The new NOA outdoor living centre in Belgium offers boundless inspiration for the realisation of creative outdoor concepts, thanks to the collaboration of 24 high-end outdoor-living brands. Watch the video to find out more.

The story of the memorable curtain brightening up the DAAily bar at Swiss Corner during Milan Design Week is about more than just its colourful, natural patterns. As the Swiss-born artist Douglas Mandry, creator of the work in collaboration with Bally and Christian Fischbacher, explained during his Live Talk alongside the installation at the DAAily bar, "My work is driven by the global change we’re facing, addressing issues of climate change and environmental consciousness through visible elements."

Slow living is a trend inspired by growing interests in mindfulness and sustainability – and our growing cultural need to escape from the negative effects of fast-paced digital living and high consumption. Yet how exactly can the design of our interior and exterior spaces interpret this trend and help us slow down?

As companies rattle their social and environmental consciences and define new goals toward the achievement of absolute circularity, the whole lexicon of furniture design and manufacture is on the move. While exploring ways to limit its impact on the world’s ecological balance to zero, the industry is mobilising a whole army of r’s: from reuse and repurpose, to recycle and repair, remanufacture and replace, and increasingly also rental.

In a world where our understanding of what makes something luxury is being turned on its head, the once humble construction material, MDF, is coming off pretty well. When it comes specifically to the realm of design and architecture, what is now considered luxurious is not so much the shiny, rare resource, but the thoughtfully and sustainably produced. It’s defined not by carat or lustre, but by circularity, durability and adaptability. In the right hands, humble can become noble.

'You'll always find me in the kitchen at parties,' goes the old pop song from the 1980s.

But when it comes to Sven Rensinghoff, the marketing chief at premium German bathroom brand Bette, it’s mostly the bath. The first time I met him, a number of years ago, he was in the middle of a photo shoot at the ISH Frankfurt trade fair, lying in one of the manufacturer’s latest, high-end tubs. Clothes on, I should add. No water.

The course presents an overview of traditional, modern, and contemporary Japanese architectural production across four independent yet complementary modules. Drawing on cultural and historical contexts, the course analyzes the work of prominent Japanese architects from the 1930s to the present day. It also explores symbolic spatial and temporal relationships grounded in aesthetic principles such as ma, basara, wabi-sabi, yûgen, and mono no aware, among others. The goal is to broaden the repertoire regarding Japanese architecture and culture, offering exposure to new perspectives through lecture-based sessions.

BoConcept‘s Chelsea chair is designed by Karim Rashid, an industrial designer well known for his organically shaped products. With its rounded corners and simple format, it seems utterly natural and basic, almost like a non-design. Yet, obviously, a lot of thought and experimentation has gone into the process of creating such an unambiguous object.

Thirty years ago, a contemporary classic was launched by Dornbracht: TARA. The bathroom series became the brand's best selling offering, as its versatility and timeless modernism allowed for its widespread use. As the German luxury fittings manufacturer celebrates thirty decades of its most popular bathroom series, it's looking ahead and introducing new product variants and finishes to the modern classic.

To start the day in a relaxed state of mind, it is good to have a natural sense of inner calm, or, failing that, a peaceful space to retreat to where stress can be left outside. In their first collaboration, Duravit and designer Sebastian Herkner transform the bathroom into a place of true well-being – for the restorative cleansing of body, mind and soul. Here, there really is nothing to remind one of everyday life, as the Zencha bathroom series transports us away, paying homage to the traditional tea ceremonies of Japan.

The following applies to all creative disciplines: truly unique, high-quality works of design are almost always the result of certain favourable constellations. This is just as true for directors and musicians as it is for architects and designers. Because great creative ideas can often only be realised in a team, in cooperation with collaborators.

Two years ago, the young Swiss singer, violinist and composer Chiara Dubey released an album entitled 'Constellations'. A starry sky adorns the cover – so here, too, it's about a special interaction that is under a good star. But how, you might now ask, do we get from album covers to a company that makes furniture?

Not many architectural projects require maps of the area to be updated. But, then again, not many projects are as sensitively considered as the Lighthouse Hotel & Spa in Büsum, North Germany.

It could have gone so wrong. But local architect Thomas Ladehoff – in close collaboration with hotelier and creative sparring partner Jens Sroka – managed to deliver a 108-room destination that, through its clever voluminal articulation and constructional materials, respects both the scale and the vernacular language of its environs – and most importantly mitigates its partial obstruction of the 110-year-old lighthouse next to which it sits and from which it takes its name.

Avian hazard – and that's hazard to birds rather than some Hitchcockian hazard to you – is an increasing concern for architects and developers. You may not have thought about it much, but build a tall glass building and sooner rather than later an unwitting bird is going to fly right into it. And then more and often with fatal consequences.

In fact, billions of birds collide with buildings every year, especially during migration. And given our insatiable appetite for putting up more and ever taller glass buildings, that tally is only going to rise. To tackle that death toll, more and more cities – including, not surprisingly, New York – have passed or are passing legislation that require architects and developers to install bird-friendly glass.

In case you missed the memo: customisation of furniture and furnishings is one of the most significant developments in the interiors industry today. I don’t exaggerate when I say that every conversation I engage in with design brands includes a discussion around the notion of customisation – so much so that my internal thesaurus is replete with synonyms for the word, since this usually leads to me writing it a lot.

Customisation is often billed as the ultimate modern luxury, but is it for everyone? I mean, I’m all for expressing individuality in our interiors, but I’m also reminded of the paralysis I feel when confronted by a takeaway menu, stateside. When palate-pleasing involves seemingly limitless choice, which way to go? With a lack of professional culinary skills, the chance of making a wrong turn grows. This doesn’t matter so much when it’s compiling an acceptable sandwich filling, but when it’s the bones of a building or the decoration within, the choice needs to endure; it needs to be right.

Today there are enormous application possibilities when it comes to textile technology, and as new developments emerge within the sector, this number will continue to grow. A current example from the world of architecture neatly demonstrates the improvements that can be realised in relation to the quality of air, work and life in general if one is prepared to explore alternative ways of doing things. The project involves a recently developed curtain-type textile facade that can not only reduce a building's solar cooling load by up to 78%, but can even gather nitrogen oxide particles from the air and convert them in an environmentally friendly way by means of a special coating.

At a prime location in the middle of Belgium, an original concept has taken form, as NOA Outdoor Living invites professionals to experience outdoor design in an entirely different way.

Videos

A starry blend of vision, talent, craft and technical know-how aligns for BOMMA. The glass-lighting producer, based in the Czech Republic, fuses centuries of glassmaking tradition as hand-blown, monumental-sized designs take shape and form through the use of unconventional materials, daring colours and modern technological advancements. These combinations characterise each of BOMMA’s seventeen collections, five of which can be arranged into otherworldly constellations. To expand the artistry further, designers and architects are invited to project their boldest creative visions of space through several of the brand’s collections.

Challenging social spaces to properly reflect our modern existence should be an important quest for all designers – the power of progressive interiors should not be underestimated, and can even contribute to a change in the course of history. Danish design brand MENU is driven by a human-centric approach rooted in social agency – with the end result of each product design being to forge a sense of community and belonging in the real world.