cool or crazy: ping-pong ball décor

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When a friend sent me the link to this Fast Company Co.Design article with the comment, “Finally, an apartment smaller than yours!” I was skeptical, to say the least. That is, until I actually checked out the photos.

Credit: Fast Company

It’s definitely tiny, yes. But clearly, the most impressive element of this teeny room’s décor is the fact that the walls are made from ping-pong balls – 25,000 ping-pong balls, to be exact.

The loft/pied-à-terre/bachelor pad, which belongs to Daniel Arsham, a partner at the Brooklyn-based architecture firm Snarkitecture, is apparently used just for sleeping and dressing (which I imagine is great news for any friends of his who were worried about being invited to a dinner party there – “But where do we make the drinks???”).

Personally, I prefer a room with more color, but you have to appreciate the stark simplicity of the monochromatic tones.  There’s something strangely soothing about sticking to such a simple color scheme and incorporating it into every element of the room’s design.

Even the clothes in the “closet” (is that the closet? I hope those are drawers under the bed, because otherwise, that guy only has four shirts and no pants) adhere to the grey hues that make up the rest of the room.

As my friend said in her email, “This is a crazy-lookin’ place! And it really is tiny-town.” Tiny-town to be sure, but also insanely austere. In a beautiful way? I haven’t quite decided yet, but it’s inspired me to do some research on other clever (and less severe) ways to incorporate ping-pong balls into your home’s décor.

Check out this awesome strand of lights that was made by drilling holes into ping pong balls and inserting Christmas lights into the holes.

Credit: instructables.com

Another inspired idea for unique ping-pong lighting comes from Dutch design company Studio Kleefstra.

Credit: trendhunter.com

You could also create seasonal decorations using ping-pong balls, such as ‘eyeballs,’ which would be perfect for Halloween…

Credit: familyfun.go.com

…or as ornaments for your Christmas tree.

Credit: instructables.com

This particular idea definitely doesn’t have to be solely a holiday idea; wrapping a bunch of ping-pong balls in a variety of different-colored threads could be a cool way to fill a large, clear vase or bowl in any season.

So, moral of this story? Ping-pong balls: Acceptable form of home décor. And no, using them for beer pong doesn’t count.

But that’s just one girl’s opinion. What do you guys think? Is ping-pong ball décor cool or crazy?