HBL Blog of the Week: Things Organized Neatly

Things Organized Neatly

WGSN-homebuildlife favourite Things Organized Neatly is our choice this week: at least one member of our team enjoys this blog on a daily basis, being as it is a haven for all the neat obsessives of the world. Its selection criteria are described as follows: "Things that have been laid out carefully, precisely, evenly; things on shelves, in vices; studio photography, diagrams and right angles."

WGSN loves: the niche it has carved out for itself, based on an incredibly specific area of interest.

HBL Analysis: Under wraps

Spool chair by Keisuke Fujiwara

Furniture that has been wrapped or tightly bound with yarn, wire or thread has emerged as a strong new aesthetic at this year's trade shows and product launches. This trend is about decoration as well as protection, combining colour with texture and recycling with craft. WGSN-homebuildlife subscribers can click here to see the key pieces.

ModoLuce: Milan Preview

Icaro by Brian Rasmussen for ModoLuce

Italian lighting brand ModoLuce will present a new lamp, called Icaro, at next month's Euroluce in Milan. The design is suitable for both floor and ceiling use, with a table lamp format also available, and comes in three colourways: white, black or chrome.

HBL Retail: Grow! Urban gardening at Selfridges

Cavalier plant pots by az & mut

Selfridges' concept space The Wonder Room will play host to Grow!, a pop-up retail space focusing on the modern phenomenon of urban gardening, for the duration of April 2011.

Guerrilla gardening will be a major theme throughout the space: Kabloom have created Seedboms in vibrant shades of Selfridges yellow especially for the event, while guerrilla gardener Richard Reynolds will be installing a photographic celebration of guerrilla gardening to date in the Wonder Windows.

HBL Loves: Jungle in a Bottle

Jungle in a Bottle by Delication

Described as a mini eco-system, ‘Jungle in a Bottle’ is a range of terrariums from Delication, an independent lifestyle brand based in Hong Kong.

Creating a scenic landscape, tropical plants such as Ficus, Fittonia, Selaginella, Uncinata and Nematanthus ‘Cherrio’ have been carefully arranged inside acrylic boxes, crystal glass bottles and borosilicate glass vases – all of varying shapes and sizes – along with a foundation of sand, stones and rocks. In larger containers, a figurine of a little sheep is used to provide proportion and visualization of a towering jungle.

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.