Sex Toy or Sculpture? 4 Toy Collections with an Artsy Vibe

Designer fashion boutique, sculpture garden, MOMA exhibit, pleasure toy shop, or all of the above? Pop into your local adult retail store and you're likely to wonder if you've walked a couple blocks too far and wound up in an art museum.

The term “sex toys” hardly does justice to the craftsmanship and design of the modern pleasure products we're seeing right now. The early days of vibrator manufacturing took their inspiration from - what else? - the penis. And don't get me wrong - anatomical toys can be fun depending on your turn-ons, but the human body can only provide so much inspiration. Today's vibe designers are borrowing from modern art and mixing high-end aesthetics with sexual wellness.

If you're on the market to beautify your bedroom collection, we recommend checking out these classy pieces of pleasure art.

Rianne S.

Sex toy maven Rianne Swierstra knows how to pamper your girly side. Inspired by fashion and luxury, Rianne's toy and accessory lines cater to ultra-femme chicks with a taste for designer details.

The Heart Vibes are so lovely and adorable, we doubt you'll want to hide them in your bedside drawer. These mini hearts come in the perfect shades of pink and purple, and they can fit in the palm of your hand. Accented in gold lining, this little piece of vibrating art comes in a gift box fit for the classiest of jewelry shops.

Decked out in lush tones of coral, purple and rose, the silicone Moon Vibe collection arrives in gorgeous cosmetic cases. The Moon Vibes offer dual external vibrations that surround your lady parts and hit those nerve endings concentrated around the side of the clitoris. Pop your vibe and some sexy extras inside the colorful case for a cute and incognito overnight bag.

The Rianne S Moon Vibe and Heart Vibe

Rocks-Off Ruby Glow

If we had to bet on who could design the next greatest sex toy, we'd put our money on an erotica author. British writer Tabitha Rayne found herself getting all hot and bothered while composing her erotic novels, but couldn't quite get the hang of the one-handed tango while typing. Nothing in her toy drawer had just the right fit for a seated, clothed woman, so Rayne crafted her own solution: the Ruby Glow.

The saddle-style silicone vibrator stimulates the clitoris, vulva and perineum. It is the perfect solution for ladies who prefer external pleasure. Place it on a chair or other flat surface and see how many ways you can straddle it. Leave this toy out in plain sight and it will resemble modern sculpture art more than an orgasmic device. Rayne designed it for functionality, but the curves and bumps look more like a funky MFA thesis straight out of a 3D printer.

Rocks Off Ruby Glow

L'Amourose

If designer label luxury defines your style, French pleasure company L'Amourose will outfit your bedside drawer to match your closet. Their brands include a toy collection spanning every high-end niche, from the stylishly techy Paramour to the elegantly femme Rosa to the boldly dazzling Prism.

Our favorite from L'Amourose's decadent designs is the Rosa Rouge dual stimulator, a true work of modern orgasmic art. Strong, rumbly vibrations, a warming setting, and a perfectly ergonomic curve have won this vibrator rave reviews. Fans of simultaneous clitoral stimulation and penetration rarely find a piece that hits all the right spots at the same time. Search no more, pleasure connoisseurs. The Rosa Rouge delivers and works with all body types because of it's moderately curved and bendable neck and flat base.

L'Amourose Rosa Rouge

Tenga Iroha

Leave it to Japan to create a design that is so modern and so simple and yet, so effective. The Iroha and Iroha+ collections from Tenga remind us of many things, none of which are pleasure products: mochi rice candy (Midori), a zen garden (Kushi), a tiny boat (Tori), and a happy whale (Yoru). Picking up an Iroha plaything is like watching clouds roll through the sky.

These mini sculptures are our No.1 pick for those who prefer a gentle touch. Vibrators don't get much more soft and subtle than Iroha. The outer shell is made of some the most flexible and velvety silicone on the toy market, and the inside is made of glorious, oh-so-satisfying squishable loveliness. Squeeze your Iroha and tell us you don't feel like you're pressing your fingers into a marshmallow from heaven. The vibrations range from a slow, smooth tease to a satisfying rumble that won't overpower your clitoris as sensitivity spikes during orgasm.

Tenga Iroha Tori

Do you have a vibrator whose appearance gives you as much pleasure as its power? Tell us about in the comments.