The new embroidery

Following the resurgence of knitting and crochet over the past few years, cross stitch is the latest arts and crafts practice to be modernised.

WGSN-homebuildlife will publish its full analysis of the trend this week; to whet your appetite, here’s a sneak peek at one aspect of the movement in particular.

Front for Höganäs Keramik

Swedish design trio Front have collaborated with Swedish ceramic company Höganäs Keramik to create a utilitarian ceramic collection inspired by Höganäs's extensive back catalogue of vintage designs.

Patriotism at Autumn Fair 2010

Left: Penny Kennedy; right: Landon Tyler

With 500,000 products on view from 1500 exhibitors, Autumn Fair is one of the most important gift and homewares tradeshows of the season. Trends spotted at the event this year will be picked up by retailers for seasonal gifting, spring/summer 2011, and beyond; so it's a great place to go to see what's new in interiors.

When WGSN-homebuildlife visited the fair on Monday, we were struck by the frequency with which we saw the Union Jack. The British flag was used as surface decoration for everything from giftbags and trays, to storage boxes and cushions. It was even used for furniture, emblazoned across cabinets and armchairs.

Ferm Living at Maison & Objet

 Earlier this week the WGSN Interiors team visited this year's second instalment of the Parisian design show Maison et Objet to seek out the latest in inspirational homeware design. As well as being impressed with the breadth of design on show, we were also excited to see some fantastic offerings amongst the new exhibitors at the fair, one of which was Danish company Ferm Living.

Vintage markets in Brussels

Last month WGSN-homebuildlife paid a visit to the antique markets in Brussels to seek inspiration. The Sablon Antique Market and the popular Flea Market of the Marolles were crammed full of incredible vintage finds, but we were particlarly taken with the selection of beautiful gold gilded tea sets on show. Hand painted floral patterns in dainty pink hues trimmed with gold lace borders were everywhere. Here are a selection of our favourites.

Madokadoke by Ross McBride

This bracelet watch is the first outcome of IDEA International’s new project ‘Untrod’, which challenges designers to expand on established product typologies.

Cappellini at the V&A

Left to right: Tom Dixon, 1992; BarberOsgerby, 2000

As part of the London Design Festival this September, the Victoria & Albert Museum will host an exhibition chronicling Giulio Cappellini’s collaborations with British designers over the last two decades. Amongst the pieces on show will be designs by Tom Dixon, Jasper Morrison, BarberOsgerby and Raw-Edges.

FL Cocktailbar, Stockholm

A new Swedish speakeasy-style club has imposed strict etiquette rules on its patrons, including the instruction “a gentleman addresses a lady only when spoken to”.

Designer Makers at NYIGF 2010

Rachel Dormor Ceramics

This year's New York International Gift Fair proved once again the show's ability to bring together home and gift retailers from around the globe. While walking the show floor, one gets a sense of the variety that exists in today's market. HBL of course, is on the prowl for innovative and forward thinking design, but NYIGF addresses not only the designer market, but also traditional and mass markets as well.

Berlin Weekly, the shop that never opens

Artists and designers are given one week each to fill this Berlin shop window with a display of their choosing. The items on show are not available from the shop itself, which doesn’t open; instead, admirers can go online to purchase selected pieces from each display and learn more about the ideas behind them.

Dezeen Watch Store launch

Online architecture and design magazine Dezeen has expanded into retail, and will launch its online watch store during the London Design Festival this September.

One Glass promotes healthy drinking with design

A group of Italian designers from Verona have created a new wine packaging design that is intended to promote a healthier drinking culture.