I'm about to move and looking for new furnishings and appliances, and trying to blend my own taste with my husband's. I tend toward two directions- spare and totally minimalist or way out there and Jetsons-esque, like this Agave lamp. The fermented juice of the agave plant is what results in tequila and while the lamp can't get you drunk, the eight halogen bulbs reflect through the metallic filament "leaves" for a cool mix of function and ornamentation. The agave lamp is $148 at Chiasso (currently on backorder).

Fluffy lighting notwithstanding, I like to think I have fairly classic tastes, but I'm a total sucker for anything that involves flowing water- if I had the space, I'd probably end up with one of those huge water fountain gardens complete with marble cherubs right inside my living room. Fortunately this modern water fountain is much more restrained and provides the same relaxing sounds of trickling water. Water flows over the steel ball into a reservoir which also provides soft lighting. There's no need to connect to any plumbing- the fountain re-uses a single gallon of water when plugged into a standard outlet. I think this would be a great sound machine- real water instead of the fake sounds of "rainforest" or "crashing waves". The Relax Ball Fountain is $158 at Chiasso.