HBL Analysis: A forager's tabletop

Cook It Raw, Lapland, 2010

The practice of foraging is enjoying a resurgence, with many restaurants now serving a foraged menu of local ingredients that diners can hunt and gather from, displayed using platters and piles of food served on natural surfaces. As a result of this, consumers are beginning to show an interest in bringing the foraging spirit into the home.

In our latest report, WGSN-homebuildlife investigates tableware for foragers and examines the key approaches taken by chefs and designers to add tactility and meaning to our everyday eating experiences.

HBL Analysis: The return of the general store

Father Rabbit

The general store, once a prominent part of any shopping street, is enjoying a revival - with retailers taking inspiration from community-based shops like American-style general stores and European-style epiceries.

New Zealand-based online store Father Rabbit is a perfect example of this, selling household goods across twelve categories including the kitchen, the dining table, the linen cupboard, the shed and the bottom drawer (which equates as haberdashery and mending supplies).

HBL Exhibitions: hiddenSkin by Benjamin Graindorge

hiddenSkin by Benjmain Graindorge

French designer Benjamin Graindorge has created a collection of seating called hiddenSkin which can be arranged in a variety of configurations. Made of oak and black metal, the collection fits perfectly with the ethos of WGSN-homebuildlife macrotrend for A/W 12/13, Radical Neutrality, which forecasts a new minimalism: "This serene revolution focuses on intelligence, function and subtle decoration. Textures are soft and smooth and inviting to the touch."

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.