Peter J. Pless is a designer based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He'll be showing 9 new prototypes at the 2010 Salone Satellite, part of a series entitled Spaces. The collection distills domestic objects down to their essential functions and merges them, creating new—also simple and legible—experiences and interactions.

More from Pless:The conceptual framework "Spaces" defines the significance of certain products that people have direct contact with on a day-to-day basis. These "Spaces" are broken into four categories (intimate, personal, social and public) that represent an individual's possessions in relation to emotional and sensory values. These four categories offer a significant range of complexity. At the intimate level, objects maintain a more emotional bond where the personality of the individual is truly formed. As one traverses outward from the intimate category, an individual's perceived identity changes through the personal, social and public sectors where at each level true identity recedes and becomes more generalized and superficial.

The concept of hybridization and distillation comes through very clearly in the individual pieces, which are slightly distorted from their usual selves to create unusual conditions. For example, Atelier feels like a tiny desk lamp, but scaled up to create a dome of light and warmth, and Tryst is a kitchen stool split in half to accommodate two. Guise is a leaning mirror that creates a small coat closet between itself and the wall, and Stem, another leaner, combines a plant stand with a broomstick.

Atelier, pictured above: Through a shift in scale of a familiar domestic prop, the lamp not only lights a room, it becomes a room. The interior space provides a serene environment that is free of visual distractions while offering a sense of security.

See all the projects and their descriptions following the jump.

Tryst: A seat for one becomes transformed into a place for meeting.

Guise: A wood framed leaning mirror offers hanging storage and a space to display.

The Stem herb planter is intended to remove the need for excessive packaging of fresh herbs while reducing the need for transportation of a product that can be conveniently within your reach as meals are prepared.

Escritoire is a small computer desk that redefines the boundaries of an office environment allowing for work and play in the comfortable setting of the home.

Prism: The mirrored interior surfaces of this geometric table reflect a surprisingly colorful interpretation of the surrounding environment.

Ripple: The soft waves flowing over the surfaces of the chair recall memories of a serene day at the beach.

Visage: Spun aluminum modules articulate to either an open or closed position to create a space for privacy or pattern.