When I stopped by the River West gallery/furniture showroom Caste (covered in our January/February 2008 issue) on a recent rainy afternoon, Ty Best, the artist behind most of the pieces in there, happened to be hanging out, working. He and co-owner Brad Rowley showed me these great new X-chairs, which called to mind African birthing chairs. The darker, faceted one is walnut that’s been treated with iron oxide to bring out the grain ($3,980) and the one joined by splines is Jamaican Blue Mahoe with a hand-rubbed wax finish ($3,770). The name of the store is Latin for “pure and clean,” not the repressive class system, and these sleek and surprisingly comfortable lounge chairs embody those ideals with aplomb.

—BRADLEY LINCOLN