John Beck Paper & Steel

Steel has long been an indicator of strength and dignity, making men Super, and delicate flowers stoic when Julia Roberts dies of diabetes. Spoiler alert! Strengthening the style of your pad, John Beck Paper & Steel

From a downstate dude who learned to weld right after high school because he needed a job, JBPS produces sleek, industrial-looking furniture and lighting using steel as the primary "weapon of choice", despite Fatboy Slim's frequent suggestions to opt for this or that. Furnishings include Invasion Shelves, tall steel units angled so only their tops hit the wall; an imposing glass-topped desk with a steel frame that creates a giant "X" underneath it; and the Shotgun Table, a steel-covered piece with a solid wood core that's taken to an "undisclosed location" and blasted with shotguns, earning it the front seat on the ride back. Shining a light on it all're fixtures like the Chalkboard Pendant, a street lamp-style piece with a black steel exterior literally meant to be chalked up; the Worry Light (two steel sheets curving across one another atop an Edison bulb); and a half-canister of black, brown or copper steel with a protruding filament bulb called the "Peter Light", a safe option since once you go black..

Because, hey, the outdoors, they even offer self-contained portable fire units powered with canned fuel, from a four-flamed fire cube to a taller single-flamed fire cone -- just keep it away from the magnolias, as their steel is strictly metaphorical.