(Photo: Davies + Starr)

With a little applied design, thriftiness can be elegant. This Plate-U coffee table (designed by Veli-Matti Tolppi, a young member of the Finnish design incubator IMU Design) is made from vintage plates mounted on modern steel tubing. It combines homespun with machine age and eliminates the need for coasters ($1,800 at the Future Perfect, 115 N. 6th St., at Berry St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-599-6278).