It's quite incredible the level of wall treatments there are available these days - from magnetic paint, to embroidered wallpapers, to stick on murals that resemble Italian frescoes. This wallpaper collection named Scrapwood by Piet Hein Eek is also rather unique. Looking completely realistic in its treatment of various scrap wood, they're available to purchase from his site. We see it fitting quite well here in New Zealand in our bach-filled beach side towns.

Jonathan Andrew, an experienced award-winning photographer from Manchester in the UK has shot these dramatic shots of World War II bunkers across Europe. With work encompassing advertising, design and editorial clients, loves to balance the demands of commercial shoots with the solitude of landscape photography.

Isaac Salazar 'Book Origami' series shows type in an interesting way. He explains:

'I see my work as a way to display a meaningful piece of art onto a book that would otherwise sit on a shelf and collect dust; it’s also my way of recycling a book that might otherwise end up in a landfill. The words or symbols I use are drawn from anything that invokes inspiration or encouragement, such as “Read”, “Dream” and the Recycle symbol. If my work also makes people look at a book and even art in a new light then the piece has done its job.'

Versatile pieces of design will always garner our attention, particularly when related to food and cooking. Designer Tan Lun Cheak was inspired by the traditional steamboat cooker when designing this piece. He explains:

'Once a year on Chinese New Year, the steamboat will take centre stage at the dining table during our family reunion dinner. Without fail, the steamboat is always surrounded by family, good food, laughter and love...[my design] GlowBelly is a steamboat that when  not used for cooking or dining, can be flipped around to function as a beautiful lamp.'

We understand that the light/cooker can withstand extreme temperature changes allowing to transfer from the freezer directly onto the stove or in the oven. A stunning piece of versatile design.

 "Of all the achievements of the human mind, the birth of the alphabet is the most momentous. Letters, like men, have now an ancestry, and the ancestry of words, as of men, is often a very noble possession, making them capable of great things. indeed, it has been said that the invention of writing is more important than all the victories ever won or constitutions devised by man. The history of writing is, in a way, the history of the human race, since in it are bound up, severally and together, the development of thought, of expression, of art, of intercommunication, and of mechanical invention.(...) A letter should possess an esthetic quality that is organic, an essential of the form itself and not the result of mere additions to its fundamental form nor to meaningless variations of it."

Designer Andreas Scheiger looks at the bones of typography. With these macabre sculptures revealing the hard work and sweat behind creating such typography.

Featuring more than 50 'connect the dots' puzzles - this calendar agenda bu Julie Joliat will have you recreating many different famous art pieces from Jan van Eyck to Damien Hirst. Drawn up in a minimalist, uncluttered style, it contains lots of useful information like maps, popular holiday destinations, a wine chart and monthly and weekly plannings.

To order one go here.

In celebration of 10 years of digital innovation, RalphLauren.com presents the ultimate fusion of art, fashion & technology in a visual feast for the 5 senses. Watch as the New York women's flagship at 888 Madison Avenue disappears before your eyes and is then transformed into a series of objects and images rendered in 3-dimensional space. Watch below how they put it all together...

Italian designer Fabio Novembre's 100 Piazze collection of trays are comprised of eight silver-plated brass trays that represent the layouts and facades of several Italian places. Novembre aimed to showcase the splendor of Italian architecture with each tray, and with a successful reduction in scale, they make for the perfect gift for the design conscious.

Available locally from here.

Affordable gifts in the design realm are not always the easiest of gifts to come by, but Catherine David of her self-titled design firm creates these rather distinctive skyline coat racks made from galvanised steel. In striking silhouettes they can be used indoor or outdoors and also come with with a selection of strong magnets if you would rather use them to attach keys, letters or notes.

Available locally from here.

a. Small is special: 10 ways your dollar can foster future design [The Coolist]
b. American design schools are a mess, and produce weak graduates [Fast Co]
c. World's most expensive book fetches 7.3 million pounds [Born Rich]
d. The newly released Floow bike [Design Boom]
e. Barbara Streisand's favourite architects are dead...how does she celebrate them? [T Magazine]