Every woodworker, carpenter or furniture builder has dreamt of making something completely out of wood scraps and cut-offs, even if that stained poplar wouldn't match the ash board and the birch ply. You just think of how cool it would be, and you wonder what it would look like.

Well, Piet Hein Eek has actually done it. A lot. (See our coverage of his show last year in Milan at Spazio Rosanna Orlandi.)

The Eindhoven-based designer makes chairs, stools, benches, beds, tables, bowls, cupboards and cabinets all from scrap wood (presumably not his own cut-offs, unless he has the world's largest woodworking shop). The attendant prices do not place these objects within the reach of the common person; I'm posting word of the objects here primarily so you can see what they look like.

While there is undoubtedly curation involved in the selection of scraps for each piece, it's still pretty amazing how such discordant tones and colors create a very cohesive whole.

Still not impressed? Check out this table made out of scrap pieces of steel:

At nearly 30 large I won't be picking one up anytime soon, but I like knowing that someone took the time to do this.

By the bye, the photos at the very top of this entry are of Piet Hein Eek wallpaper. (Actual wallpaper with the image printed on it.) What's crazy is that in each 47-square-foot roll, there are no repeat images.

[Ed Note: Check out Piet Hein Eek's Design Indaba presentation where he shares his design ethos, "Do What You Like" and walks us through his studio/production/retail/cafe space.]