Commercial furniture often has a bit of a reputation as being quite 'dry' - people expect your chairs and tables to be more about function than design.
But it doesn't have to be that way, and even in amongst the types of commercial furniture you see on a daily basis, there are some often-overlooked quirks to be found.
Here are five of the best items of commercial furniture we all see regularly - so much so, that we can become blinded to the underlying quirkiness of these items.
1. Poseur tables
Poseur tables have to top the list, not least because of how few people would immediately know what you were talking about if you mentioned 'poseur tables' in conversation.
These are the tall tables, usually round, and occasionally with a double-level top, that you see in traditional pubs and bar seating areas throughout the UK.
Double-level poseur tables in particular are among the quirkiest bar furniture of all, with a second, smaller top perched on a pedestal, and usually with a metal bar running around its edge.
Popular since the 19th century, these idiosyncratic tables are iconically British, and show no signs of falling out of favour.
2. Diner furniture
For more of a transatlantic feel, American diner furniture is about as quirky as it gets, with its distinctive and gaudy red and white stripes.
This is probably not furniture you would find anywhere except in a themed American diner setting, and that is the very definition of quirky.
3. Bentwood furniture
Again, we all take bentwood furniture for granted, but the idea of actually bending wood as a way of giving style and structure to furniture is something of a conceptual leap.
Like many engineering feats, bentwood is generally credited to a German inventor, Michael Thonet, in the early 19th century, and its use of hot steam and glue, rather than carving the wood, was certainly a departure from the other furniture of the time.
4. Moulded furniture
The contemporary equivalent of bentwood furniture is probably moulded polypropylene, and it is now possible to get chairs that are cast in a single component for extra durability.
Although it can be tempting to dismiss 'plastic chairs' without a second glance, they are finding their place in the history of British design, and may ultimately be viewed as having much more merit in the years to come.
5. Stackable chairs
As mundane and purely functional as they might seem, stackable chairs are a triumph of quirky design, combining ergonomics for the comfort of the user with intricate interlocking design.
The fact that they can stack into such a small space, yet provide seating for so many, is a great unsung quality that many people take for granted - and a reminder of how the functionality of commercial furniture can be a quirk in and of itself.