Vancouver, BC-based molo design [www.molodesign.com] are experts at starting with something that’s static and two-dimensional and creating a design with structure, style and life. “soft” is a collection of products whose look is hinted at by the name, as they’ve created very smooth, organic shapes that look delicate, but not fragile. Their media of choice — paper and textiles, for the most part — allow for incredible versatility, and their design inspiration — honeycomb — makes for maximum structure with minimal materials.

So, let’s say you’re sharing that big open loft and at times there is nothing you crave more than a bit of privacy, but you do not want to build permanent, heavy or immovable partitions or wall. “softwall” [www.molodesign.com] is right up your alley, made of 400 honeycombed layers of fire-retardant translucent paper, it dampens sound, absorbs and transmits light and is modularly expandable, folding out from just 1 inch to over 20 feet. As artful as it is functional, it owns a place in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

Of course, you’ll need somewhere to sit in your loft; for that, we like “softseating.” [www.molodesign.com] The modular paper pieces can be used for stools, low tables, side tables and chairs; again, the honeycomb design allows for both modularity and superior strength for its weight. Made of 50% recycled (and 100% recyclable) craft paper, each of the pieces can be folded up like a big book when not in use, allowing for lots of furniture when guests are around and lots of extra space when they’re not.

“softlight” [www.molodesign.com] follows a similar pattern to the other soft elements, utilizing the flexible paper honeycomb pattern to maximize strength and efficiency while minimizing materials. The honeycomb works particularly well for this design, creating a really neat effect with just a single lightbulb; we really like how the look grouped together. Of course, we have to recommend popping a compact fluorescent lightbulb in there. There’s a lot more good stuff over at molo’s site [www.molodesign.com], and many are for sale from Unica Home [www.unicahome.com].

Created by an architect turned furniture designer, Project Import Export (or PIE) was founded by Bannavis Andrew Sribyatta, who wanted to explore the ultimate concept of “living space” in relation to the complexity of nature. Using many quickly renewable materials like water hyacinth, liana, bamboo and rattan, PIE takes several design cues from nature (sort of an artful form of biomimicry [www.sundancechannel.com]) and uses the materials’ physical properties to his advantage.

PIE’s design philosophy is to make furniture an art form; the collections’ curvaceous profiles and rich textures generate warmth and sensuality. Take the two pieces pictured above, for example; “alpha” (left) takes its obvious inspiration from the alphabet, but combines it with an Asian-inspired minimalism that feels right at home in the contemporary world. “Easy lounge”, on the other hand, tends more toward smooth lines, making it more comfortable before you ever even sit down in it. Both designs are made from bamboo [www.sundancechannel.com].

“Stomach” (pictured above) also has a pretty obvious design inspiration, but what we like best about this one is that the design itself doesn’t belie the materials. Made from rattan — a material usually reserved for frumpy patio furniture and the like — you’d never guess that these chairs used to be long, sinewy reeds. The material is updated and given a fresh, modern (if stomach-inspired) look that not only looks great, but is equally functional to boot.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about PIE is that they don’t subscribe to one specific design philosophy; it’s not all modern, or Asian-inspired, or minimal, but it all uses eco-friendly materials to produce inspiring organic shapes and functional, artful furniture that can blend with many decors. Learn more about them at their website [www.projectimportexport.com]; several of the designs are available from Vivavi [www.vivavi.com] as well. So, how many pieces of PIE do you want?