Mobius charges your iPhone in the sun

California-based company Eton has released Mobius, a solar battery case for the iPhone 4. The sleek design of this charger complements its eco-friendly function, which allows users to charge their phones simply by placing them in the sun, and can charge separately from the phone.

LED lights let users know how much energy is left, and the device doubles battery life, with an additional five to eight hours of energy. Mobius can also be charged via USB just in case.

Own A Colour

Paint brand Dulux has launched a new campaign in collaboration with children's charity UNICEF which encourages people to own a colour of their choice in exchange for a £1 donation.

Mondo Collection Opens in New York City

Mondo Collection, a new showroom of luxury design, opened in the Flatiron district in New York City this week. The showroom is geared towards both residential and commercial designers and aims to bring international design to the North American market. Countries represented in the collection include Italy, France, Bosnia and notably Lebanon: founders Mario Eclid and Hany Boutros are both Lebanese-Americans.

HBL Book of the Week: Extremism by Tom Dixon

Extremism by Tom Dixon (Design Research, 2011) sets out the London designer's manifesto that "given the current state of consumption, new stuff must have a superior reason for existing. Not only that, but the way we make and sell it must be redefined".

HBL Blog of the Week: Revista Design

The couple behind Brazilian blog Revista Design, Barbara Formagio and Thiago Mano, are passionate about design (they’re designers themselves) and use their blog to communicate interesting finds not only within the design field, but also news related to their passions: fashion, photography among others.

HBL loves: The Creative License weekly posts, created by N.C. Winters and then  translated to Portuguese.

V&A presents Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970 – 1990

Super Lamp by Martine Bedin © V&A Images

For the third year running, the V&A became the central hub of creativity at the 2011 London Design Festival. One of the many displays launched under the V&A’s roof for the occasion is the exhibition Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970 - 1990, which runs until 15 January 2012. It is an in-depth survey of art, design and architecture from the time which examines the Postmodernism phenomena in all its complexity.

Glass by Charlotte Sale

Aqua Lichen series (2009) by Charlotte Sale

London-based glass artist Charlotte Sale is a graduate of both Edinburgh College of Art and the RCA, and specialises in hand-crafted, often blown glass pieces with a sculptural approach.

For S/S 2013, take inspiration from the fantastical aesthetic of these pieces in combination with our tabletop direction for Wonderlab, where jewel colours sparkle and shine, ceramics are strong and bright, and textured and abstract prints are featured, as are solid colours in unusual shapes and forms.

HBL Retail: Hay pops up in Covent Garden

After The Lollipop Shoppe popped up at Selfridges in July in collaboration with Danish brand Hay, WGSN-homebuildlife has been waiting to see what they would do next. We are pleased to say that Hay are now popping up again in Covent Garden for four months, this time on their own.

House Industries partners with Herman Miller

American companies House Industries and Herman Miller are producing a limited-edition series of 80 Eames wire-base tables that include letters A-Z, numbers and ornaments from House Industries' Eames Century Modern font collection.

Knitted Chair by Soojin Kang

Knitted Chair by Soojin Kang





One of the highlights of LDF 2011 was Knitted Chair by designer Soojin Kang. It is currently being exhibited at Brompton shop Mint in London, as part of their exhibition Mint Explores, where it will be on show until 30th September.

Laurent Corio at Secondome

Fioriness is the new lighting bottles collection by Laurent Corio. The French designer realized this project for the design gallery Secondome in Rome.

Karma coffee in Berlin

Heroes Café in Neukölln, Berlin

The New York Times Style Magazine reports of a new coffee trend appearing in Berlin, called fliegender kaffee. Literally translated as flying coffee, it is seen as a way of giving back to the community. Coffee lovers can order a free cup of coffee one month, and pay for a few cups the next month to balance it out, in a system especially suited to struggling freelancers without a regular income. Participating cafes are identified by a sticker of a cup with wings and a halo.

Click here to read the full article.