HBL Events: Brancusi's Rare Functional Objects

Saucepan, estimated to sell for 1500-2000 euros

A selection of works by renowned Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi will be auctioned today by Artcurial in Paris - including a collection of objects made by the artist for his own domestic use.

HBL Kids Lifestyle: Carton Furniture Series by Riki Watanabe

Japanese industrial designer Riki Watanabe originally designed this set of children's furniture in 1965, and it's now being manufactured by Metropolitan Gallery Inc. Tokyo in a range of bright colours, just in time for Watanabe's 100th birthday next year. Each piece is made solely of folded cardboard and the set can be neatly packed away when not in use.

HBL Analysis: Diamante by Jacob Jensen

Danish design brand Jacob Jensen has produced a collection for Tommerup Kister, one of Denmark's biggest funeral directors. Inspired by gem-cutting, the range is made up of three coffins and an urn.

HBL Retail News: Artek opens in Stockholm

Finnish design brand Artek have opened their first Stockholm branch. Located in the Southern region of the city, the store has been designed by Harri Koskinen, a well-known Finnish designer, and will carry a range of concession lines alongside its in-house collections - including its own 2nd Cycle range of vintage Artek products.

HBL Events: Collacqueration: Designed in the UK - Lacquered in Japan

Lacquered Mugs by Max Lamb and Akira Sugimura. Photo by Daniel Katz

The exhibition Collacqueration: Designed in the UK - Lacquered in Japan aims to highlight the ancient Japanese tradition of lacquering by bringing together the imagination of young UK based designers and the traditional skills of the lacquer craftsmen of Wajima.

HBL Events: Comfort by Konstantin Grcic at Saint-Étienne Biennale

German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic has curated an exhibition for the 2010 Saint-Étienne Biennale which attempts to deconstruct the idea of comfort, celebrating common items which have enhanced our lives.

HBL Retail News: The Temporium pops up for ten days

New retail space The Temporium will launch in Brompton Design District, London, on 9th December. The pop-up shop will host a range of homewares and accessories by established and emerging design brands, including Faye Toogood's customised binocular cases, above.

Food and Design: a report by Dezeen for Scholtès

Image: Dezeen

Online design magazine Dezeen today published a report on the subject of food design, covering aspects including the use of food as material by the new generation of product designers.

WGSN-homebuildlife subscribers can also read materials expert Chris Lefteri's recent report on the subject here.

HBL Retail: Crown Paints Colour Influences 2011

Last week, Crown Paints announced their colour influences for 2011. The palettes are decided by a diverse team of industry experts, invited by Crown to identify the key colour influences for the coming year. Amongst the nine panel members were head of fashion and textiles at the RCA Wendy Dagworthy, furniture designer Tom Price and architect Miles Falkingham. The team identified seven key influences, which will inform the development of the Crown Paints portfolio. See below for details.

HBL News: Whatswhat Collective win Muuto Talent Award 2010

 Scandinavian design brand Muuto have announced the winner of this year's Muuto Talent Award: an adjustable floor lamp called Pull, created by Konstfack-based design trio Whatswhat Collective.

HBL Events: Jaime Hayon X Kamide Choemon-gama

In the first in a series WGSN takes a closer look at some of our favourite designers seen at Design Tide Tokyo and Tokyo design week this year.

HBL Contract: Opus Lignea by Parchettificio Toscano

High-end Italian flooring brand Parchettificio Toscano has launched a new line of parquet flooring which is custom-made according to the customer's preference.

HBL Designer Profile: Juliette Warmenhoven

Juliette Warmenhoven is a recent graduate from the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem who exhibited her 'Everyday Growing project' last month at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. Her project consists of a series of handmade, lo-tech botanical experiments that study the growth and beauty of plant life.

HBL Designer Profile: Dieter Volkers

The work of young Dutch designer Dieter Volkers caught WGSN's eye at Dutch Design Week this year. Recently graduated from the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem, Dieter presented his work at the exhibition Instruments, Tools and Objects along with fellow students Juliette Warmenhoven and Klaas Kuiken. He describes his designs as "Functional objects, powerful in their aesthetics".

HBL Contract: Iota by Sebastian Bergne for izé

Sebastian Bergne is the latest in a long line of prestigious designers to collaborate with architectural hardware manufacturer izé. Today, Bergne and izé will launch the Iota handle to coincide with the launch of izé’s new website. The design features an integrated handle and stem lending it a lightweight apparance. izé’s recent collaborations include Studio Toogood, who worked with the manufacturer earlier this year to produce a series of handles cast from a collection of found objects called Sticks, Stones and Broken Bones.

HBL Retail: Hikari no Tokei by tha ltd.

While out and about in Tokyo, WGSN-homebuildlife's Liza Mackenzie spotted 'Hikari no Tokei', a new clock installation located at the entrance of the Seibu department store in Ikebukuro. Designed by tha ltd., the installation occupies all four sides of a giant pillar, with LED surfaces displaying a constant stream of the time. tha ltd. is a Tokyo based design studio who focus on website design and software development, as well as experimentations in motion-based projects and interior installations. tha ltd. were the brains behind the internationally renowned image bookmarking website FFFFOUND!, now a popular web service for designers and artists from all over the world. See their website for more inspiring digital design work.

HBL Designer Profile: Tomas Kral

Plug! series by Tomas Kral

Young Slovakian designer Tomas Kral has designed a range of furniture and interior objects called Plug!, all of which focus on cork - one of the materials of the moment. Kral aimed to "transform the image of a simple cork bottle stopper", and each piece in the collection has a straight-forward, modern feel. WGSN-homebuildlife particularly likes the side table and fruit bowl, both of which act as a pedestal for their contents.

HBL Retail: Throwing Shapes with Kvadrat

Danish textiles brand Kvadrat have released an innovative film tribute made for them by British photographer Matthew Donaldson, which has been shown exclusively on the fashion, art and culture blog Nowness. Entitled 'Throwing Shapes With Kvadrat', the film successfully breaks away from traditional textile advertising, where fabrics are shown on rolls or on furniture in situ. Instead the film shows a slow motion, aerial ballet of upholstered shapes dancing across the screen. The film is an extension of a still campaign that Donaldson created in collaboration with designers Graphic Thought Facility for the company earlier this year. This initial cut is to be followed by an alternate version, which will be screened in the Kvadrat showrooms. To read about the making of the film at Pinewood studios in the UK visit eye magazine.

HBL Events: Zaagkoffer by Maurice Meewisse at Dutch Design Week

During Dutch Design Week Maurice Meewisse presented Zaagkoffer; a shell-like case for a chainsaw made out of woodchips. To make the case, Maurice used the woodchips that he created when using the saw. He dried them and mixed them with a homemade, biodegradable adhesive based on gelantine and glycerin. This mix of woodchips and adhesive results in a lightweight, waterproof particle board with greater durability and flexibility. It can be made into sheet material as well as a clay-like moulding material, both fully recyclable and biodegradable. The design was nominated for the Doen Materiaalprijs and was showcased along with the winners and other nominated designs last week at the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven.

HBL Tradeshows: Patina Patchwork at High Point Market

Dovetail Furniture

HBL US Editor Jean Lin took a trip down to High Point, North Carolina for this season's High Point Market. The market is where America goes for the country's richest blend of American traditional and contemporary design for the home. The American aesthetic has traditionally revolved around vintage and antiques, whether it be authentic, re-productions or inspired. This season was no different with "Patina Patchwork" emerging as an important trend at the fair.

HBL Events: We Make Carpets at Dutch Design Week 2010

Plastic fork carpet at Dutch Design Week 2010

We Make Carpets is a project that was started by designers Stijn van der Vleuten, Marcia Nolte and visual artist Bob Waardenburg at Dutch Design Week 2009, when they made their first carpet installation . A year on, and the collective have been building a portfolio of visually stunning carpet designs made from a variety of weird and wonderful materials that range from pasta, to coffee, to different types of medical tape. Last week, WGSN went to see their new designs on show at Dutch Design Week. See below the jump for more images or visit thier website for more information.