Forget futuristic: from quirky styles to implausible color combinations, the past has plenty of daring-enough decor ideas for those with an open mind about furniture, furnishing and fixture design.

Some of these objects are built from actual antiques, hacked classics or recycled trash-found treasures, while others draw on historic styles in combination with new materials.A quick hover above will reveal more images and details on each item or idea and its respective designer.

A few snapshots for the skeptics: wall-hanging art frames turned into live ant colonies, on the one hand, and hand-stitched carpets from historic rug scraps on the other.

Of course, the standard caveat applies: what looks groovy to one house-decorating diva may be appear appalling (and best left in the landfill) to a more-ordinary homeowner – so buyer (and browser) beware!