HBL Retail: Curious Collections by Mariëlle Leenders

Curious Collections by Mariëlle Leenders

Curious Collections is the brainchild of Dutch designer, photographer and consultant Mariëlle Leenders. Feeding into WGSN’s A/W 11/12 macrotrend Faux Real, the collection offers nature-inspired photodesigns for textiles and wallpaper.

Colourware by Sebastian Bergne and Sophie Smallhorn

Last week, designer Sebastian Bergne and colour artist Sophie Smallhorn presented a new collection of stacking tableware called Colourware at the Collect Contemporary Craft Fair in London. The project was inspired by the desire to challenge the traditional creative process: "The colour was the starting point for the project; we found a selection of colours we really loved and everything else followed on from there."

HBL Book of the Week: The Design Work of Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby

The Design Work of Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby

'The Design Work of Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby' (Rizzoli, 2011) was officially launched at ICFF in New York this week, and is the first monograph of British design duo Barber Osgerby's work to date.

HBL Tradeshows: Press to Plant at Hong Kong's Gifts & Premium Fair

Press to Plant by Fuji Industrial Limited, Hong Kong

Its name, Press to Plant, literally explains how this green gadget works: users press down the top of the cube to start the planting process - soil and seed are all encompassed inside and no water is required. The lego-like blocks, measuring at 3.5 x 3.5 x 4.0 cm, can be connected and attached to each other to form a larger arrangement.

Created by Fuji Industrial Limited, WGSN spotted this product at Hong Kong’s recent Gifts and Premium Fair. A detailed report about the tradeshow will be published on WGSN-homebuildlife soon.

HBL Events: Tomato plants to take over Trafalgar Square

One of London's most famous tourist attractions will go red on Friday, when a tomato flash grow will descend on Trafalgar Square in a bid to get Londoners growing their own fruit and vegetables. 100,000 tomato plants will be given away by B&Q from 6.30am, as an extension of their Let's Get Gardening campaign.

HBL Interview: Brunno Jahara

Batucada collection, made from aluminium, by Brunno Jahara

Up-and-coming Brazilian designer Brunno Jahara has already worked with Jaime Hayón, exhibited his designs around the world and been picked by the Campana brothers as a hot new talent. Jahara spoke to WGSN-homebuildlife about studying abroad, new projects and the importance of materials:

HBL Blog of the Week: The Style Files

The Style Files

Netherlands-based design enthusiast Danielle de Lange runs an online store called Le Souk, which specialises in eclectic homewares. She started The Style Files after deciding that the clippings and inspiration she took from magazines and trips around the world should be shared with a wider audience.

HBL loves: Danielle's occasional daydreams, shared in the form of beautiful lifestyle shots. For example: "I am dreaming of a quiet moment on this veranda with gorgeous ocean view".

HBL Analysis: Sewing machines get smart

The Husqvarna Viking Designer Diamond, one of a new breed of 'smart' machines

A recent article by Anjali Athavaley in The Wall Street Journal reports on the technological developments of sewing machines, asserting that "new multitasking sewing machines strive to be as accessible as a smartphone".

Whitelines

With New York's National Stationery Show now well underway, here's a stop-motion film from one of the exhibitors, Swedish notebook company Whitelines, which aims to convert us all from black-lined notebooks to their white-lined concept.

St Hilaire church by Mathieu Lehanneur

St Hilaire by Mathieu Lehanneur; photo by Felipe Ribon

French designer Mathieu Lehanneur has renovated the choir of the St Hilaire, a church in Melle, France. Lehanneur has installed an undulating white marble floor, in-built baptistry and an altar and ambo made of coloured alabaster.

HBL Tradeshows: Live from ICFF

IDUT Sensingware at ICFF 2011

WGSN-homebuildlife reports live from New York’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair, highlighting the emerging trends at the annual event:

Graduated layering: Slats of wood are layered to create curved forms across furniture and lighting.

Slatted constructions: Flatpack constructions are slotted together to create angular box shapes.

Wired: Minimalistic wire structures are seen on lighting and furniture creating caged designs, in a further example of the trend we highlighted last month.

HBL goes guerrilla gardening

Vanessa Harden (pictured far right) taught us how to construct seed pills

This weekend, WGSN-homebuildlife went on a guerrilla gardening field trip with award-winning subversive gardener Vanessa Harden to distribute seed pills along the south London riverside, in an event organised by Jotta as part of the Diesel School of Island Life programme.