HBL Tradeshows: Live from Home & Top Drawer

Leitmotiv at Top Drawer & Home 2012

Currently taking place at Earls Court London, Top Drawer and Home's joint showing is one of the leading UK destinations for traders to see and purchase the best in design-led accessories, gifts and homeware.

From glowing laboratory beakers to chrome-plated globes, we note the influence of science and early 20th century nostalgia in many of the stand-out collections at the trade-only show.

HBL Tradeshows: Live from Domotex

Carpetus at Domotex 2012

Domotex 2012, the world's largest flooring tradeshow, is currently taking place at Hannover Messe in Germany. From stained wooden floors in all colours of the rainbow to technicolour, traditional kilim carpets, this year's Domotex is a particularly colourful edition. Exaggerated texture is also a key theme as designers find new and inventive techniques to create designs with depth and tactility.

Read on for our full live report, including emerging trends and the top three exhibitors.

Floating Homes in Dubai

Atoll Floating Islands by Palmerston and Donald Starkey Designs

The Atoll Floating Islands by Palmerston and Donald Starkey Designs is a conceptual, Dubai-based floating structure that can be moved between the shore and The World to offer residents a home from home. Each fully sustainable home will be 32m in diameter with five bedrooms, a seawater pool and 1,400sqm of living space across two decks.

Wallpaper* Design Awards 2012

Woodware Lounger by Max Lamb

Awards season continues today with Wallpaper* revealing the winners of their Design Awards 2012, which are judged by an expert panel and this year comprise more than one hundred accolades. Here's the HBL guide to the winners.

HBL Retail: The Cake Is On The Table

São Paulo cupcake shop The Cake Is On The Table is known to locals for both its authentic Brazilian recipes and stylishly curated interior - with each piece of vintage furniture used in the shop also for sale.

HBL Tradeshows: Live from Heimtextil

Hinterveld at Heimtextil 2012

Reporting live from Heimtextil 2012, we see all things natural and handmade coming to the fore, with sustainable production techniques, shades of green and handcrafted details dominating the show. Read on for our full live report, including the key emerging trends and top three exhibitors.

Target launches The Shops at Target

The Candy Store, San Francisco

Target has announced a new design program, The Shops at Target, an ongoing program where the American big box retailer partners directly with shop owners of speciality stores and boutiques to co-create affordable, limited-edition collections for Target stores worldwide. The first collections to launch the series will hit national Target stores on May 6, and will span five product categories including pet, home and candy.

Mudd by Cordula Kehrer

Muud is a small collection of garden stools by German designer Cordula Kehrer, each of which is designed to serve as both seating and African and Atzec-inspired sculpture. Made from unglazed, frost resistant stoneware, the stools are for both indoor and outdoor use.

In the summer, the sun heats up the stoneware and keeps them warm into the evening, while in the winter they can be arranged into striking geometric sculptures.

English Hedgerow by Andrew Tanner

British designer Andrew Tanner will launch English Hedgerow, an app which brings augmented reality to his latest range of Royal Winton tableware, at new tradefair HOME next week.

Rainbow Trivet by Normann Copenhagen wins Good Design Award

Normann Copenhagen's Rainbow Trivet, designed by German studio Ding 3000, is one of the winners of the 2011 Good Design Awards.

HBL Tradeshows: Live from Première Vision Preview

Miroglio Textile Srl at Première Vision Preview spring/summer 2013

Nature-inspired prints go into hyperdrive for spring/summer 2013 at Première Vision Preview, New York as bright tropical digital prints are flaunted on sheers and lightweights. Open structure tweed-like fabrications add a touch of textural interest for summer.

Lexus LF-LC Concept: Design details

The Lexus LF-LC Concept has scooped the EyesOn Design best concept car award at the Detroit Auto Show 2012, and it’s fair to say it's been one of the most popular concepts unveiled so far. This is, according to its design team, the next step for the L-Finesse design language.