HBL Loves: Superette, Cape Town

Superette, Cape Town

On our travels to South Africa last month we came across Superette, a neighbourhood cafe in the Woodstock area of Cape Town. The cafe's menu is prepared by chef Lyndall Maunder and Aisha Redpath Treppo using locally sourced seasonal produce, fresh from farm to plate. As well as providing a fantastic menu the cafe also sells an assortment of market produce, tableware and speciality foods.

WGSN-homebuildlife loves the bright and optimistic interior, which features pieces by local South African designers and artists, as well as Superette's simple but stylish own-brand packaging designs. Superette is open daily for breakfast and lunch, as well as a monthly Supper Club.

HBL Analysis: Marquetry and the intelligence of the hand

Detail from a cabinet at the Rijksmuseum,Amsterdam

The resurgence in popularity of craft in design has seen many young designers rediscovering forgotten production techniques, favouring skilled, handmade, and often time-intensive processes over artificial materials and machine production. WGSN-homebuildlife's latest trend analysis examines the revival of marquetry and inlay techniques, and talks to the designers who are using and updating these historic crafts for the 21st century.

HBL News: Plumen wins Brit Insurance Design of the Year 2011

Plumen 001, "the world's first designer energy-saving lightbulb" by Hulger and Samuel Wilkinson has won the Brit Insurance Design of the Year Award 2011. The exhibition of shortisted designs will continue at London's Design Museum until 7 August 2011.

Read about the category winners in our previous post.

"Please help Japan" - Tokujin Yoshioka

"Please Help Japan" - Tokujin Yoshioka [Video via Dezeen]

Tokujin Yoshioka has written a heartfelt letter urging people all over the world to contribute whatever they can to the Red Cross relief fund after the terrible events in Japan over the past few days. Please donate here.

Photo Opportunities by Corinne Vionnet

Tiananmen Square, Biejing, from Photo Opportunities by Corinne Vionnet

Corinne Vionnet creates these haunting photographs by layering hundreds of tourist photographs on top of each other. The Swiss photographer trawls social media sites collecting everybody's different impressions of iconic buildings and locations, and combines them in a way that she hopes will "conjure up questions about representation and memory of places".

HBL Blog of the Week: Kitchenisms

Kitchenisms

Ele is a Canadian, London-based blogger who runs three blogs: our blog of the week Kitchenisms features "cool kitchen finds" while two offshoots serve to document her cooking and cookbook reviews. The blogs are a good source of daily inspiration, and Ele's an enthusiastic and personable guide to the world of kitchen and cookshop design.

WGSN loves: the cheerful, friendly writing style and the care taken in presentation. Photos are laid out in a 'scrapbook' style as if she is composing one big, continuous moodboard.

HBL Retail: Swarovski Elements launches first wallpaper range

Feather Palace by Swarovski Elements

Swarovski Elements have launched their first range of wallpapers, designed in collaboration with British designer Karen Beauchamp. The collection features Swarovski crystals on a backdrop of foil, layers of printed ink, velvety flock - or an opulent combination of all three, as seen in Feather Palace (above).

HBL Exhibitions: Absalon at KW

Absalon, the recent exhibition at Berlin gallery KW which saw the first comprehensive retrospective of Israeli artist Absalon's work, provided a great source of inspiration to the WGSN team during our recent research trip to the city. The artist, who died in 1993 at the age of 28, described his work as "not meant to posit any solutions in terms of isolation" and instead "made for living the social.”

HBL Analysis: Kupu by Jalo Helsinki

Kupu by Jalo Helsinki

Finnish brand Jalo Helsinki have launched a smoke alarm designed by Harri Koskinen which adheres to most surfaces in seconds and can be easily tested or silenced simply by pressing down on its casing.

HBL Events: German Lifestyle Exhibition

JAB Anstoetz

German furniture brand hülsta are currently hosting 'Inspired by nature - Designed for life - Made in Germany' at their West End showroom, an exhibition which brings together the best of German design from across the interiors, wellness, lifestyle, travel and luxury industries. Brands participating in the exhibition include Porsche Design, Gerry Weber, Rolf Benz, Loewe, Huf Haus, JAB Anstoetz and Parador.

Euroluce 2011: Milan preview

Fortuny Giudecca 805 floor lamp

Preparations are already underway for next month's Salone del Mobile in Milan, one of the highlights of the design calendar and a measure of the direction design will take over the next few seasons.

WGSN-homebuildlife will be highlighting our must-see events and most anticipated product launches in advance of the event; to begin with here are three key products by Italian design brand Pallucco that will be at Euroluce this year.

HBL Loves: WOOP Studios

An Embarassment of Pandas

WOOP Studios is a new UK-based graphic design studio founded by Harry Potter graphic designers Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, award-winning photographer Harriet Logan and founder and Head of Innovation at Data Explorers, Mark Faulkner.