above belong to Lanificio Leo.

The Pinocchio rug by Hay is named after a Danish candy (sugarcoated liquorice balls, apparently) and handmade in Nepal. Each woollen ball is hand felted and strung like a bead in a necklace. Pinocchio is available in three colourways: confetti multi, aubergine multi and purple multi.

+ hay.dk

+ Jungyou's Babyboy in the Cloud pillow blanket is exactly that: a cosy combination of pillows that can be enveloped around you. The designer used a knitting machine to create the removable cover, and there are spaces between some sections so that the piece can be folded into a fort-like cocoon. For clouds above, you can use Joons' Cloud Umbrella with an inflatable canopy inflated with a pump in the tube and handle.

+ Fedora is the latest lighting design put forth by Dima Loginoff. Fedora takes the familiar shape of the Russian matryoshka doll and functions as a night-light of LED and glass.

+ Thoms & Nilsson have always noticed that young people have a tendency to perch on the backrest of benches, perhaps to be at eye-level with anyone passing by. The Alternative is a bench that offers a higher perch complete with footrest and backrest.

+ The Igneous series of floor lamps by Li-Rong Liao comes in a variety of laser cut patterns. The shade starts off flat and the user rolls it into shape and pops out the pattern. Liao gets the inspiration from igneous rock that starts as magma, cools down and takes shape.

Stag is a magnificent 10' by 15' tapestry by Grant Heaps, who also works as assistant wardrobe co-ordinator for the National Ballet of Canada. Heaps based his work of 20, 049 fabric scraps on a cross-stitch pattern and stitched the one-inch squares together loosely to make up a delightfully colourful depiction of Canadian flora and fauna. And on the brick wall of the installation space for Radiant Dark's Elegant Corruptions, Stag was impossible to miss. Such was also the case of Bev Hisey's Dirty Dishes, a collection of tufted rugs based on the contents of Petri dishes. The patterns of this series of rugs are based on a variety of viruses and bacteria that are not usually considered to be pleasing in any way. Some of the ills portayed included influenza, SARS, anthrax, botulism and HIV.

+ madedesign.ca

little wonder's liquid sky is a animated sunshade, more precisely "a multi-layered textile sunshade/blind that captures the particularities of sea, air and light. It acts as a camera obscura, both filtering and collecting light in its surfaces." The light captured by the sunshade/blind dynamically shifts with changing wind and daylight. Watch the video here. liquid sky started out as a design commission for a gallery. Inspired by Mornington Penninsula, Australia, a popular summer residential and recreational destination for Victorians, little wonder set out to make the Mornington Penninsula experience portable, so that anyone could enjoy it regardless of location. liquid sky is currently a prototype looking for a manufacturer.

+ littlewonder-design.com