Neither bells nor whistles

A design website offers carefully considered kit that’s a pleasure to own

All the items have the capacity to enhance our daily lives

FURNITURE that adheres blindly to the maxim that form should follow function usually requires a degree of wit or ingenuity to sweeten the bitter pill of mindless Modernism. The BORN website (www.born.com) is a showcase of contemporary design that offers these qualities in spades, yet, refreshingly, it isn’t littered with novelty for novelty’s sake and focuses on designs we all use on a daily basis: sunglasses, watches, record players, and iphone docks blessed with a carefully considered simplicity. All have the capacity to enhance the quality of our daily lives.

Browsing the site is a compelling experience, with new designs appearing thick and fast. Few are more intriguing than the Barisieur (above, £345, www.barisieur.com), a 21stcentury

coffee-making descendent of the teasmade. This is no ironic reinvention; it’s beautifully designed and screams out to be acquired (even if you only drink tea).

BORN is the brainchild of Jean-christophe Chopin, an entrepreneur who fervently believes that functionality and beauty need not be mutually exclusive. He’s recently

joined forces with Gerry Mcgovern, design director of Land Rover, who has presided over the creation of the Evoque and the most recent incarnations of the company’s range. Together, they have collaborated on the BORN Awards, the results of which offer a fascinating insight into cutting-edge design from around the world.