The Gravity Bookshelf is a piece of furniture with a design that you'll love or hate, but either way you can't deny its inherent practicality. By bending the plywood shelves so they appear to be coming out of the floor, designer Leo Kempf ensured that any books (or, say, DVDs) that you put on it won't fall over, with no need for any bookends. Kempf also designed the shelf to be easy to assemble, sliding the plywood shelves into slots on the hardwood main beam. Nice thinking, Leo.

The Gravity Bookshelf is a design project by Kempf, so you can't actually buy one, but it's such a simple and eye-catching item that there's no reason a manufacturer couldn't pick up the design and bring it to market, even if mass producing the curved shelves might be a bit tricky. And if the curvy shape of the G-shelf offends you, there are edgier options out there. — Peter Pachal

Leo Kempf, via Popgadget