Has anybody out there ever heard of Oulipo? The “Oeuvre de Litterature Potentielle” were a group of writers who believed that true ingenuity came from constraints, that if you could apply an algorithm or other mathematical formula, for instance, to create permutations of words and syntax, you could create literature that approached the infinite.

Audrey, modular storage cabinets and tables. Manufactured by Izzy Design.

One of the more famous of the works produced by the Oulipians is Raymond Queneau’s “One Hundred Thousand Billion poems,” a series of ten sonnets contrived so that each line in any sonnet is interchangeable with any other. The result is the potential “One Hundred Thousand Billion” poems of the title. With their “Audrey” collection of modular storage cabinets and matching tables-inspired, no doubt, by the smart modern look of Holly Golightly’s place in Breakfast At Tiffany’s-Michigan-based Izzy Design has created something much like the exponential poetry of Queneau.

Inspired by the company credo of creating “people-centered furniture that supports new workstyles,” Izzy’s furniture reflects the new realities of how we work and live, since, with increasing frequency, the two intersect-we work in our homes or we want our offices to have efficiency kitchens or comfy chairs. The point is that the lines have blurred; the demarcations have broken down, and many people want their living spaces to accommodate this flux. So Izzy Design’s Audrey aims for an exponential number of options and combinations. Start with the 84″ long base and add on at your leisure: “store its” are units containing one file-size drawer and one simple desk drawer; “combine its” are drawer/open cabinetry modules; “frame its” include four large display style spaces; and “tops” top it all off. Each of the pieces have dimensions that allow them to fit together, but one could never tell, since the pieces are designed such that the cracks don’t show. As if that didn’t give you enough to choose from, Audrey features a staggering number of face and case finish options: cases in melamine, matte, and polished laminates; faces in matte and polished laminates and wood veneer (with no less than 18 color/style options); aluminum-framed or urethane-glazed glass doors. And to further baffle those Libras out there, Izzy suggests “mixing up the materials for added design interest and texture.” No more choices, please!

The modular units are easily portable, giving you the ability to transform the look dramatically in minutes: stack ’em up high for a space-saving look that emphasizes vertical lines; spread ’em out wide for a landscape look or to accommodate art on the wall; since the case looks good (no need to hide it against a wall), you can even float them in a large open space or arrange them back to back. As the Oulipians might say, “the options are endless.” There’s no need to feel constrained by your cabinetry anymore. With Izzy Designs and Audrey, you can create a new look in less time than it takes to hum “Moon River.”

See the brochure at Izzy Designs for a demonstration and further ideas.