Bruno Chemel: Savorama

Umeboshi, a Japanese salted and dried plum that has been used extensively in Baume's summer menu

Following on from this week's UK launch of Modernist Cuisine At Home, we profile a similarly educational food blog. As the owner of experimental macrobiotic restaurant Baume, Bruno Chemel's blog Savorama takes the Californian restaurant's famously complex dishes and breaks them down to a more comprehensible level. 

With fact files on his favourite and most used ingredients, and information on which fruits and vegetables are in season and when best to buy them, the site's aim is to bring gourmet cuisine to the table of the layman.

Catalina Estrada: fantastical nature

Based in Barcelona, Columbian illustrator Catalina Estrada offers a colourful vision of Latin-American folklore in her wallpapers and panels. With fauna and flora as her main source of inspiration, her work is inhabited by wild creatures and prismatic flowers, rich in colours and textures.

Meo Bau by I-Radium

The Meo Bau heated pet bed from Italian brand I-Radium uses infrared technology to create a portable, heated bed to keep cats and dogs cosy through the colder months.

Halloween 2012: London retail

Chocolate skulls at Fortnum & Mason, London

Gearing up for the spookiest day of the year, London's high street is embracing the spirit of Halloween through devilish food and props. From playful pumpkins to Dracola's Dentures, here are some of the products and displays standing out for shoppers.

Brick by Normann Copenhagen

Normann Copenhagen's latest product launch is a range of geometric cushions designed by Britt Bronnesen. Influenced by patchwork patterns, the cushions use a fabrics that together make up one dominant colour: red, turquoise, green, blue, grey, moss, orange, purple or yellow.

Mauviel: design & heritage

Family-run French cookware manufacturer Mauviel has launched a new casserole dish to showcase its 180 years of heritage and expertise. Featuring three rings of bronze, aluminium and copper on a stainless steel body, the new product symbolises the identity of the brand, a combination of tradition and innovation, while  following the current trend for metallic finishes and materials that take on a different patina the more they are used.

WGSN-homebuildlife subscribers can read our full report on casseroles and cooking pots here, and see more on patinas and ageing finishes in our report, Design with time: materials focus.

Design Academy Eindhoven: Top five graduation projects 2012

Process: the performance of matter by João Abreu Valente

With Dutch Design Week 2012 drawing to a close this weekend, we select our top five graduation projects from prestigious design school Design Academy Eindhoven. Recognised as one of the top design institutions in the world, the school is a great place to spot emerging trends at their birthplace.

Sphere Table by Hella Jongerius for Vitra

One of the product highlights seen at this year's Orgatec, the biennial contract furniture trade show that takes place in Cologne, is the Sphere Table designed by Hella Jongerius for Vitra.

Modernist Cuisine at Home

Sous vide steak; photo by Melissa Lehuta/Modernist Cuisine LLC

Home chefs can now master the key techniques of Modernist cooking, thanks to a comprehensive new guide by Nathan Myhrvold, Maxime Bilet, and The Cooking Lab. Launching in the UK on Monday, Modernist Cuisine at Home shows readers how to use professional tools such as sous vide, dehydrators and injectors, as well as how to achieve similar results using more common kitchen tools.

Danish soda at Skandium

London's leading Scandinavian design store, Skandium, will begin stocking an artisanal Danish soda this autumn, adding beverages to its range of design lifestyle products for the first time.

The drinks, from Ebeltoft Farm Brewery, are brewed by Peder Zacho Hansen using fresh fruit, cane sugar and carbonated water, and are already stocked at leading restaurants across Copenhagen.

Jelly Mould Lights by Piers Saxby Candy

Brighton-based product designer Piers Saxby Candy has created a pair of lamps with plaster fittings cast from an original 1930s jelly mould.

Custom Wedding Wall by Chase Kettl

US graphic designer Chase Kettl created this custom wedding mural using just strong twine and carpenter's pins. The simple but effective installation ties into the ongoing trend for DIY and handmade celebrations; subscribers can read our report on the trend here.

Another Ceramic Candlestick by Marie Dessuant

French designer Marie Dessuant has designed a candlestick for British brand Another Country that also functions as a concealed storage box for precious items.

Ionna Vautrin for Foscarini

French designer Ionna Vautrin's new table light for Italian brand Foscarini is a small, portable lamp with a rounded shape reminiscent of petrol lamps and camping lights.

Elitist Folklore by Marianne Nielsen & Anne Tophøj

Ceramicists Marianne Nielsen & Anne Tophøj will exhibit their latest pieces this month as part of Copenhagen Ceramics' series of ten exhibitions focused on experimental ideas and applications in the craft. The Elitist Folklore collection focuses on the way in which we perceive the everyday shapes and objects of life, such as the dish, plate, table and flower.

3D Print Show, London

Matthew Plummer-Fernandez

Taking advantage of the increased attention from mainstream business and media, London held its first trade show dedicated to 3D printing over the weekend. With a mixture of equipment manufacturers and designers exhibiting, the 3D Print Show offered visitors the opportunity to see how 3D printing works and how it could be relevant to their lives.

M/M (Paris) Carpetalogue

French artists M/M (Paris) are celebrating their 20th anniversary with an exhibition of four new, intricately woven carpets. Imagery and characters from the past two decades of the duo's work have been incorporated into the designs, which are on show until 15 December at Gallery Libby Sellers in London.

Live from Manila Fame

Stanley Ruiz at Manila Fame 2012

Riding the wave of a flourishing economy and galvanised by a host of fresh, new design talent, the October edition of the Philippines’ largest design trade show opens with a bang. This edition sees the influx of emerging Filipino designers honed abroad who marry global aesthetics and experience with local crafts and materials.

J. Glinert, London: design for the everyday

Located in Hackney, east London, design boutique J. Glinert aims to provide its clientele with a general store-style selection of practical, useful objects - from packing tape to pestle and mortars.

Live from BIG+BIH

Designers Field at BIG+BIH October 2012

New products showcased at this month's Bangkok International Gift Fair and Bangkok International Houseware Fair reference a wide range of style trends and movements.

The utility/Shaker vibe is seen in simple, ergonomic designs including colour-washed, stick-back, Windsor chairs, ladder hooks and rails in earthy tones and honest materials such as wood, canvas, paper and leather.

Laorus invents the indoor fountain

French outdoor brand Laorus has created a new version of the classic urban fountain, which can be hung in the garden or in the home. The first collection (launched in 2011) was granted the VIA label, while the second one just received a Wallpaper Design Award. 

The Antique Copper Bath by Water Monopoly

Water Monopoly's most popular bath tub, the Antique Copper Bath, replicates original late 19th century French double-ended styles. Each tub can be personalised according to model, size and texture, and rustic, matte or polished patina surfaces are available in a range of autumnal tones.

Read more about the trend towards richer, more textured bath surfaces in our new report, The Textured Bathroom.

April & May

Run by a stylist living in Beemster in the Netherlands, April & May is a great blog to visit for a dose of Dutch print inspiration, and a useful general resource for atmospheric interiors shots.

Making It: 2nd edition

Now in its second edition, materials expert Chris Lefteri's bestselling book Making It: Manufacturing techniques for product design (Laurence King, 2007/2012) gives an in-depth guide to 100 production methods, providing indispensable information, such as speed of production, typical volumes, and pros and cons, for each. The new edition also features an assessment of the sustainability of each method.

Folk Fibers for Levi's Made Here

Founded by textiles graduate Maura Grace Ambrose, Folk Fibers specialises in handmade quilts, each one stitched in Austin, Texas using organic fabrics coloured with natural dye. For Levi's Made Here project this summer - a series of limited edition products celebrating American handicraft - Ambrose created a range of beautifully patterned quilts incorporating recycled Levi's and Dockers apparel.

Cotton Candy and Popcorn Popper by Ariete

Italian appliance brand Ariete has launched a new collection called Party Time, which ties into the trend for Nostalgia Appliances with its 1950s-inspired rounded shapes and retro colors.

Live from High Point Market

Parlized Leather at J.P. Leather for Candice Olson

Over the weekend, one of the largest home furnishings shows in the world opened in High Point, North Carolina. Twice a year, High Point Market takes up 11.5 million square feet of showspace, hosting tens of thousands of new production introductions by more than 2000 exhibitors, representing over 100 countries.

Helsinki: top design stores

Helsinki 10

From gallery-style spaces to in-house florists, WGSN-homebuildlife profiles some of the World Design Capital 2012's most innovative concept stores.

Rain Room by rAndom International

Image: Felix Clay

The latest exhibition at London's Barbican Centre is an experiential installation by rAndom International. Rain Room is a 100 square-metre field of falling water which visitors can control by walking through it. The installation uses 3D depth cameras to track visitors' presence so that rain does not fall on them, but becomes heavier around them as they walk further into the installation.

Craftslab: French-Japanese crafts

Wooden tableware by Oji & Design

Paris-based Craftslab promotes the beauty of handcrafted products from Japan and France, based on the expertise of Japanese founder Aya Iwata, who has lived in Paris for twenty years. Aya develops partnerships with and between artisans, designers and retailers, to source the best of Japanese or French creativity, from fashion to tableware.

The Royal Mail launches space-themed stamps

A series of six space-themed stamps have been designed by Osborne Ross Design for The Royal Mail to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launch of Britain's first satellite.

Infinity Table by Studio Silverlining

Made of through-dyed ripple sycamore, coloured lacquer, and a laminated composite core, the Infinity Table by Studio Silverlining is one of a number of pieces on show by Gallery FUMI at art and design fair PAD London until 14 October.

Le Parfait comes to London

Le Parfait Super Preserve Jars

French kitchen brand Le Parfait last week presented its range of preserving jars to the UK market. The event, which took place in a converted stable block in Farringdon, London, had a harvest festival atmosphere - with live demonstrations of how best to create and preserve foods including chutneys, curries, and even steamed puddings.

Eclectic Cool: global design in Hong Kong

New retail brand Eclectic Cool aims to bring the best of international contemporary design to Hong Kong. Operating both a physical showroom and an online shop, the brand differentiates itself with an accessible range of price points and a product offer specially selected to cater to Hong Kong lifestyles.

Collars & Coats 2012

Collars & Coats 2011, photo by David Baird

On Thursday 8th November 2012, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home will hold the fourth edition of its annual Collars & Coats Gala Ball. The fundraising event will see Battersea's Ambassador, British supermodel David Gandy, lead the dogwalk for an auction of exclusive dog couture designed by fashion designers including Giles Deacon, Henry Holland, Julien Macdonald, Stella McCartney, Mulberry, Gareth Pugh, Zandra Rhodes, Philip Treacy, Matthew Williamson, and Vivienne Westwood.

Varini: optical art

Image via Urbanica Blog

Swiss artist Felice Varini's optical works explore the concept of perspective localisation, a form of painting where the full image can only be seen from a specific angle.

Rene Redzepi: food futures

Asparagus and spruce needles at Noma

Rene Redzepi, owner of Noma in Copenhagen and creator of gastronomic conference MAD Food Camp, is known for his new perspective on food - which emphasises all-natural, local, and often foraged ingredients.

His signature dish, asparagus and spruce, is made of two variations of asparagus - a sauce paired with grilled stems - and spruce needles, finished with a light spoonful of whipped cream; and celebrates the abundancy of edible delicacies that are natural to the Danish landscape.

Pictus by St Vitus

Cygnus by St Vitus

London-based wallpaper brand St. Vitus has launched its first collection of papers. Called Pictus, the collection is made up of five designs, each of which aims to retell the the traditional motifs of heritage wallpapers.

Handpresso Auto

The latest on-the-go device for making coffee allows users to create in-car espressos. Using just water and a coffee pod, the Handpresso Auto can make fresh coffee in 2 minutes at a 16 bar pressure.

MRI Vegetables

Heirloom tomato © Inside Insides

MRI technologist Andy Ellison, of Boston University Medical School, has posted a series of MRI scans of common fruit and vegetables on his website, Inside Insides.

The Edible Selby

Published this month, the book edition of The Edible Selby compiles photographer Todd Selby's visits to the most stylish food-centred environments around the world. Kitchens, restaurants, gardens and homes are the focus of more than forty profiles, each accompanied by the subject's signature recipe, and illustrated in watercolour.

The Shoreditch Butchery

One of two new Shoreditch nightspots to open this month, the Shoreditch Butchery is in established venue XOYO, with an original street-art interior by artist Vhils. It serves cocktails and sticks to the current trend for diner-bar hybrids, with smoked hotdogs and sliders served all night long.

See our posts on Bubbledogs and Union Jacks, and our report on Meat Liquor, for more on the long-running diner trend.

ADI Design Index 2012

Copernico: lamp with mobile rings. Client: Artemide. Designer: Carlotta de Bevilacqua, Paolo Dell’Elce

To detect and analyse design trends, the ADI (Italian Association for Industrial Design) established the Permanent Design Observatory, an interdisciplinary group of more than 120 experts living all over the country who together publish the ADI Design Index - an annual selection of Italy's best new products.

Lovely Package

Coffee Supreme, via Lovely Package

To keep up with the very best in contemporary packaging, branding and commercial graphic design, add Lovely Package to your blogroll. It's particularly good for food and beverage packaging, and frequently posts new, unseen student work.

For more packaging inspiration, see our previous post on The Dieline.

Sipsmith Gin Palace

This month, the Langham Hotel will open its very own Gin Palace - a tribute to the hotel's launch in the mid-1800s, and a move in line with gin's new prominence. Created in collaboration with Sipsmith gin distillery, the Sipsmith Gin Palace will be open Friday - Sunday from 7pm, and offers an array of tantalising historically themed gin infusions and contemporary gin-based cocktails designed by Sipsmith's master distiller Jared Brown and the hotel's head mixologist Alex Kratena, as well as a concise selection of tasting dishes.

See more of London's newest and best happenings in our brand new city guide.

Drive-through coffee: Starbucks, Denver

Starbucks has opened an environmentally-conscious drive- and walk-through store in Denver, Colorado, which emits a soft glow to entice customers inside. The 500 square foot space opened last week and is believed to be the first in a series of such hyper-local stores by the US coffee giant. Read more at Fast Co.

QR Ceramic by Granada Barrero

Launched at Valencia Disseny Week, the QR/Quick Response Ceramic collection by Granada Barrero adds the design influence of modern technology to tableware.

Thonet bike by Andy Martin

London-based designer Andy Martin has created a steambent beechwood bicycle for Thonet - using the same manufacturing technique the famous furniture brand has used to make its chairs since the 1930s.

1LDK Apartments, Tokyo

Japanese multi-brand menswear boutique 1LDK has opened a new concept store-cum-restaurant called 1LDK Apartments in Nakameguro that offers womenswear, lifestyle and interior products.

FAO: new online design boutique

Fashion, art and homeware boutique FAO launched online and offline last month at London's Designjunction, which hosted its first pop-up shop.