Recently on a trip to the countryside we met a straight couple who worked in the movie biz. Their weekend home was a Queerty dream come true: Swiss ski lodge meets Eichler modernism. They had fur rugs mixed with wood paneling mixed with steel and glass tables. Oh, and they had garden gnomes.

We giggled at the gnomes hiding along the land and the stairs to the cottage. They were so cute and gave the house a sense of humor. They were not as tacky as pink flamingos or plastic deer. They were hidden in the garden and not easily spotted.

By clicking around the internets one can find many garden gnomes, including 1700 on eBay alone. There are satirical sites demanding the end of their enslavement and history lessons too. Apparently, the first gnomes were made in Germany in the 1800s and are said to bring good luck. Even Kartell, the Italian plastics company home to the Ero/S chair, has a few takes on the little guy. Not surprisingly, they are designed by Philippe Starck. We just wish we had a yard let alone a garden.