London Design Festival 2013: a preview

Visualisation of The Endless Staircase, designed by DRMM Architects for LDF 2013

Returning for its eleventh year this autumn, the London Design Festival today announced a snapshot of projects to look out for from 14-22 September 2013. These include an optical illusion of a staircase, to be installed outside St Paul's Cathedral, a "living dining table" by Scholten & Baijings, the launch of a new design brand by HAY and Sebastian Wrong, and an innovative cork installation by FAT Architects.

Wooden lights by Channels

Finnieston Wall Lamp by Samuel Chan

British design studio Channels presented a new collection of wooden lamps in Milan. Designed by Samuel Chan, they combine contemporary design with classic wood craft. Each is turned from solid American white oak or American black walnut, creating soft rounded forms.

Venini's 2013 collection

Bauta by Gaetano Pesce for Venini

Luxury Italian glass brand Venini launched its new collection during Milan Design Week 2013, including a series of pendant lamps made from glass and leather, an opal orange-coloured table lamp, and a series of vases based on carnival masks.

Sofa collection by Barber Osgerby for Knoll

Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby have designed a sofa collection as well as a stool and occasional tables for Knoll. The pieces were launched during this year's Milan Design Week and were exhibited in London during Clerkenwell Design Week, which ends today.

Jardins, Jardin's 10th anniversary

Invert d'H20 by Alexandre Perrusson, Nicolas de Brignac and Frédéric Sérano

Ideas such as micro-gardens, green architecture or urban agriculture will be at the centre of this year's edition of Parisian outdoor exhibition Jardins, Jardin. Nature within the city is now a social demand but what place can we make for it? How can we invest facades, roofs and public spaces? These are some of the questions brands and designers will be invited to answer, to invent the green cities of tomorrow.

Festival des Métiers: Hermès craft processes on show

Imprimeur sur soie tools at Hermès Festival des Métiers

Running at London's Saatchi Gallery until Monday, the Festival des Métiers gives the general public to chance to watch master Hermès artisans at work as they make everything from printed silk scarves to luxury watches.

Assemble at Clerkenwell Design Week 2013

Design and architecture collective Assemble have created a landscape of 200 chairs for this year's Clerkenwell Design Week. The low cost chairs were designed, built and assembled by the studio, and are on display in Clerkenwell's St. James Church Garden.

Parlour Lighting at Clerkenwell Design Week 2013

Donna Bates of I Do Cartwheels Design Studio has designed a new series of pendant lamps called Parlour Lighting, which take influence from milk parlours and the cylinders used to collect milk.

Lee Broom for Christian Louboutin

Photography by Marcus Peel

British designer Lee Broom has designed the new Christian Louboutin store at Harrods. Opening this month, the store carries many design references to London landmarks, from an intricate fanned archway reminiscent of Covent Garden Opera House, to London Underground-inspired tiled walls.

Smilow at ICFF 2013

Smilow at ICFF 2013

ICFF wrapped up yesterday, ending a week full of interesting ideas and thoughts. In recent years, the furniture fair has seemed to be country trade exhibit heavy, but this year it showcased plenty of individual makers presenting a broad range of ideas. 

Handcrafted techniques: Live from the National Stationery Show 2013

Gartner at the National Stationery Show 2013

Traditional techniques create unique greetings and stationery designs that feel one of a kind at this year's National Stationery Show in New York. Natural materials like linen and twine are used to lend sincerity to contemporary wedding invitations while intricate laser-cut detailing creates filigree-inspired effects on marriage announcements.

Luxe Corp announces 2013 Club

Luxury strategy & management consulting company Luxe Corp has announced that its 2013 Club e-Luxe International Summit will be held on Wednesday 12th June at Le Meurice Hotel in Paris. Homebuildlife will be covering the event and this year a collection of different experts of luxury business analysts will uncover the web economy and how digital media is influencing and transforming value creation.