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While we're playing favorites, we'd like to talk a bit about our favorite industrial designer right now, Jason Miller.

Jason Miller designs objects and furniture out of his studio in Brooklyn. After graduating from the New York Academy of Art in 1995, Mr. Miller started working for artists and designers like Jeff Koons and Karim Rashid. In 2001, he set off on his own and started Miller Studio. His work at Miller Studio has centered around, in equal parts, the fantastical and the imperfect. Our introduction to his work was the daydreams mirror, a mirror that puts you in the middle of beautiful natural setting (above).

Other past projects include a second-hand tea service that's been transformed with new imagery.

A vase that looks like it's been broken and then reconstructed again.

And an antler-shaped chandelier.

It seems like every year, we can depend on Mr. Miller releasing 4 or 5 products that are different, thought-provoking, and beautiful. He is holding his latest exhibition until November 4th at P Design Gallery in Denver. But if you can't make it out there, go to Miller Studio's site to look at all his projects, or visit Twenieth (in LA or online) or Matter (in Brooklyn online) to see and buy his designs.

After hearing about San Francisco based online shop Branch several times, we knew we it was perfect for our shopping guide. The concept of Branch is to seek out and sell stylish, well designed items that are made with sustainable materials and methods. While still an online only operation, the shop did have a "flash" shop a few weekends back in San Francisco and is apparently looking for a permanent place in the area.

As for the sustainability factor, they're really not kidding about this stuff. Each and every item comes complete with meticulous information of where it was made, who made it, and an "ingredients" list the FDA would be proud of.

So if you're looking to give the environment a hand, you should probably take the 5 large you were going to spend on this chaise and plant some trees or something. But isn't it comforting to know that if you were in the market for a $5k environmentally friendly chaise lounge one is available for you to buy?

The selection of tableware and home accessories is more accessible and affordable than the furniture. Frankly we would like them whether they were environmently friendly or not. Which we guess is sort of the point with Branch. The store makes buying sustainable goods the easy, obvious choice. Seeing as he's hanging his hat in SF these days, we wonder if Mr. Gore is a customer.

We've seen this a couple of times now. 1) A couple of enterprising folks open an online store 2) the online store does well 3) the online store becomes a brick-and-mortar store. Sort of the Internet revolution, in reverse. The latest such outfit is Plushpod, which for six years now has been supplying the world with ultra-modern furniture and accessories. We had occasion to visit Plushpod's relatively new LA showroom and we were impressed--it's an unabashed celebration of high-concept modernism if we've ever seen one.

Furniture ranges from expensive to super-expensive, but the accessories selection (not pictured) is plentiful and priced all over the board.

It's about time to check in with Design Public and see what they've up to. What we like most about them is how they balance out carrying ther relatively well-known design brands like Blu Dot and Dwell with little one-person shops we haven't heard of before.

If your name is Deiter or Helmut, you wear black turtlenecks and thick-rimmed glasses, then you'll appreciate this wine rack.

Deiter would also appreciate this Blu Dot coffee table.

Design Public also seems determined to amass the largest collection of modern pillows online.

Starting tomorrow, we'll start reviewing some Spring arrivals at some of our favorite clothing stores! Stay Tuned!