HBL Retail: Proper Job Shop

1960s teak console table, at Proper Job Shop

Online vintage store Proper Job Shop specialises in 20th century furniture with a Scandinavian twist, stocking unique second-hand pieces individually sourced by London-based owners Alice Clarkson and James Stickley (who are both designers in their own right). Each item is photographed for the site along with a description of its origin and an honest assessment of the level of wear & tear, so the shopping experience feels personalised - as if curated especially for you.

Milan top tips: Design Week special

Marcel Wanders for Alessi, on show at the newly relocated Alessi flagship store in Milan

With only a few days to go before the design world arrives in Milan, it is important to plan ahead. However, Italy's design capital also offers less well-known places that are worth visiting, from small shops to spectacular restaurants and quiet hotels.

HBL Tradeshows: Live from High Point Market

Natuzzi Italsofa at High Point Market autumn/winter 2011/12

WGSN-homebuildlife reports live from High Point Market in North Carolina, highlighting three emerging trends from the influential US interiors fair:

Masculine stripes: Stripes in cool and dark colours are seen on upholstered seating and accessories, giving the pieces a masculine touch

Ikat: Colourful ikat prints in primary colours such as red and blue are seen for lamp shades and seating

Deconstructed seams: An important detail this season for upholstered seating and lighting, deconstructed and exposed seams add a casual and contemporary feel to interior product

WGSN-homebuildlife subscribers can also see our top three exhibitors from the fair here.

La Rinascente: Milan preview

Italian retail giant La Rinascente will host a series of design events in its Piazza Duomo store during the Salone Internationale del Mobile next week, including product launches, installations and an exhibition of specially-selected design products.

Billiani - a century of chair design: Milan preview

Doll chair by Emilio Nanni for Billiani, 2010

Italian furniture brand Billiani will celebrate 100 years of chair design at next week's Salone Internazionale del Mobile, presenting a number of new products including two new versions of the Doll chair designed by Emilio Nanni.

DINNER WITH DESIGN MARKETO

The design collaboration Design Marketo, currently curating their first corner shop at the Barbican Art Gallery in London, hosted a design dinner in the Barbican’s Garden room. Based on the theme Spring and Sprouts, this one-off meal gave diners the chance to see and experience their new selection of design products, crafted and commissioned for the evening, along with a few edible design elements.

Project Green by Lipton Ice Green Tea

Project Green by Lipton Ice Green Tea, Australia

Project Green is an urban arts initiative by Lipton Ice Green Tea. Showcasing the talents of some of Australia's most renowned urban artists such as Sydney-based Jeremy Hession and Melbourne-based Andrew Bourke, Project Green aims to spread a bit of green positivity in Australia's urban spaces, distinctively through the use of moss with street art.

HBL Exhibitions: Man Made

Stephen Burks: Man Made

The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, is currently hosting 'Stephen Burks: Man Made', an exhibition which presents a retrospective of the American industrial designer's work with Senegalese basket-weavers in New York and Dakar, alongside his projects with artisans in Peru, India and South Africa. During the show, the museum is also functioning as  a workshop, and visitors will see local artisans and basket-weavers bringing Stephen Burks' designs to life.

HBL Retail: the Selvedge Spring Fair

Papa Stour

British textile magazine Selvedge are hosting a fair in London this weekend to celebrate the arrival of spring. Thirty hand-picked designers and makers will be exhibiting their wares at the show, selling directly to the public just in time to provide gift ideas for Easter and Mothers Day.

HBL Analysis: A forager's tabletop

Cook It Raw, Lapland, 2010

The practice of foraging is enjoying a resurgence, with many restaurants now serving a foraged menu of local ingredients that diners can hunt and gather from, displayed using platters and piles of food served on natural surfaces. As a result of this, consumers are beginning to show an interest in bringing the foraging spirit into the home.

In our latest report, WGSN-homebuildlife investigates tableware for foragers and examines the key approaches taken by chefs and designers to add tactility and meaning to our everyday eating experiences.

HBL Analysis: The return of the general store

Father Rabbit

The general store, once a prominent part of any shopping street, is enjoying a revival - with retailers taking inspiration from community-based shops like American-style general stores and European-style epiceries.

New Zealand-based online store Father Rabbit is a perfect example of this, selling household goods across twelve categories including the kitchen, the dining table, the linen cupboard, the shed and the bottom drawer (which equates as haberdashery and mending supplies).

HBL Exhibitions: hiddenSkin by Benjamin Graindorge

hiddenSkin by Benjmain Graindorge

French designer Benjamin Graindorge has created a collection of seating called hiddenSkin which can be arranged in a variety of configurations. Made of oak and black metal, the collection fits perfectly with the ethos of WGSN-homebuildlife macrotrend for A/W 12/13, Radical Neutrality, which forecasts a new minimalism: "This serene revolution focuses on intelligence, function and subtle decoration. Textures are soft and smooth and inviting to the touch."