Chromatography Series by Lina Patsiou

Royal College of Art graduate Lina Patsiou has developed a system that matches each letter of the alphabet with a specific colour, and a machine that sprays the colour-coded messages onto objects.

BioElectric by Jeongwon Ji

Royal College of Art graduate Jeongwon Ji is showing a collection of material samples made from crab shells at Show RCA 2013. Ji has developed the strong, anti-bacterial material in a range of colours, textures and thicknesses with the intention of using it as a new casing for appliances.

Bilik and Bubu by Lanzavecchia+Wai

Design studio Lanzavecchia+Wai has visited West Java for its latest project, as part of the Futurecraft workshop organised by the SFIC (Singapore Furniture Industries Council). The studio has worked with Indonesian artisans to launch two new pieces, a woven room divider and a rattan bench.

James Shaw at Show RCA 2013

Photo by Paul Plews Studio

Royal College of Art graduate James Shaw has developed a range of three 'making guns' that create furniture and accessories by spraying paper-mache, squirting liquid pewter, and extruding plastic pellets. The three guns, along with the resulting pieces, are on display at Show RCA until 30 June.

Mitate light totems by Studio Wieki Somers

Rei (Shields lamp), photo by Fabrice Gousset, courtesy of Galerie Kreo

Studio Wieki Somers' new lighting collection, Mitate, is currently on show at Paris' Galerie Kreo. Imbuing fantasy into common objects, the two Dutch designers are promoting an enchanted perception of everyday life. With this collection, and following on extensive trips to Japan, they “wanted to create a contemporary equivalent of sixteenth-century Samurai flags.”

Glass experiments by Vanessa Mitrani

For DDAYS 2013, French glass designer Vanessa Mitrani has put together an exhibition presenting her 15 years of experiments with glassblowers and artisans.

The Design Hotels Book: XXL Collector's Edition

The Design Hotels™ Book XXL Collector's Edition

Design Hotels™ has teamed up with Artek to offer customers a collector's edition of the latest The Design Hotels™ Book. For The XXL Collector's Edition, the book is partnered with Artek's famous Stool 60 and a matching coffee table - so that the coffee table book is supplied with its own coffee table.

W Hotels Designers of the Future 2013

Criss Cross by Bethan Laura Wood

W Hotels has announced the site-specific installations made by the three winners of W Hotels Designers of the Future 2013. Launched at Design Miami/Basel this week, each is based on the theme of Making Connections.

The three winners, Seung-Yong Song, Jon Stam and Bethan Laura Wood, were asked to respond to the regional context of a particular W Hotel, with the results ranging from Aztec-inspired lighting to furniture inspired by Bangkok's street food culture.

Net Effect by Interface at NeoCon 2013

Interface has launched a modular carpet collection made of recycled fishnets during NeoCon, which runs until today. The Net Effect collection is part of the company's plan to eradicate negative effects on the environment by the year 2020.

Ploum candle holders by az&mut

French design studio az&mut has launched a range of cast iron candlesticks, after travelling to one of the last foundries in Vosges to learn more about the technique.

Pinhole collection by Piurra

Portuguese design brand Piurra has launched a range of perforated furniture that can be reconfigured to make sideboards, bedside tables, cabinets and sideboards.

Live from NeoCon 2013: emerging trends

Hexagon floor tiles by Shaw Contract groups at NeoCon 2013

Many key trends emerged during the first day of NeoCon, Chicago's contract furniture fair. The big buzzwords of the show are community and collaborative work spaces, as the new generation of communal office spaces play out in imaginative configurations and tactile environments across the fair.

One of the most interesting launches of the fair is the Hexagon range of floor tiles by Shaw Contract Group. The contrasting colour tones create depth and add tactility to the room, which is usually found on walls.