Sonja Mueller Photography

http://www.sonjamueller.org/website/main.swf?navigationFilename=../data/content.php&code=default

Here's a great website with a lot of subtle style. Sonja Mueller is a German photographer who lives and works in Berlin. For her portfolio site, she commissioned international web design firm Less Rain, and the result is a good one. The website's main menu is situated behind trees in a forest, and as you move the mouse the perspective changes, allowing you to see more options. When you click on something, the boxout blossoms, quite literally, in a branch or flower shape containing the information. The ambient background music and mouseover sounds add to the experience. It's a good balance of style and substance.

The designers, Less Rain, have a showreel worth checking out here:

http://www.lessrain.com/index.php?localeISO=en_UK

I particularly like their playful use of weather symbols. They look almost japanese-inspired.