HBL Blog of the Week: Etymologie

Etymologie

US lifestyle store Anthropologie's blog, Etymologie, takes an unusual approach to blogging: one word is chosen, and posts are then made which represent or reflect that word. The current choice is "legacy", with posts on the topic ranging from family tartan to a series of photographs of abandoned buildings in the Yugoslavian landscape.

HBL loves: that everything, from theme to layout to colour palette, fits so precisely with the image Anthropologie has engineered for its brand - and yet feels fresh.

HBL Retail News: Kingfisher sets to double store count in Poland

Ian Cheshire Chief Executive Officer of Kingfisher (eastern European nation)

Bloomberg reports that Home improvement retailer Kingfisher plans to double the number of Castorama stores in Poland. Kingfisher which also owns the B&Q chain in the U.K, intends to increase store numbers from 60 to around 120 and convert its Brico Dépôt stores to the Castorama banner.

“We will continue to build stores because there’s a lot of unoccupied market space [and] there’s evidence of a more sophisticated, decorative and aspirational customer, so we can see top-line growth in that.” said Ian Cheshire Chief Executive Officer of the eastern European nation, Kingfisher’s third-largest market.

HBL News: Winners announced for Hands on Door Handles

Twitts by Tomo Kimura

The four winners of designboom competition Hands on Door Handles, run in collaboration with Colombo Design, have been announced. Fighting off more than 6,000 other entrants to claim the prize, the winners are Alexander Hoffart, Mattia Albicini, Kliment Ivanov and Tomo Kimura - whose Twitts design was "the free-style winning entry".

HBL Retail: DB in Station, Tokyo

DB in Station, Tokyo

Japanese product label D-Bros has opened its very first shop, inside JR East’s Ecute Shinagawa station in Tokyo.

HBL Retail News: Ikea plans for its largest store in Oslo

Ikea plans for largest store in Oslo

 Market.se reports, Ikea is considering the expansion of its Oslo store from 21,500 square metres to 59,000 square metres. The extension would make it the largest Ikea store and also house Norway's largest restaurant with 890 seats.

The Oslo branch located in Furuset, currently has one of the highest sales turnovers of any Ikea store worldwide. Håvard Løkke, a Spokesperson for Ikea in Norway, said: “The point is that we want to offer customers in Oslo a full Ikea catalogue. We cannot today. The matter is up for discussion in the Oslo municipality.”

HBL Events: Gardens by Nuala Goodman

London hotel Andaz Liverpool Street is hosting Gardens, an installation by artist Nuala Goodman, for the duration of this month. Goodman has worked with Italian design brand Moroso to upholster a selection of its pieces, adorned with floral and nature-inspired motifs, which are arranged through the Andaz's main lobby area.

HBL Technology: 3M Noise-Cancelling Headphones

3M - Wave Sound from Grey Digital on Vimeo.

3M's arresting new ad campaign, by Brazilian brand Grey Digital, uses the skylines of iconic cities to demonstrate the benefits of their newly-launched, noise-cancelling headphones.

HBL Analysis: Window treatments

Lara Meissen and Lara Cixi by Jakob Schlaepfer

The development of digital printing and high-res photography has produced a wealth of macro-scale imagery, and window treatments are a great way to bring larger-than-life photography into home interiors. Smaller-scale digital designs include symmetrical pattern, juxtaposed flowers, butterflies and other details that create a hyperreal explosion of form and vivid colour.

The making of 19 by Bocci

19.0 from Bocci on Vimeo.

This video by Vancouver-based design studio Bocci shows how each of their '19' bowls is creating, using the process of sandcasting. Bocci explains: "19's are made of recycled brass at the oldest foundry on the West Coast of Canada. The overspill oxidizes instantly during the pour, producing a highly textured surface which stands in contrast to the interior of the bowl surface, which is polished to a near mirror finish."

Gaetano Pesce at the Venice Biennale

L'Italia in croce by Gaetano Pesce; photo by Marilia Pederbelli

The Italian pavilion at the Venice Biennale welcomes visitors with this sculpture by Gaetano Pesce, shown in collaboration with Italian design brand Cassina. Entitled L’Italia in croce, or The Crucified Italy, the 7.5 metre high sculpture depicts a blood-red Italy nailed to a black cross; Pesce hopes it will prove "able to shake up feelings”.

The Venice Biennale runs until 27 November 2011.

Qubique, Berlin's new furniture fair

Booth preview, Qubique 2011. Image by A. Bröckel

This October will see the launch of Berlin's newest furniture fair, Qubique, which will be held in a decommisioned airport, and promises to take a "holistic approach" to the tradefair experience.

Senior Design Factory

Senior Design Factory

Zurich-based association the Senior Design Factory teams up groups of people, young and old, to take part in creative projects together. The first branch of the project, comprising a studio, workshop and retail space, opened in March, while the second branch is set to include a small restaurant and is scheduled to open this summer.