Monolite by Brandoni

Brandoni and architect Fabrizio Batoni have collaborated on Monolite, a new bathroom unit that combines the conflicting elements of water and fire. The shower wall panel with integrated radiator was launched at Cersaie 2012 last month.

Monolite's radiant column is available 500-400 mm wide and in a range of colours, and the product can be accessorised with hooks and assisting trays as well as being modified to fit around customers' current showers or baths.

La Familia by Bravo!

Chilean design studio Bravo! presented La Familia, a collection of multifunctional containers made of copper and wood, at 100% Design and TENT London this September.

CFOC, Paris: store reopening

French retail brand CFOC (Compagnie Française de l’Orient et de la Chine) has renovated its flagship store in Paris. The 500 sq m space, located on Boulevard Haussmann, features oak parquet flooring, Japanese paper chandeliers, and a new collection designed by Margaux Keller, Benjamin Graindorge and A+A Cooren.

Christopher Jenner x diptyque

British designer Christopher Jenner has collaborated with diptyque Paris on its new London store, which is inspired by English patterning and French luxury, and is set in the historic surrounds of Leadenhall market.

Jean Nouvel for Emeco

Emeco will launch its new So-So chair and stool, designed by Jean Nouvel, at Belgium's Interieur later this month.

The indecisives' restaurant

 

For those who cannot decide whether to have the salad, the salmon, or the veal, Parisian restaurant Rouge Passion has come up with a solution: every Tuesday night, it offers a special menu for indecisive minds. Dinner comprises a selection of four starters, mains and desserts in mini-portions, arranged all together on a plate. Bitesize ravioli, baby hamburgers, or soups and stews served in mini-cocottes; every dish is miniaturised - and accompanying wine is served by the glass.

WGSN-homebuildlife subscribers can read our reports on small portion food pops here and on mini-cooking pots here.

Eating Emotions: a culinary salon

Daniel Grothues

Berlin's Lost & Found collective will host its second literary and culinary salon, Eating Emotions, this Sunday 7th October. The event will combine a reading by neuroscientist and author Giovanni Frazzetto with a special menu by Daniel Grothues, leading guests through an exploration of the connections between how we feel and what we eat. More information here.

Noma Bar for The Guardian Collection

Follow the leaders by Noma Bar

British newspaper The Guardian has launched an exclusive collection of prints and stationery - with the first editions in the range designed by graphic artist Noma Bar.

Serralunga collaborates with Mixtape, Brazil

Italian furniture brand Serralunga will retail its latest collection at Brazilian design store Mixtape.

What on earth are you eating? The secret life of food

On Tuesday 23rd October, four of the leading thinkers in food futures will take the stage at London's Royal Geographical Society to discuss the secret of good food.

Organised by debate and critical thinking forum Intelligence Squared, the event will bring together Dr Mark Post, the scientist developing laboratory-grown meat at Maastricht University; notoriously sharp-tongued British restaurant critic, A.A. Gill; molecular gastronomy specialist Professor Peter Barham; and Sam Bompas, one half of food entertainment duo Bompas & Parr.

To attend, buy tickets here - or follow the debate live on Twitter by tuning in to the event's hashtag, #iq2food. WGSN-homebuildlife's report on the key ideas to emerge from the event will be live for subscribers later on that week.

In Patterns: Marimekko

New book In Patterns: Marimekko (WSOY, 2012) explores the colourful world of the Finnish textile giant, taking readers through the designs that have been most loved during its sixty-one years of brightening up spaces all around the world. Showing how the company's newest collections can be traced right back to its origins, this guide is sure to become a touchstone for pattern designers and enthusiasts alike.

Subscribers can read our interview with Marimekko's creative director, Minna Kemell-Kutvonen, here.

Edible architecture by Mario Trimarchi

Mario Trimarchi has designed a series of geometric silicone food moulds for Italian design house Alessi that create miniature pieces of food architecture.