Drawing tables by Tian Tiang

Come & Draw table by Tian Tiang

Chinese, Stockholm-based designer Tian Tiang creates versatile furniture for children. Her main motivation is to nurture their creativity and stimulate their imagination. She thus came up with two types of drawing tables, the Sketch coffee table and the Come & Draw table. Each comprises a stack of colourful sheets of paper, encouraging spontaneous games and wild brainstorming.

Spring ceramics by Dahlhaus

Photograph by Byron Dauncey

Heather Dahl, founder of Vancouver-based Dahlhaus Studio, has launched her spring 2014 ceramic collection - a range of naturally speckled neutral stoneware with vibrant glazes that have a West Coast Modern feel.

Homeless Homes Project by Gregory Kloehn

The Homeless Homes Project by Gregory Kloehn is a community-driven project in which illegally dumped household and commercial waste is transformed into innovative mobile shelters for the homeless.

Quilted embellishment: Live from D'DAYS, Paris

Design studio A+A Cooren has partnered with upholsterer Ateliers Philippe Coudray to create the Merybench sofa, presented at this year's edition of Parisian design event D'DAYS. 

Its softened, rounded structure is imprinted with partially quilted motifs instead of the usual all-over treatment. This creates a subtle yet very modern tone-on-tone embellishment.

Booming Vases by Analogia Project & Alessio Sarri

Booming Vases are the result of a collaboration between Italian ceramist Alessio Sarri and Analogia Project (the Italian design duo of Andrea Mancuso and Emilia Serra). The aim of the objects is to explore two opposite essential elements: air and matter, representing power and fragility.

The beauty of no name design at Triennale di Milano

Opening June 19 at Milan's Triennale Design Museum, the upcoming exhibition No Name Design, curated by Franco Clivio and Hans Hansen, will include 900 objects classified by function and type, material and form - and all missing any form of obvious branding.

Rong - Silk Handmade in Hangzhou

Jovana Zhang

La Triennale di Milano's exhibition Rong focuses on the use of traditional materials originating from the Chinese town of Hangzhou.

Bokja at Rossana Orlandi for Milan Design Week 2014

Beirut-based design and craft studio Bojka are launching their new Good Things Collection at Spazio Rossana Orlandi this week. For the first time, Bokja is changing direction to present a ready-to-manufacture line of furniture and accessories.

Cheese Maker by Studio Makkink & Bey

Made in collaboration with craftspeople in India, Studio Makkink & Bey's totem cheese maker contains every tool needed to make cheese: a juicer, milk jug, spoon, pan, colander, cutting board, bowl, cheesecloth and press. Each component is made of a different material.

Animal House by Marni: Milan preview

Photos by Mauricio Rivera

For Salone next month, Italian fashion label Marni will present Animal House at Viale Umbria 42, a festive caravansary in which giraffes, ostriches, rabbits, ducks, donkeys and flamingos, made of metal and bright coloured PVC, will take over the space, joining the products of the brand's limited edition charity project.

Antic biotec: contemporary vinegar making by eliumstudio

Antic biotec by eliumstudio and Duende Studio - Photo by Felipe Ribon

Multidisciplinary creative agency Duende Studio has invited Parisian designers from eliumstudio to reinterpret the ancestral vinaigrier.

Statement kitchen accessories by On Our Table

Canadian company On Our Table creates original and functional handcrafted accessories for the kitchen and tabletop. As the trend for sober food styling continues and chopping boards are turned from food preparation requisites to unpretentious serving platters, the designers' objects respond to all three aspects of "cooking, dining and sharing". They wish these objects to be used not for special occasions but for everyday life and be passed down for generations.

Kitchen accessories to treasure by Fort Standard

Crest bottle openers - Photo by Brian Ferry

New York-based design studio Fort Standard is responsible for a line of kitchen accessories with mystical and graphically symbolic inspiration, in line with our autumn/winter 2015/16 macrotrend Data Divination.

Spring/summer 2014 textiles by Toast

Kantha stitch cushion cover

Toast's collection of soft furnishings for spring/summer 2014 is made of bedspreads, cushions and throws, all taking inspiration from Indian, Moroccan and Korean crafts.

Floor cushions are created from shredded recycled cotton and jute, silk cushion covers are hand embroidered using Kantha running stitch, bedspreads combine traditional block printing and stitching, while rugs are woven from coating coloured fabric and jute cord.

Vintage ribbons at Merci, Paris

A recent exhibition at Paris concept store Merci featured the vintage archive of a Saint-Étienne ribbon manufacturer, with books and samples laid out for visitors to browse.

Design Indaba Expo 2014: key trends

Monkeybiz at Design Indaba Expo 2014

Design Indaba Expo, part of the Design Indaba Conference, ran from February 28 to March 2 and showcased the best in South African design and high-end craft in jewellery, furniture and homewares. Geometric shapes, retro Scandinavian and folk print, as well as African-inspired design were some of the key themes of the show.

Yellow Owl's Little Prints by Christine Schmidt: book of the week

Yellow Owl’s Little Prints shows parents and children how to create practical hand-printed items, covering the basics of stenciling, stamp and prints with clear instructions, lists of materials and graphic templates for each project.

Light E-Motion by Marcel Wanders: Milan preview

Venetian glass brand Barovier&Toso will present an installation by Marcel Wanders at this year's Milan Fuorisalone that remixes the idea of a chandelier.

Heal's Modern Craft Market

Open for two weeks, ending this Sunday, Heal's Modern Craft Market is showcasing the best in contemporary craft in a selling exhibition with prices that start at around £20.

Alba Vase by Massimiliano Adami nominated for Designs of the Year 2014

The London Design Museum has announced the nominations for Designs of the Year 2014, which include the Alba Collection of Vases designed by Massimiliano Adami and produced by Italian brand Serralunga. The collection of polyethylene vases are enriched with a soft colour change, giving the object a feeling of lightness.