Friday, 30 May 2014

Herbal tea for dogs: Live from Interzoo 2014



British pet brand Woof & Brew is showing a range of herbal teas created for dogs at Interzoo this week.

Top five trends: Live from Interzoo 2014

Yeowww! at Interzoo 2014


International pet supplies trade fair Interzoo opened its doors to an expected 30,000 visitors yesterday in Nuremberg, Germany. This year's edition demonstrates the growing market for pet tracking technology as well as showcasing fresh ideas for colour, print and pattern across product.

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

Homeless Homes Project by Gregory Kloehn


The Homeless Homes Project by Gregory Kloehn is a community-driven project in which illegally dumped household and commercial waste is transformed into innovative mobile shelters for the homeless.

Football goes pink: Benefit's pop-up pub

To coincide with the World Cup, Benefit Cosmetics will open a pop-up pink pub called Gabbi's Head on 12th June. Serving pink cocktails and canapes while showing all of the major games, the pub will also be home to Benefit beauty artists, who will offer complimentary brow waxes, skin care sessions and make-up.

Tuesday, 27 May 2014

The Edible Mist Machine by Lick Me I'm Delicious



Food innovators Lick Me I'm Delicious have designed a machine that uses ultrasonic vapourisation to create an inhalable mist, which can be sucked up through a straw for a 'flavour hit'.

Pastello - Draw Act by Mathery Studio


Young Italian design duo Erika Zorzi and Matteo Sangalli of Mathery Studio, now based in Melbourne, have created Pastello - Draw Act, a space that broadens children's passion for drawing by inviting them to draw in unusual ways.

Best of Brits: Anglepoise + Paul Smith



Fashion designer Paul Smith has teamed up with lighting brand Anglepoise to re-colour its Anglepoise Type75 desk lamp in sweetened pastel shades that mark out its different components.

Monday, 26 May 2014

Quilted embellishment: Live from D'DAYS, Paris


Design studio A+A Cooren has partnered with upholsterer Ateliers Philippe Coudray to create the Merybench sofa, presented at this year's edition of Parisian design event D'DAYS. 

Its softened, rounded structure is imprinted with partially quilted motifs instead of the usual all-over treatment. This creates a subtle yet very modern tone-on-tone embellishment.

Friday, 23 May 2014

Painted Plains rugs by AVO




The Painted Plains collection by New York-based design studio AVO combines bold graphics with cow hides.

Kangaroo Light by Studio Banana Things


Studio Banana Things have collaborated with The Innovation Quarter at Bangor University to create the Kangaroo Light, a uniquely portable light that can be folded up by hand.

Thursday, 22 May 2014

Macarons Veloutés by Pierre Hermé



French patissier Pierre Hermé has announced a new collection of macarons themed around the flavour of yoghurt.

Cut and Paste wallpaper



The Cut and Paste wallpaper collection by design studio All the Fruits is a collection of patterns and colours for the walls that can be arranged as randomly as desired. 

Wednesday, 21 May 2014

I Tradizionali tattoo recipes


Illustrated tattoo recipes I Tradizionali are designed to be applied to the forearm so that cooks can remind themselves of the order in which a recipe should be prepared.

Tea for One by Design K: Live from Clerkenwell Design Week


London-based studio Design K is showcasing its latest creation at Platform, one of the main events of this year's Clerkenwell Design Week, which runs until tomorrow. Tea for One is a side table made of wood with an embedded saucer and a loose tea cup, drawing inspiration from the traditional English afternoon tea.

W Hotel London tableware: Live from Clerkenwell Design Week


At this year's edition of Clerkenwell Design Week in London, W Hotel is showcasing the prototypes of three drinking glasses, the result of a collaboration between the hotel and one of the event's exhibitions, Platform.

Tuesday, 20 May 2014

Silence & Mindfulness dinner in Paris



French entrepreneur Coco Brac de la Perrière has been organising Silence & Mindfulness dinners for over a year, but while these confidential affaires have so far been reserved to influent French personalities, she is now making her concept available to the general public. On 30th June, guests will be able to buy tickets for a one-off dinner at the Electric, accepting to embrace conscious silence, in order to reconnect with others and with themselves. 

The idea behind these dinners is to simply pay attention to the experience one is taking part in, without judgement and without pernicious distraction. While the marriage of silence and food may appear contradictory in an epicurean country such as France, these events allow their attendees to focus on the moment more entirely. An opera singer and other interludes of poetic emotion will punctuate the evening. 

Backing British farmers and growers: Live from RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014



For the fourth year running, Waitrose and the National Farmer's Union have collaborated on a stand that celebrates both horticulture and agriculture at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. For this year's display, the companies have been inspired by the extreme climate change; designer Penny Riley explains, "We wanted to highlight the problems growers endured with the flooding."

Monday, 19 May 2014

Clerkenwell Design Week preview: Drummonds bathroom units by Christopher Jenner

Photo by Michael Franke

Iron, china, brass and wood are skillfully matched in Drummonds' new bathroom collection to launch at Clerkenwell Design Week. Designer Christopher Jenner wished to illustrate the enduring English country house aesthetic, but offering a more urban expression of this quintessential English style. The result is a series of handcrafted bathroom units, uniting traditional carpentry and foundry skills. 

The collection also shows a growing interest for bathroom aesthetics inspired by other areas of the home such as the living room or kitchen. The quality of the materials used and the modernity of the lines embraced make these free-standing units suitable for furnishing living areas.  

Friday, 16 May 2014

London Design Festival 2014 preview

London Design Festival 2014 identity by Pentagram

The 12th edition of the London Design Festival, which will take place September 13-21, will include once again several major projects at the Victoria & Albert Museum as well as two new design districts and an installation in Trafalgar Square by AirBnB.

Chelsea Flower Show-inspired menus

Tom's Kitchen. Photo by David Griffen Photography


Next week's RHS Chelsea Flower Show has inspired two restaurateurs to launch special menus inspired by the show's beautiful horticultural displays.

Tom's Kitchen has created a light and floral menu that includes crab with basil mayonnaise, cucumber and nasturtium leaf; cod with apricot rose and saffron; and courgette and pistachio risotto with courgette flowers.

Thursday, 15 May 2014

Designer rugs by FLOOR_STORY

Carnival collection by Kangan Arora

Carpet and rug brand FLOOR_STORY has launched its first designer rug collection, made in collaboration with London-based illustrator Rob Pybus and textile designer Kangan Arora.

Wedgwood tea experience


To celebrate the launch of its luxury teas and new teaware range Daisy Tea Story, British teaware brand Wedgwood collaborated with food historian Tasha Marks to create a tasting experience.

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

New Wave collection by Graham and Brown

Alien Crowd by Kev Munday

British wall coverings brand Graham and Brown has launched New Wave, a wallpaper collection made in collaboration with thirteen up-and-coming designers.

Booming Vases by Analogia Project & Alessio Sarri


Booming Vases are the result of a collaboration between Italian ceramist Alessio Sarri and Analogia Project (the Italian design duo of Andrea Mancuso and Emilia Serra). The aim of the objects is to explore two opposite essential elements: air and matter, representing power and fragility.

Monday, 12 May 2014

Precious organic soaps by IrèneIrène








Made from a combination of essential oils and natural aromatic plants, along with vegetal glycerin and various oils, Savons Gemme® faithful reproduce the colour and surface effects of colourful stones and minerals such as onyx, quartz, opal, garnet, malachite, amethyst or marble.

Friday, 9 May 2014

My Crazy Pop: Popcorn in Paris



Parisian concept store My Crazy Pop specialises in gourmet popcorn. Available in 15 different flavours, both salty and sweet, the popcorn is freshly made in a mini factory behind the shop, and ties into the rise of childhood food flavours, revisited for grown-ups.

Redaelli: Live from Proposte 2014


Italian textile brand Redaelli wowed visitors with its range of digitally printed velvets at the opening day of prestigious textile show Proposte.

Thursday, 8 May 2014

Siro Tendaggi: Live from Proposte 2014

Italian fabric brand Sirio Tendaggi is showing a range of woven and printed fabrics at Proposte in Como this week. Embroidered cotton and printed sheers blur the line between digital patterns and hand rendered techniques, and a delicate watercolour floral is updated with a pixelated effect.

The beauty of no name design at Triennale di Milano


Opening June 19 at Milan's Triennale Design Museum, the upcoming exhibition No Name Design, curated by Franco Clivio and Hans Hansen, will include 900 objects classified by function and type, material and form - and all missing any form of obvious branding.

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

Traditional bedding: from indoor to outdoor



Le Lit National, a French manufacturer of high-end bedding since 1909, has launched its first collection of outdoor accessories. From cushions to mattresses, the range takes the lounging and napping from the bedroom to the garden.

Stainless steel architecture, Amsterdam




Architecture studio Maccreanor Lavington has recently completed the refurbishment of a metro station, originally built in 1970, in Bijlmermeer, Amsterdam. The stainless steel façade, a material chosen for its durability and low maintenance, is decorated with an intricate floral design.

The laser cut motifs allow natural light to flow through the entrance and create lace-like projections on the floor and walls, turning a regular metro station used by over 100,000 residents every day into an inspiring, stimulating place.

Friday, 2 May 2014

Tesco S/S 2014 homewares collection


Tesco has launched its spring/summer 2014 home collection, with 2000 new products divided between five key trends across home, garden, electrical and stationery.

Waitrose launches bubblegum berries



UK supermarket brand Waitrose has launched the Bubbleberry, a berry that looks like a strawberry and tastes of bubblegum, for a limited-edition run of five weeks.

Spring prints by Karoline Rerrie



Karoline Rerrie is an illustrator and print maker based in Birmingham, UK. Her latest collection celebrates the warm spring weather and longer daylight hours, with floral and bird designs in vibrant colourways.

Thursday, 1 May 2014

Selfridges launches Fragrance Lab

Photo by Hufton+Crow


Selfridges today launched The Beauty Project, a ten-week celebration of all definitions of beauty, which includes an experiential in-store installation called Fragrance Lab that promises to match customers with their own character, distilled into scent.

Pot.Purri by 3 Dots Collective


Design studio 3 Dots Collective has launched Pot.Purri, a collection of small objects and lamps designed using ten modular elements, allowing several combinations of shapes and colours.