Our Favorite Products of 2009: Deceptive Decor

When surrealism started popping up in home decor a few years ago, many thought it was a trend. But it's no surprise that considering our current economic and social state, the playfulness has maintained some serious staying power.

Still, the concept has been around for more than a century. Surrealism is merely a revival of the 20th-century movement of Neosurrealism: art that created unexpected juxtapositions, ironically integrated life and dreams and expressed a disinterested playfulness of thought.

In today's world of furnishings, surrealism is far less political than its political predecessor, yet it has profound implications for anyone who believes art and functional home decor are synonymous. Whether extreme or subtle, whimsical or downright unusual, each piece has its own beautiful story to tell – if you look closely enough.

Eye Candy
It may look good enough to eat, but it's better suited for your refrigerator door. These magnets make a sweet (ha, get it?) gift idea for the chocoholic in your life.
Chocolate Sweet Magnet, $18, MollaSpace

Light on Calories
Don't you just want to take a bite out of them? I'd refrain if I were you -- at 7 inches tall these cute-enough-to-eat babies are actually adorable nightlights (or simply a glowing art piece for a playful interior).
Jello Gummy Lights, $125, Sprout Home


A Good Read
Face it, how many books on your shelf do you actually read anyway? That shelf is all about display, so mix up the ordinary with this set of porcelain bookends -- they double as vases, too, for an extra-unique display.
Book Set (of four), $198, KleinReid

Burned Out
Wax drippings no more. The flicker of a flame is replaced with a pretty bloom in this playful take on a bud vase.
White Candlestick Vase, $46, Sprout Home

What's Cookin?
Straight from the stove to your plate, hotplate that is. This set will be sure to warm things up at the dinner table (even if only figuratively).
Hotplate Set (two salad plates, two dinner plates), $30, Imm Living

Get a Zip
It's unclear how zippers and cups go together -- perhaps it's because they're both used many times daily? Whatever the reason, this zipper cup is a fun take on your morning mug.
Zipper Cup (set of 2 cups and coasters), $40, MollaSpace

No Batteries Required
Everybody has one -- likely tucked away in a drawer, saved for emergencies or annual camping trips. But now the flashlight finally gets its long-awaited glory in the spotlight -- or should I say, as the spotlight.
Flashlight Small Pendant Light, $36, Imm Living

Rockin' It Old School
Super-Old-School aesthetics meets contemporary technology. The ceramic sculpture works as a modern-day gramophone -- simply connect earbuds from your iPod or other mp3 player.
Charles & Marie Ceramic Phonofone II Unplugged Speaker, $677.99, Amazon.com