A plywood staircase with built-in cupboards and bookshelves frames a doorway in this Madrid apartment – which follows the London home with a combined bookshelf and staircase we published yesterday. More about Plywood staircase by Buj+Colón Arquitectos integrates shelves and cupboards for a small flat
Brooklyn studio UM Project has created a collection of colourful mallets for the shop at the newly reopened Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York. More about UM Project designs multi-material mallets for Cooper Hewitt's museum shop
Snøhetta's snake-shaped hotel in Norway (above), a football stadium by Herzog & de Meuron and Bjarke Ingels' first New York building are among the landmark architectural projects due to complete this year. Dezeen's architecture editor Amy Frearson looks ahead to what we can expect in 2015. More about 15 buildings to look forward to in 2015
Dezeen and MINI Frontiers: Dutch designer Teresa van Dongen explains how she created a lamp powered by bioluminescent bacteria usually found on octopuses, in this movie filmed in Eindhoven. More about Teresa van Dongen's bioluminescent lamp is "a new way to create light"
In response to the growing number of people who work at home and a need for increasingly multi-functional spaces, this writing desk was designed to blend into a modern living room. More about Isabel Ahm's Secretary Desk is designed for working at home
This lagoon-side residence featuring a green copper exterior and a warm cherry-wood interior is part of a series of architect-designed houses built in the grounds of Steven Holl's Nanjing Sifang Art Museum in China (+ slideshow). More about Copper-covered house by Sanaksenaho Architects accompanies Holl's Sifang Art Museum
News: luxury watch brand Montblanc has entered the wearable technology market, choosing to add a device to its straps instead of turning its analogue timepieces into smartwatches. More about Montblanc introduces luxury smart strap for analogue watches
The "wobble seat" of this stool by Canadian designer Darryl Agawin helps the user to exercise their core muscles and work off any extra Christmas weight while sat in the office (+ movie). More about Work out at your desk with Darryl Agawin's Balance Stool
Books can be stored beneath the wide steps of this staircase, designed by Zminkowska De Boise Architects to connect the two halves of a split-level living room inside a renovated London flat. More about Zminkowska De Boise inserts combined bookshelf-staircase into London flat
Happy New Year from the Dezeen team and best wishes for 2015! This image of the fireworks competition at England's Belvoir Castle was taken by our design editor Dan Howarth.
More about Happy New Year from Dezeen