HBL Book of the Week Edward Burtynsky: Oil

Burtynsky: Oil

Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky has spent a decade photographing oil, and his expertise shines through in this week's book choice. Burtynsky: Oil is a photographic documentation of the part played in our lives by oil - from the many and varied objects it allows us to create, and lifestyle it allows us to enjoy; to its manufacture, the destruction it can wreak and the potentially disastrous scenario we may face in the near future: the end of oil.

Treehugger's Best of Green 2011

Sayl chair by Yves Behar for Herman Miller

Voting closes on Friday for Treehugger's Best of Green awards 2011, which aim to celebrate the best eco-friendly launches of the year  - so if there's a project on the shortlist which you think deserves recognition, it's time to cast your vote. The awards are split across eight industry sectors, with categories in the design and architecture section including Best Design Idea and Best Furniture Design.

HBL Retail: Guts for Garters

Guts for Garters, London

In our latest retail report, WGSN-homebuildlife takes a closer look at Guts for Garters, located in Camden, north London. The concept store offers vintage and commissioned pieces of art, as well as tabletop, soft accessories, furniture, fashion and accessories - and its name is inspired by the building's previous life as a Victorian butchers.

Campana brothers for Klein Karoo: Milan preview

A range of furniture designed by Fernando and Humberto Campana for ostrich leather brand Klein Karoo will be on show at the Triennale di Milano during the Salone.

HBL Analysis: Silence by Johan Brengesjo

Silence by Johan Brengesjo

Design engineer Johan Brengesjo has devised a concept for an alarm clock that avoids using sound altogether; instead, Silence wakes you up using a gentle vibration. Wearing a wristbrand embedded with a wireless transmitter, the user can delay the alarm with a simple shake of the hand - the twist is that it requires a more forceful motion each time it is reset.

HBL Blog of the Week: Plenty of Colour

Plenty of Colour

Since discovering this blog recently, more than a few members of the WGSN-homebuildlife team check it regularly for inspiration. Plenty of Colour is the brainchild of Chloé Douglas, a "Vancouver-based designer obsessed with colour", and is updated daily with anything she comes across that uses colours both vividly and beautifully.

WGSN loves: that the blog is also a joy to use. It features a clear and pared-back layout with a scrolling right-hand display and a static left-hand column - making it visually consistent and extremely easy to understand.

HBL Tradeshows: Live from Baselworld

Rolex at Baselworld 2011

WGSN reports live from Baselworld in Switzerland, highlighting the emerging trends in the world of haute horlogerie.

Designjunction: Milan preview

+Stone by Michael Sodeau and Sienave

Designjunction, curated by British designer Michael Sodeau, will present a selection of pieces from primarily British designers and manufacturers at Zona Tortona, aiming to offer an "alternative to the usual trade show environment". Highlights include +Stone, a joint project by Sodeau and Sienave which has now expanded into a range of tableware and furniture.

Megan Geckler at Urban Outfitters

Los Angeles-based artist Megan Geckler has installed Seeing Thoughts in Repeat at Urban Outfitters in Hollywood, CA. Geckler created the colourful installation using only flagging tape, hardware and the existing architecture. Urban Outfitters' latest VM display is another confirmation of our A/W 11/12 colour direction, which HBL reported with a Neon Brights colour report here.

Diversifying Design

Alice Rawsthorn's article in the New York Times last week, Design Gets More Diverse, confronted the issue of race in design and discussed why there are so few black designers in the industry and relatively few black teens choosing to pursue careers in design.

Possible reasons discussed in Rawsthorn's article include a dearth of black role models in design, a lack of funding in arts education, poor perceptions of art and design as a career, and the dominance of European modernism and standardisation in the 20th century.

HBL Craft: Goldilocks by Groupa Studio

Israeli designers Groupa Studio recently completed A Piece Per Week, a speed-creation project which saw a new object posted on their Facebook page every Tuesday for ten weeks. Of the results, Goldilocks is WGSN-homebuildlife's favourite: a stool which presents an unfinished piece of embroidery as a decorative feature.

Mindcraft11: Milan preview

Tool Boxes by Line Depping

Situated in the Venture Lambrate district during the Milan furniture fair, Mindcraft11 will be highlighting the best of Danish craft and design, showing pieces from thirteen different practitioners that range from one-offs and prototypes to objects already in production. The organisers describe the overall ethos thus: "This is back to basics, it’s quality, function and an emphasis on materials."