Simon Heijdens for Perrier-Jouët
at Design Miami 2013

Thursday 31 October 2013

Shade by Simon Heijdens
Perrier-Jouët is collaborating with London-based Dutch designer Simon Heijdens to create an immersive space based on the champagne brand's Art Nouveau heritage.

New furniture collection by Bentley Home

Wednesday 30 October 2013

The new collection by Bentley Home is inspired by the craftsmanship and materials that feature in the interiors of all Bentley cars.

Tile Pattern Colour: The Tile Art of Dominic Crinson


Currently raising funds on Kickstarter, Tile Pattern Colour by Dominic Crinson will feature over a thousand designs from Crimson's tile collections over the past 20 years.

Asia Awards at Tokyo Designers Week 2013

Rug lounger by Fujimura Design Studio
Highlights of this year's Asia Awards exhibition include Fujimura Design Studio's Rug lounger, a round-shaped rug that blurs the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, and the Chackshade, a lampshade made of basswood.

Milan’s new home for Axor

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Axor LampShower by Nendo

Axor has teamed up with Porro to open a new showroom at Via Durini 15 in Milan. Designed by Italian architect Ferruccio Laviani, the Duriniquindici showroom aims to celebrate the bath and the living room.

Tapas: Spanish design for food at Tokyo Designers Week 2013

10cm by Emili Padros at Tokyo Designers Week 2013
One of the highlights at this year’s Tokyo Designers Week is the Tapas: Spanish Design for Food pavilion, which highlights the culinary world in Spain from a design perspective.

Curated by designer Juli Capella and organised by Accion Cultural Espanola, the space showcases around 200 pieces of cooking utensils and tabletop products, as well as offering new ways of serving tapas.

Afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson, Cape Town

Monday 28 October 2013

Photo by Erin Joy


The Mount Nelson, one of Cape Town's oldest hotels, is famed for its afternoon teas. Nestled in the heart of the city, tea and cake is served in the hotel's lush gardens, where old-world charm meets modern-day Africa - an experience not to be missed.

Modern Makers at Chatsworth House

Chatsworth Yew Logs by Max Lamb


16 contemporary designer-makers have created new pieces in response to the setting of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. The Sotheby's selling exhibition runs until 23 December, and includes work by Max Lamb, Sam Orlando Miller and Joseph Walsh, all set in-situ amongst the antique furnishings and grand decor of the English stately home.

Talent Thai at BIG + BIH October 2013

Friday 25 October 2013

Innovative design and Thai flair are central themes of the latest edition of the Bangkok International Gift Fair and Bangkok International Houseware Fair, attracting buyers from around the world looking to source the best lifestyle products for global markets.

Lubna Chowdhary for West Elm



British ceramic designer Lubna Chowdhary has created a capsule collection of furniture and lighting for US brand West Elm, which opens its first London store this November.

Recycled materials and social utility: Recupero at Triennale Design Museum

Yonel Hidalgo

Opening next Tuesday at Milan's Triennale Design Museum, Recupero presents a selection of projects from Artwo, an association that promotes limited edition objects designed by contemporary artists and designers and produced by inmates from Casa Circondariale di Rebibbia, one of the biggest prisons in Italy.

Farmers' market colours, New York

Thursday 24 October 2013



New York's farmers' markets provide colour inspiration with a seasonal slant: pumpkin, carrot, radish, cherry tomato, beetroot and kale work together deliciously, while handpainted signs are perfectly suited to the rustic theme.

New metallics at Frieze London 2013

Iityd by Bera Fischer, 2013. Galerie Francesca Pia, Zurich. Galerie Barbara Weiss, Berlin


New metallics were a key colour trend at this year's edition of leading art fair Frieze London. Stainless steel is greased and smothered with paint to give a liquid lustre, while copper, silver and gold are brushed and tarnished to almost zero shine levels.

Top five Design Academy Eindhoven graduation projects

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Daniel Costa


Our pick of the top five graduation projects from the prestigious Design Academy Eindhoven this year ranges from furniture inspired by sweets to thoughtful cat baskets and furry concrete surfaces.

Christian Lacroix x Vista Alegre Christmas baubles

Christian Lacroix Maison and Vista Alegre have joined forces to release a range of exclusive porcelain Christmas baubles. The vibrant capsule collection is an extension of the now classic Butterfly dinnerware by the French couture house for the Portuguese manufacturer, and will make for very elegant Christmas trees.

Interwoven: Kvadrat Textile and Design



A new book about Kvadrat, published by Prestel and designed by Graphic Thought Facility, launched during the London Design Festival last month. Interwoven: Kvadrat Textile and Design tells the story of the Danish textile brand's history, documenting its creative collaborations and its influences on environments from the office to the home.

Inside Nacho Carbonell's studio at Dutch Design Week 2013

Tuesday 22 October 2013



Nacho Carbonell has opened his studio to visitors for Dutch Design Week this year. Samples, drawings, prototypes, experiments and finished sculptures sit alongside plants, tools and raw materials in the workshop, which is part of Sectie C in the east of Eindhoven.

Dutch Invertuals at Dutch Design Week 2013



The theme of this year's Dutch Invertuals exhibition in Eindhoven is Revaluate, with the ten designers exploring value, craft and the meaning of materials.

City Collection at High Point Market Fall 2013



Atlanta-based lifestyle brand City Collection specialises in contemporary furniture and accessories made from hand-rubbed Italian leather, precious metals and exotic woods. Refined shagreen surfaces and the natural mottled patterns of parchment generate a luxury, highly sophisticated look for sideboards.

Cisco Brothers at High Point Market Fall 2013

A highlight at this season's edition of Highpoint was family-run LA brand Cisco Brothers. The warehouse-style showroom is located on the outskirts of Highpoint in an old mill. The large open plan space reflects the atmosphere of the collection. Furniture has been creatively constructed from repurposed objects, reclaimed wood and metal generating an interesting industrial aesthetic.

Live from High Point Market Fall 2013: ornate backrests

Monday 21 October 2013

Baker at High Point Market Fall 2013
The latest edition of North Carolina-based furniture fair High Point Market saw brands exhibiting seating pieces with ornate backrests: the idea is to highlight a part of the product that usually faces a wall, so it can also be used as a room divider.

Alphabet prints by Nursery Names



At online shop Nursery Names, customers can put together their own alphabets and messages, using specially illustrated letters to create custom prints and posters.

Live from Manila Fame October 2013: Red Box

Sunday 20 October 2013

Red Box, an exciting collective of young local designers, exhibited for the first time at the October 2013 edition of Manila Fame, the Philippines’ premier design trade show.

Christmas at Crate and Barrel

Friday 18 October 2013


An eclectic feast of Christmas decorations are on offer at Crate & Barrel, from sophisticated metallic décor to textiles featuring Indian and African inspired motifs and embroidery techniques.

Polux Fleuriste at All Good Things, New York

Polux Fleuriste is located at the front of food hall All Good Things in New York. As you walk past, an abundance of lush green foliage and monochromatically arranged flowers catch your eye.

WWF at Brand Licensing Europe 2013

Design Animal Tails Limited for WWF
WWF was presenting a lovely range of licensed products at this year's edition of licensing trade fair Brand Licensing Europe. All were sustainably produced, from recycled milk cartons or fair-trade organic cotton, and printed with pretty designs of endangered animals.

Karl Lagerfeld candles by Welton London



Luxury candle brand Welton London has created a range of scented candles within the Karl Lagerfeld brand. Perfumier John-Paul Welton has developed three scents for the collection, each inspired by the iconic fashion house.

Colour and material samples by Darono


Portugese homewares company Darono blends functional design with ethical practice, influences from fashion and traditional techniques. This collection of strings shows the various colours the company's products can be manufactured in, as well as creating an intriguing, fashion-forward wall hanging or necklace.

Apsis table lamp by Zak Stratfold

Thursday 17 October 2013



Graduate designer Zak Stratfold has designed Apsis, a beech wood rotating table lamp with a storage tray made of Portuguese limestone at its base.

Textiles by Tradescant & Son

Ibis Toile de Jouy


The first collection by new textiles brand Tradescant & Son is inspired by cabinets of curiosity, seaweed, taxidermy and the animal kingdom.

Orchard Spa by De Matos Ryan

Photograph by Hufton + Crow


London-based architectural practice De Matos Ryan has created a spa in Coln Lakes, Gloucestershire, as part of holiday development The Lakes by yoo.

Marimekko Shanghai

Wednesday 16 October 2013



Following a store opening in Beijing in June, Marimekko has opened its first store in Shanghai and its third in Greater China. A wide range of merchandise is carried, including womenswear, accessories and homeware, allowing shoppers to experience the brand's full offerings and familiarise themselves with the label.

Homebuildlife subscribers can read our full Shanghai retail update here.

Leonida collection by Harlequin



British brand Harlequin has launched a new collection of wallpapers and embossed velvets featuring vintage-inspired prints, distressed metallic surfaces and a sense of faded glamour.

Window display by Fabio Novembre for Tommy Hilfiger


Italian designer Fabio Novembre has collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger to create an artistic window display for its fall 2013 Tommy Hilfiger Tailored campaign. The unique installation, called I Have a Lifestyle, appears in the windows of department store La Rinascente in both Rome and Milan.

The Contemporary Collection by Waterford Crystal

Tuesday 15 October 2013

Elysian brandy glass


Luxury brand Waterford Crystal is launching three new ranges this month. Designed by Jo Sampson, the Contemporary Collection includes Elysian, which contrasts classic cut crystal surfaces with smooth colourblocked glass; and Glacia, which features angular geometric surfaces reminiscent of chunks of ice.

Capsula by Lucie Koldova for Brokis

Monday 14 October 2013



Paris-based product designer Lucie Koldova has created a collection of pendant lamps for Czech company Brokis, made from two oval glass capsules which slot together around a tubular light source.

Balloon lamps by Atipico



Designed by Giorgia Zanellato for Italian brand Atipico, these table lamps are inspired by the shapes of Chinese lanterns.

Best of Italian design: ADI Design Index 2013

Friday 11 October 2013

Pachamama - Master’s degree dissertation in Ecodesign by Mauricio Carvajal, Tatiana Martínez and Andrés Naranjo

The products selected for this year's ADI Design Index - which selects the best of Italian design to be put into production each year - are currently on show in the exhibition Design|Opera at the Triennale Design Museum in Milan, which runs until November 3.

Hūs: a 3D printed bird house


Saint H and Digits 2 Widgets have collaborated to create Hūs, a 3D printed birdhouse.

Casamilano's flagship store in Vienna

Casamilano's new flagship store is now open to the public in Stephanplatz, Vienna. The entire Casamilano collection is spread over two levels inside an apartment on the 6th floor facing the city's famous Gothic cathedral.

Lasvit at Designblok 2013

The new lighting collection by Lasvit launched at this year's Designblok event in Prague, including designs from Maurizio Galantw, Arik Levy, René Roubíček, Bořek Šípek, Lucie Koldová and Jan Plechac and Henry Wielgus.

Tent Pile by formlessfinder at Design Miami 2013

Thursday 10 October 2013

Design Miami appointed New York-based architectural studio formlessfinder to design a pavilion for this year's fair as part of the biannual Design Commisions program.

Zappie: kids' lifestyle app

Zappie is a new app that combines products and augmented reality technology to create a series of colourful animations that bring to life bedroom walls, furniture and clothing.

Creative Philosophie

Wednesday 9 October 2013


After graduating from her Masters degree in London, designer Bibiana Farenzena launched Creative Philosophie, a home and fashion accessories brand focused on illustration and pattern.

Ramses bed by Twils

Bedroom furniture company Twils has launched a multitasking bed designed by Angelo Dall-Aglio. as part of the Ramses bed collection.

Geometrical cloud by Paul Coudamy

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Photo courtesy of Paul Coudamy

French architect Paul Coudamy has created a giant modern chandelier for a private home, in Paris.

"Nuctale", the contraction of Nuage Fractal, is a tiny 35 m2 studio flat lit by a monumental 5m long light. The structure comprises 15 light sources and 76 frosted acrylic triangles and covers the major part of the flat's ceiling. The furniture and storage are all made from digitally cut plywood, so as to optimise the small residential space.

Vintage made contemporary by Barn In The City

Dutch design company Barn In The City gives Canadian barn wood a second life, turning it into crafted contemporary furniture & wall cladding. Bleached by the scorching summer sun & harsh freezing winters, the reclaimed wood is given different finishes such as "black silver", copper, bronze, gold, or chrome platinum before being sealed in a clear water-proof resin.

XTICK light by Branca Lisboa

Monday 7 October 2013

Portuguese furniture and accessories brand Branca Lisboa has launched the XTICK light, which has a magnetic LED lamp built in a diffuser made of cork.

Reverse by ModoLuce

Friday 4 October 2013

The Reverse ceiling lamp, designed by Paolo Grasselli for ModoLuce, has a flexible structure allowing its diffuser to be flipped upside down.

New furniture collection by WeWood

Ines dining table
Portuguese joinery company WeWood exhibited its new furniture collection during Maison & Objet in Paris and 100% Design in London last month. The collection features dining tables and a sideboard with contemporary design and natural wooden finishings.