PHOTOS: Funky Found Object Furniture

We’ve seen our fair share of recycled art. But Lebanese-born designer Niloufar Afnan‘s furniture pieces made from found objects are so cooky and creative, we just had to take a closer look. Afnan, also a budding photographer and jewelry designer, will show her found art furniture at this year’s New Designers Exhibition in London. The young artist’s work plays on the possibilities of form and function, encouraging “users to reflect on their behavior with the object,” Afnan said.

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"46," Niloufar Afnan. Photo: Niloufar Afnan

Afnan’s table piece, appropriately dubbed “46,” is made from 46 discarded table legs from across London. The young designer invites viewers to rethink functionality by crafting both the base and surface of the table from table legs.

“Although the form of the surface is a maze, it is the distance between the legs that allows the surface to be functional,” Afnan said. “Thus, the legs – once the support of a table surface – is now the actual surface of the table.”

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"Royal Stool," Niloufar Afnan. Photo: Niloufar Afnan

Made from a discarded British Royal Mail bag, Afnan’s unconventional stool pokes a bit of fun at the royal family and her new hometown of London. The “Royal Stool” is essentially a stuffed mail bag draped over a bucket and secured with a metal ring.

“This work invites a simple attitude in which a ring can create the comfort and stability of a stool by piling random elements underneath,” said Afnan, a recent graduate of Central St. Martin’s University in London.

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"Mobile Seat," Niloufar Afnan. Photo: Niloufar Afnan

Believe it or not, this crazy contraption is actually a chair. Afnan had some fun with function once again by using a found backrest as a leg. “The metamorphism of the backrest suggests how a form can remain the same but also gain new functions if manipulated differently,” the artist said.

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"Rock Seat," Niloufar Afnan. Photo: Niloufar Afnan

Afnan didn’t stick to found furniture bits for her clever (and curious) pieces. Her exhibition also includes a series of “Rock Seats,” or seating spaces crafted on top of found rocks. By using clay, plaster, latex and metal sheets, the up-and-coming artist creates functional yet non-functional seats that are sure to leave you scratching your head.