Don't let the unassuming title or cover of industrial designer and artist Christopher Stuart's new book, DIY Furniture: A Step-by-Step Guide fool you. The work is filled with some of the most interesting DIY furniture I've ever seen--and I've seen a lot. Chris collected 30 projects from the best designer-makers out there and put them into the collection that includes projects for every room in your home, and they're all constructed of supplies you can find at your local hardware or big box store. Now, that might sound like well-trod territory, but believe me, these 30 designs go where few others have gone before. Take for example the shelving unit featured on the book's front cover. From Jae Won Cho of J1Studio, it's constructed of plywood and tie-wraps, making it infinitely refigure-able.

Another eyebrow-raiser is project called 'The Panther'. It's a sofa--yeah, a DIY sofa--from Max Sanjulian of Volido that's made out of cabinet-grade plywood and pyramid sound foam. Sound foam!

Nicola Golfari for Recession Design includes a tutorial for building an armchair using, among other things, a rubber doormat. Malafor's sidetable, which is constructed of 3" black plastic PVC is actually a kind of table/magazine/newspaper rack combo.

The one quibble I have with the book is the font size included in the individual tutorials themselves. It's quite small. But, considering what's packed in the book's 143 pages, font size is of little consequence. Ultimately, I am giving Chris's book two very big and enthusiastic thumbs up. It would be a perfect Christmas gift for those DIYers on your list that have modern sensibilities. And, of course, you'll want to buy a copy for yourself as well.

You can find DIY Furniture: A Step-by-Step Guide at Amazon for about $16.50.