HBL News: Floormaker launch

Floormaker is a website that has been recently launched to offer consumers a rare chance to buy a range of flooring online for both commercial and domestic flooring projects. Floormaker’s purchasing manager, Michael Evans, said: “Flooring sold on the internet is a rapidly growing market. These days, people are just as happy to choose their flooring online as from DIY and stand-alone flooring stores, so launching this website to make our extensive range of products available directly to the consumer makes good business sense.”

HBL Blog of the Week: Margaret & Joy

Run by two professional tabletop directors and food photographers, Margaret & Joy is the perfect example of a great lifestyle blog. Photo-montages of culinary adventures, roadtrips and fresh produce are updated regularly, and everything relates to the local food movement. "Farm to table, local, organic, real, delicious, beautiful and textural are the things that inspire us," the pair state.

HBL loves: the series of posts which look to films for inspiration - including, most recently, The Wings of the Dove.

Daniel Buren for Hermès at Villa Panza

Once home to the famous Italian art collector Giuseppe Panza, Villa Panza is now one of FAI Fondo Ambiente Italiano’s properties – where Hermès is currently presenting its new wearable art project realized by the French artist Daniel Buren.

HBL News: Ikea to build eco-homes for Olympics

Ikea has announced that its first British housing development will be located in Stratford, next to the Olympic Park, the London Evening Standard reports.

The Strand East development, built by the investment arm of the brand Inter Ikea, will comprise 1200 homes, with 40% of the properties planned to be three-bedroom homes. Read the full story here.

HBL Tradeshows: Live from Bangkok International Gift and Homewares Fair

WGSN-homebuildlife reports live from Bangkok International Gift and Homewares Fair, Thailand, highlighting the emerging trends from the show so far:

China girl: Products referencing specifically Chinese styles abounded both in terms of colour palette and motifs. Footed woven baskets in glossy lacquer red or purple, birdcage-inspired tasselled hanging lanterns in black or white as well as ceramics, batik prints and embroidery depicting fish, butterflies and flowers.

Dark side: Mixing materials within a single design came to the fore on both furniture and accessories this season. Natural finishes contrast with man-made and engineered components, frequently combined with black gloss, matt black metal or a sleek, black stain.

Tribal brights: Ethnic-inspired woven rugs, baskets, vessels and textiles and rustic glazed ceramics are seen in a vibrant palette of red, yellow and orange tempered by blues and greens representing the natural elements.

Subscribers can read the full piece here.

San Pantaleo, Sardinia: print & pattern inspiration

In the second round of our photo highlights from Sardinia, we focus on print and pattern - with vibrant examples found on everything from fabric to tiles.

San Pantaleo, Sardinia: surface inspiration

On a recent trip to Sardinia, WGSN was inspired by the surfaces, textures, colours and patterns of San Pantaleo. In the first in a series of photo highlights, we focus on the sun-baked surfaces, worn and rough textures, and sandy colour palettes of the local area.

Grayson Perry at Louis Vuitton New Bond Street

British artist Grayson Perry has created an installation for the Louis Vuitton New Bond Street Maison to coincide with Perry's exhibition at the British Museum, The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman. The installation touches on ideas of craftsmanship, identity and contemporary culture, further exploring topics from the exhibition.

HBL Exhibitions: Ascent by Barber Osgerby

Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby © Barber Osgerby, 2011. Courtesy Haunch of Venison. Photo: Peter Mallet

Haunch of Venison's latest exhibition, running until 19 November at their Burlington Gardens gallery, showcases a new body of work by London design duo Barber Osgerby. The project, called Ascent, includes eight new pieces which were informed by the structures of movement. The designers drew from their childhoods for the project - where boat design and aeroplanes, respectively, were a source of fascination.

Microbial Home by Philips Design

Microbial Home by Philips Design

Philips has launched Microbial Home, a design project which explores sustainable solutions to energy, waste, lighting, food preservation, cleaning, grooming and human waste management. The project is a proposal for an integrated cyclical ecosystem where each function's output is another's input - entirely recycling what would normally be considered as waste.

HBL Retail: Cire Trudon, London

The French candle manufacturer has opened its first permanent boutique outside of France, choosing London's Chiltern Street - an area that is currently getting a lot of retail attention thanks to a number of niche boutique and cafe openings.

Swallowable Parfum by Lucy McRae

SWALLOWABLE PARFUM® from Lucy McRae on Vimeo.

With the help of biologist Sheref Mansy, body architect Lucy McRae has developed Swallowable Parfum: a digestible capsule which consists of synthesised fragrant lipid molecules that mimic the structure of normal human fat molecules.