Milka installs a vending machine activated by holding hands

This vending machine by chocolate brand Milka only dispenses chocolate bars when customers hold hands. Users must form a chain to connect the nearby cow statue to the machine before goods are dispensed - and to keep the chocolate supply going, more people have to join the chain.

Homebuildlife subscribers can see more examples of products that encourage connection in our trend report, Designed To Share.

Astier de Villatte x John Derian

French ceramic specialist Astier de Villatte and New York artist and designer John Derian are pursuing their long-standing collaboration with the launch of a new scented candle. The designers decoupages are decorating the glazed holder, released in colour for the very first time. Called Provincetown, after the name of Derian's cherished New England enclave, on the very tip of Cape Cod, the candle's scent evokes the intoxicating fresh air and sea mist of salty marshlands and sandy dunes.

Cocktails and canapes: Divertimenti Christmas 2013

This rainbow cocktail layering tool by London design store Divertimenti is one of a range of items that the store will offer to budding mixologists and creative cooks this Christmas.

Designing for Experience: Homebuildlife at 100% Design

Homebuildlife's Creative Director Lisa White will be presenting a seminar on Designing For Experience at 100% Design on Friday 20th September.

Join us to explore what experiences designers and brands provide, which in turn bring a shared sense of magic and discovery for the end user. Register now!

Bowerbird by Sibella Court

Interiors stylist Sibella Court's new book, Bowerbird, explores creative ways to display and style collections of objects around the home. Great for still life inspiration, the book includes a wide range of different collections, from scissors and feathers to taxidermy.

Read our previous Book of the Week post, on Sibella Court's Etcetera, here.

Christmas 2013 at Liberty

Liberty print crackers, £49.95

London department store Liberty will offer a wide range of decorations, from the rustic to the surreal, this Christmas.

DuluxLab ice cream shoot by Emily Blunden

Interiors stylist Emily Blunden worked with paint brand Dulux and photographer Simon Bevan to create this mouthwatering photo series, which presents Dulux's Timeless Classics and Collective Passions colour schemes in the form of ice cream cones, milkshakes, popsicles, ice cream sandwiches and coolers.

Ladder by Charlie Styrbjörn Design

Photo by Jonas Lindstedt

Gothenburg-based designer Charlie Styrbjörn Nilsson will show this ladder at Tent during the London Design Festival this month. Made by steam bending wood, the design features gently curved rungs that guide the foot up each step.

x3 by Zak Stratfold

Bucks New University graduate Zak Stratfold has designed a magnifying lens that emphasises treasured possessions.

Oslo by Anderssen & Voll for Muuto

Norwegian design studio Anderssen & Voll has created a soft and rounded new sofa for Muuto. Called Oslo, the collection includes a two-seater, three-seater, chair and pouf, all upholstered in Kvadrat fabric.

The Grantchester Pottery

Decorative arts company The Grantchester Pottery creates decorative functional objects, wallcoverings and textiles made collectively between artists and makers.

The founders of the company, Phil Root and Giles Round, exchange ideas and processes with craftsmen and art studios Rebel Arts Centre, Hammer Prints & Atelier Martine. Items are passed from artist to artist throughout production - form executed by one artist, pattern applied by another, and firing by another.

A Colourful Adventure by Farrow and Ball

A Colourful Adventure by Farrow & Ball

British paint and wallpaper brand Farrow and Ball has created a new book, A Colourful Adventure, to coincide with the launch of its new collection of paint colours.