Sharp List: Charles Kalpakian “Rocky” Shelf

Modern design is great, isn’t it? All those clean lines and crisp edges add up to a truly beautiful, alluring aesthetic. The only problem: there isn’t always a whole lot of room in that minimalist agenda for even the slightest hint of humour.

Thankfully, that isn’t an issue for Lebanese designer Charles Kalpakian. His “Rocky” shelf, for instance, uses an optical illusion straight out of a carnival funhouse to warp onlookers’ perceptions of space and volume depending on the angle they’re viewing it from. Constructed from steel, it’s guaranteed to give you a good chuckle every time you watch your confused house guests try to make sense of the thing.