HBL Print & Pattern: Graphicairlines

Street art by Graphicairlines

Print inspiration for WGSN-homebuildlife subscribers this week comes in the form of Graphicairlines, a youthful and passionate street-art and illustration crew from Hong Kong.

HBL Analysis: Ethiopian interiors

Following our post on Berlin interiors, here are some of the highlights from WGSN's recent research trip to Ethiopia; in particular, we were struck by the Ethiopian custom of displaying pots, pans and cookware on walls as decorative items. There's a wealth of colour inspiration to be found among the brightly-painted buildings, vivid textiles and intricate craftwares, too.

HBL Exhibitions: Modern Craftsmanship

'Modern Craftsmanship' at Home of Alfred Dunhill, Hong Kong

Exemplifying the Dunhill artisan ethos, Modern Craftsmanship is an exhibition that invites four contemporary designers with a love of craft to showcase their work. The selected artists are: furniture designer (and member of the WGSN-homebuildlife advisory board) Max Lamb, directors Andersen M Studio and artists Elisa Strozyk and Richard Sweeney. Each of these artists has a keen sense of exploration through hands-on processes and simple materials such as wood or paper. The works focus on the tactile - an important note in this exhibition in regards to the loss of tactility in everyday communication.

Modern Craftsmanship is a touring exhibition, with its next stop in Hong Kong from 25 April - 21 May 2011 at Home of Alfred Dunhill, Prince's Building, 10 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong. Open: 10:30am-8pm daily.

Rosenthal: 50 vases for 50 years

Rosenthal: 1961 (left) to 2011 (right)

To celebrate their 50th anniversary, German design brand Rosenthal have relaunched fifty vases from their archive - with each vase characterising the popular style of that period.

HBL Analysis: Springtime blooms on the British high street

Clifton Nurseries at Cos, Regent Street, March 2011

The Oxford Street branch of Selfridges has played host to a Petersham Nurseries concession since early January, offering a range of products from the London gardenware specialists, including gardening gloves, vintage watering cans and specially selected pieces of antique furniture. Following the Springtime theme, fashion brand Cos this month installed a Clifton Nurseries pop-up shop in their Regent Street branch. Read more about the project here.

The cross-pollination of fashion, interiors and horticulture is increasingly important to product development and brand identity: to view the latest developments and also our forecasts for S/S 12, WGSN-homebuildlife subscribers can click here.

Cakes for Japan: pop-up shop

Sushi pops & cupcakes from Molly Bakes made using Teapigs organic matcha powder

Miss Cakehead, founder of the Mad Artist’s Tea Party, is the curator of Cakes for Japan. The pop-up shop offers cakes inspired by sushi, made by both professional and amateur cake makers.

HBL Analysis: The Armory Show, New York

Anna Schwartz at the Armory Show

WGSN-homebuildlife's US team were in New York this month for the Armory Show - the city's major international art fair. Tying into the current trend for neon, light writing was a stand-out feature of the show: here are a selection of the key pieces.

HBL Book of the Week: Undecorate

'Undecorate: the no-rules approach to interior design' by Christiane Lemieux

The founder of Dwell Studio, Christiane Lemieux, wrote 'Undecorate: the no-rules approach to interior design' to advocate a fresh and personalised way for Americans to decorate their homes. She profiles twenty different homes whose owners have taken wildly different approaches to interior decor, each perfectly suited to their character. Read more about the book on Amazon.

WGSN loves: Lemieux's inspirational philosophy on home decor, and her genuine interest in the nitty-gritty details of each project.

HBL Tradeshows: Live from Craft Design

Seletti at Craft Design 2011, Brazil

WGSN-homebuildlife reports live from the first edition of the bi-annual Craft Design in São Paulo, Brazil. Here are the key trends to emerge from the show:

Bright colours
Bright colors are a key part of decorative objects at the show. They give traditional objects a fun, modern and edgy look, and also appear on stationery, office supplies and kitchen accessories.

Durable disposables
Many exhibitors have played with ceramics, glass and other durable materials and made them look like disposable objects. Lunch boxes, plastic cups and cardboard trays are an inspiration for designers who create sophisticated and unusual objects.

Lamps with visible cords sockets
Lamps that celebrate the very materials needed to produce them - such as cords, sockets/nozzles and light bulbs - are a strong trend here at Craft Design. Pendant lamps tied by cords, without lampshades, create an interesting effect. Subscribers can real our full report on this trend here.

Dazed and Swatch: Satellite Voices

Satellite Voices: countdown to launch

Dazed and Confused magazine are collaborating with watch brand Swatch to launch a new cultural website, entitled Satellite Voices, on 24th March 2011.

The site will show off the best in fashion, music, art, film, photography and culture from around the world, with editors from Paris, Tokyo, Moscow, Munich, Rome, Dubai, Shanghai and Santiago working closely with the Dazed London office. Content will include daily interviews, opinion pieces, scene spotlights, event reviews and behind the scenes news from artists and fashion designers collaborating with Swatch throughout the year. The City Editors of Satellite Voices will be announced in the week leading up to the launch.

WGSN-homebuildlife subscribers can read our interview with Jefferson Hack, co-founder and editorial director of the Dazed Group - including his thoughts on the future of digital media - here.

HBL Tradeshows: Live from Paralela Gift

Paralela Gift 2011

The WGSN-homebuildlife team reports live from the first 2011 edition of the bi-annual Paralela Gift show in São Paulo, Brazil with the three key trends to emerge from the event:

The prestige of local artists

Mixing design with traditional forms of art, like painting and sculpture, and with the Brazilian popular art of needlework and craftwork is a strong trend that it is easily noticed in all exhibitors. Stationery, domestic utilities and clothing get new illustrations and other forms of intervention from Brazilian artists.

Wood and its imitations

Wood continues to be one of the most used materials in Brazilian furnishings and decoration objects - but now, concerned about the environment, its substitutes start to appear. A mixture of glue and cardboard gives birth to furnishings that make us think they are made of wood. And the exhibitors who still use wood emphasise the fact that it is a certificate material, working the luxury of this raw material in pieces with many textures and different types.

Cute vintage

Porcelain, stationery and decorative lights are adorned with vintage prints and girlie touches, along with a pastel colour pallette, polka dots and animals including rabbits, enchanted frogs and swans. The cuteness and  reassurance of the feminine universe are still strong trends.

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.