Does the blogosphere transcend limitations of race, gender, age? Has it defeated the formidable obstacle of generational bias? Of cultural intelligence?

Anana chair. Designed by Ayala Serfaty. Manufactured by Aqua Creations.

I like to think it has. I prefer to imagine, for instance, that if I begin this post with a reference to the classic Star Trek (the original, mind you, none of this Next Generation or Deep Space Nine nonsense) episode, “The Trouble with Tribbles,” in which crew and ship are nearly overcome by hordes of exponentially multiplying fur balls, everyone out there will know what I’m talking about, and not just the hardcore nerds. If the Tribbles-a benign life-form, whose only sin is that they’re born pregnant-had been put to better use, they might have contributed to the evolution of contemporary decor.

One look at Ayala Serfaty’s Anana chair will clarify. Serfaty, who, along with her husband, Albi, founded Aqua Creations in early ’94, is known for her elegant light fixtures (one hesitates to use the term, since her creations are anything but “fixed”). The Aqua line of lighting features fabrics in amorphous shapes illuminated from within-many of them resemble plant life or sea creatures, and Serfaty is certainly interested in evoking the organic. This is no different with her furniture. Anana is a low-slung, broad-seated lounge chair (36″ seat with a 28″ back) made of a multitude of close-stitched cushiony florettes-or dimunitive pillows-strung together like barnacles, or the honeycombs of a beehive, or the petals of a dahlia, or the molecular structure of cellulose (the nature allusions come easy with Serfaty…). The overall effect is of a cushion made of cushions, as if Star Trek‘s tribbles had somehow coalesced into a functional whole. The Anana makes a striking statement: its construction, shape, and color (oranges, pinks, and yellows abound) are somewhat retro yet the overall effect is of a thing heretofore unseen, and as such, it’s probably not for everyone, but if you’re up for a bit of whimsy in your scheme, if you’re vulnerable to the allure of an afternoon doze while swathed in pillowy velvet, it might just be your huckleberry.