With the New Year almost upon us, we thought we’d take the time to fit in one last curated look in the rear view mirror. As legendary renaissance man and International Best Dressed Hall of Famer Cecil Beaton once said, “be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” We’ve taken a look at some of the best designs from the past year that do anything but play it safe. From clothing to dress up outdated chairs, a couch you can draw on to a wearable pillow that lets you nap anywhere, including imaginative architecture and fashion, click through to check out our favorite inspiring, avant-garde design from 2012.
CHAIR WEAR by Anke Bernotat and Jan Jacob Borstlap with Audax Textielmuseum
Photo credit: Marleen Sleeuwits via Bernotat&Co
Parades by Mathilde Bretillot
Photo credit: Marie Flores via designboom
Ostrich Pillow by Kawamura-Ganjavian
Photo credit: STUDIO BANANA THiNGS
Hide & Sleep Day Bed by Katrin Greiling
Photo credit: Katrin Greiling
Drawing Machine Wind-up Toy by All Lovely Stuff
Photo credit: Katrin Greiling
Zieharsofika upholstered stools by Meike Harde
Photo credit: Meike Harde
My Couch, My Canvas by Annebet Philips
Photo credit: dezeen
Butterfly mirrors by Morie Nishimura
Photo credit: Morie Nishimura
Desk by Boys and Girls
Photo credit: dezeen
Maisonette (small houses) by Simone Simonelli
Photo credit: Simone Simonelli
Parrish Art Museum by Herzog & de Meuron – Long Island, New York
Photo credit: Matthu Placek via designboom
House NA by Sou Fujimoto – Tokyo, Japan
Photo credit: Iwan Baan via Architizer
“Wendy” by HWKN for MoMA PS1 – New York, New York
Photo credit: ARCHITECT; Architizer
Twilight Epiphany by James Turrell – Houston, Texas
Photo credit: Architectural Record; Glenda Sims
OCT Design Museum by Studio Pei-Zhu – Shenzhen, China
Photo via Contemporist
170′ Trampoline by Salto Architects – Nikola-lenivets, Russia
Photo credit: designboom
Superkilen Urban Park by BIG architects, Topotek1 + Superflex – Copenhagen, Denmark
Photo credit: designboom
Wearable cocoon of quilts and blankets by Danica Pistekova
Photo via Design Bureau
DIY magnetic earrings by Akiko Oue
Photo credit: Oue
Bird Shoe Series by Kobi Levi
Photo credit: Kobi Levi