Mathieu Lehanneur for Lasvit: Milan preview

Soft Geometry by Mathieu Lehanneur for Lasvit

Lasvit will present Soft Geometry, a spectacular new chandelier by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, in Zona Tortona next week. The piece will be on show as part of Bohemian Rhapsody, an exhibition which will also include works by Fabio Novembre and Nendo. The exhibition will be held at Opificio 31, via Tortona 31, with its opening night on April 13th.

To read all of our Milan previews so far, click here.

HBL Loves: House of Hackney

Dalston Rose by House of Hackney

House of Hackney is a new luxury interiors brand, based in Hackney and run by couple and business duo Javvy M Royle and Frieda Gormley. Originally from fashion and product-design backgrounds, Royle and Gormley re-examine the concept of traditional British homewares, making it appealing for a new generation with their "Colefax & Fowler on acid" approach.

WGSN-Homebuildlife subscribers can read our interview with co-founder, Frieda Gormley: Frieda Gormley: House Of Hackney

Tamawa: Milan preview

Ray by Silvain Willenz for Tamawa

Belgian design brand Tamawa will launch a pendant lamp designed by Sylvain Willenz in Milan next week, which uses Bakelite balls to connect tubular lights.

HBL Exhibitions: Danish Design - I like it!

Børge Mogenson

British designer Jasper Morrison has curated Designmuseum Danmark's spring exhibition, Danish Design - I like it!, which opens tomorrow and runs until October. A selection of objects from the museum's collection, hand-picked by Morrison, will be shown together with the aim of presenting Danish design in an international context.

Kundalini: Milan preview

Clover by Brodie Neill for Kundalini

Italian brand Kundalini will launch a number of new lighting designs at Euroluce next week, including Evita by Aquili Alberg, Frame by Benjamin Hubert, and Clover (above) by Brodie Neill.

HBL Book of the Week: Arcadia

Chicken Point Cabin, Northern Idaho, USA, by Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects

Focusing on an idyllically rustic approach to living, 'Arcadia: Cross-Country Style, Architecture & Design' (Gestalten, Berlin 2009, ISBN 9783899552577) serves as fantastic visual inspiration for WGSN-homebuildlife's A/W 12/13 macrotrend Eco Hedonism. The book is divided into four sections: Off Shore, Cross-Country, Deep in the Woods and The Mountain Calls.

WGSN loves: the detailed research that obviously went into each section. Architecture, furniture, lighting, products, installations and quotes are used to illustrate each lifestyle, and you're guaranteed to find an amazing designer you'd never heard of before within its pages.

HBL Loves: Flux

Flux ceramics

EDC London is currently showcasing the new collection by Flux exclusively at its showroom on 20 Margaret Street, London.

Launched at Maison et Objet in 2010, Flux is a new design company founded by staff and Masters students of Staffordshire University, aiming to revive ceramic produced in Staffordshire. Its geometrical repeat patterns, combined with Staffordshire’s craft ancestry, perfectly feeds into WGSN-homebuildlife’s A/W 12/13 macro trend Hyperculture.
 
WGSN-homebuildlife subscribers can view all of the A/W 12/13 macro trends here.

Patrick Norguet: Milan preview

Degree by Patrick Norguet for Kristalia

Industrial designer Patrick Norguet will launch a number of new products at the Salone Internationale del Mobile next week, including a side table and bistro table for Kristalia, an outdoor lamp called Tools for Roger Pradier, and a range of ice boxes for Italesse to be sold at Rinascente's Piazza Duomo store (read more about Rinascente during design week here).

HBL News: Peter Zumthor to design Serpentine Pavilion 2011

A rendering of the Serpentine Pavilion 2011 by Peter Zumthor

London's Serpentine Gallery is renowned for its annual pavilion, always designed by a renowned architect and sure to draw crowds of visitors each time. This year's pavilion is to be designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, while the garden will be the work of Dutch designer Piet Oudolf.  Zumthor has described the concept as "the hortus conclusus, a contemplative room, a garden within a garden."

[via detnk]

HBL Events: Open House by Droog

Open House by Droog

Experimental Dutch design brand Droog have announced a new project called Open House, "a movement in which suburban homeowners supplement their income and develop a new vocation by offering home-made services and facilities to the public".

HBL Blog of the Week: Spoon & Tamago

Spoon & Tamago

Described by its authors as "art, somewhere in between New York and Tokyo", Spoon & Tamago is run by a husband-and-wife team based in both cities, and is named after the results of a personality test taken by the two which compared them to a spoon and an egg. The editorial voice is friendly but informed; the layout is clean and easy to navigate.

WGSN loves: the unusual content. Spoon & Tamago posts are 90% original, the result of independent research, which results in a refreshingly different output that you're unlikely to see on another blog (unless they have copied it over of course).

Milan preview: Top twenty events

Maarten Baas at Spazio Rossana Orlandi, Milan 2011

From April 12-17, more than 300,000 international vistors will descend on Milan for its annual Furniture Fair - by far the biggest event on the international design calendar. This year, the fair is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

WGSN-homebuildlife has been trawling through the invites and guides for several weeks now, bringing you individual highlights - and now subscribers can read our guide to the top twenty events.