Italian designer and artist, Marcantonio Raimondi Malerba, echos my feelings exactly when he says (my translation), “I never give up irony; irony is a serious matter. If a good idea is also fun, I cannot resist bringing it to life.”

I agree. I can’t resist having fun. Here are 10 indoor-outdoor home and garden pieces deliver a sense of humor to any home and garden space:

1. Set Your Can On a Watering Can
This one brought a smile to my face.  Ceppo is Marama design studio’s tongue and cheek reinterpretation of an ordinary garden accessory–the watering can–as furniture. I like the wire construction that won’t let water accumulate on the seat.

2. Well-Heeled Indoor/Outdoor Chair
Everyone who know me well knows that if I hadn’t launched Urban Gardens, I would likely have a shoe blog. I admit, I’ve got an Imelda issue: I love shoes.

So no surprise I fell head over heels for Boris Novachi Bojic’s Flip Chair which turned upside down and sideways assumes a number of poses morphing from dining chair, to lounge chair, to table. Made of a lightweight rotational molded resin, Flip is easily moved on whim and wears well indoors and outdoors. So if the shoe fits…

3. Rolling Stones Gather No Más
No heavy lifting with Sassi Con Ruote, Marama’s resin and concrete rolling stones on wheels, top of post. Grin.

4. Branching Out
Not sure what the name means, but real branches support the resin-concrete seats of the Revenge of Beauty Twig Stools, another fun bit of creative expression from Marcantonio Raimondi Malerba’s witty brand, Marama.

5. Greek to Me Column Seating

Channel your inner classics and mythology buff with this Greek column seating that looks like a relic emerging from the earth. Capitello’s witty soft resin seat is a cult classic from 1971, reintroduced in 2004 by Heller.

5. Meltdown Chair

Designer Tom Price heats things up with his Meltdown chair. Red polyethylene sheeting is melted into a knotted mass of seating. I love the contrast in form and texture against the melted seat.

6. I Heart the Agatha Collection

Created for Vondom, Agatha is the Italian brand’s first kid’s collection. Designed with love by Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, the mini table and chair set is a fun interpretation of two iconic shapes–a heart and a flower. Heart-shaped stool seating compliments the flower-shaped table which flips over to become a planter.  Sit and sow! 

7. Hug Stool

Emo’s Hug Stools grabbed me. I love the irregular and worn pieces of wood with a colorful rope detail. Have a Hug in every room, inside and out.

8. Shiny Stump Stool

Love the bling factor of Fausto Salvi’s sculptural aluminium leaf and black glazed ceramic log stool which shines as a focal point or accent indoors or in a covered area outdoors.

9. Capped Out Chair

A whole lotta colorful soda bottle caps got recycled and attached together using zip ties to form the shape of this unique chair. Underneath, there’s structure made of a99% recycled steel finished with a white powder coating.

10. Lounging on a Leaf

Mut Design’s Leaf Hammock Swing softly sways in the air, while empty lets sunlight through it’s leafy openings, casting beautiful shadows in outdoor spaces.