Design is all around us, and from the moment we wake til we go to sleep again (and, in fact, even while we sleep), we are surrounded by designed objects that serve countless purposes and affect us in several different ways. Some objects, however, stand out from the rest for one joyous, instinctual, very often contagious reason: they just make us smile.

It might be an object's exceptional shape, the use of a particular material, the way a piece pushes the boundaries of functionality,  or even the reminiscence of something else—some pieces just have that certain, happy something. Here are a few of our favorite, uplifting designs.

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German ceramist Johannes Nagel has mastered challenging the perception of a vase as a vessel for anything. His Squaring the Circle vase is a humorous play on three-dimensionality: the actual shape is subjoined by yet another shape that provides a sense of depth, painted on the surface. Explaining his approach, Nagel says: “What sort of function do vessels have today? What could they contain? I seldomly [think] of flowers.”

“Vessels, Perhaps” by Johannes Nagel © René Schäffer

Collaborators Mary-Lynn Massoud and Rasha Nawam's Stacked collection also discards the vase's classic, functional purpose. By dissecting traditional shapes into their components and re-arranging the pieces, the two Lebanese artists create profoundly sensitive—and delightful—assemblages.

“Stacked” by Mary-Lynn Massoud and Rasha Nawam at Art Factum Gallery, courtesy of the gallery

The cleverly designed (and titled) Please Don’t Tell Mom mirrors by Marc Dibeh spark similarly happy moments. These unobtrusive objects help us laugh at ourselves as we look at our distorted reflections.

Markus Friedrich Staab, meanwhile, happily paints found furniture pieces, breathing fresh life into them. The I Love Chair has a personality that charms us time after time.