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A Doll's House

Edited by Karen D. Singh and Mark McMenamin -- Interior Design, 6/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

More than a century after Nora first slammed the door, the spirit of Henrik Ibsen's rebellious heroine has come home to roost. . .in Slovenia. That's where Nika Zupanc developed the progressive perspective on feminine imagery that she brought to the grounds of Superstudio Più with "I Will Buy Flowers Myself," a showcase of designs partly inspired by the ladies of literature. Scarlett O'Hara mysteriously dropped a letter to become Scarlet, a fiberglass side table with a hint of a petticoat ruffle around the reversible, removable top. Gorenje's Mrs. Dalloway, the only production piece, is a hot plate with an aluminum cover that closes like a chic compact.

Zupanc's shapely seating has black lacquered shells cradling cushions. The love seat, Tapisserie, measures 55 inches wide and 56 high; the sofa, Phonique, is 79 inches wide and 26 high. Too young to sit up? Boris and Vladimir are a pair of acrylic rocking cradles with brass legs. Older children would appreciate the wind-up Konstantin Beta toy car, while grown-ups could play French Maid with the Unfaithful feather duster.

To protect her creations from the elements, Zupanc built a house from Trimo's galvanized-steel Qbiss modules and painted them with polka dots. The 1,000-square-foot structure came complete with a steel chimney billowing smoke puffs of lacquered foam. With smart surroundings like this, Nora might never have left. Gorenje, 386-3-899-10-00; gorenje.com. circle 406 Nika Zupanc, 386-41-764-947; nikazupanc.com. circle 407