Milan 2015: Amsterdam design company Pikaplant has developed a collection of self-watering products aimed at making plant-keeping easier. More about Pikaplant creates self-watering systems for automatic plant maintenance
Street furniture prototypes designed to make cities more adaptable for disabled people are on show as part of the Designs of the Year exhibition at London's Design Museum (+ movie). More about Responsive Street Furniture adapts public spaces to suit pedestrians' needs
Isabelle Gilles and Yann Poncelet, founders of French design brand Colonel, have paired traditional craft techniques such as woven rattan and marquetry with colourful accents for their latest range (+ slideshow). More about Colonel uses colour to update handcrafted materials for 2015 furniture collection
Milan 2015: this table by designers Raphaël Ménard and Jean-Sébastien Lagrange absorbs and releases thermal energy depending on the temperature of the room. More about Zero Energy Furniture stores heat to regulate room temperature
Music: director Julien Lassort's animation to accompany ALB's track The Road depicts a metaphorical journey through life using simple black and white imagery. More about Colourless scenes whizz past during music video for The Road
The What is Luxury? exhibition at London's V&A museum features over 100 "luxury" objects, from a diamond made out of roadkill to furniture and accessories decorated with human hair (+ slideshow). More about V&A's What is Luxury? exhibition questions the value of objects
Milan 2015: Dutch design student Tessa Geuze has created a miniature confectionary kit for users to produce handmade lollipops with seasonal ingredients (+ slideshow) More about Lollipop-making kit by Tessa Geuze is designed to create homemade seasonal treats
Tesla founder Elon Musk has launched two batteries designed to power homes and businesses in an attempt to reduce the world's reliance on fossil fuels for generating electricity. More about Elon Musk launches Tesla batteries for the home in bid to cut fossil fuel usage
London's Royal College of Art is the top-ranking design school in the world, according to an annual league table of the world's best universities. More about Royal College of Art named as world's top design school
Four of these simple stacking chairs by Korean designer Seungji Mun can be made from a standard sheet of plywood without leaving any material left over. More about Seungji Mun's Economical Chair is designed to minimise waste
Milan 2015: there was something in the air in Milan this year. Furniture brands were launching fragrances while numerous independent designers were experimenting with scents (+ slideshow). More about Designers smell opportunities as they explore the "vivid" world of scent
Opinion: the architecture and film industries have quite a few things in common – including expensive projects and the lionising of a certain kind of success. But architects can still learn a lot from the approach of independent film makers, says Mimi Zeiger. More about "Biennials and design fairs function much like film festivals"
Milan 2015: Nendo's ideas to reinterpret the simple wooden door include sliding portions, an additional opening for children and a portal that wraps around a corner (+ slideshow). More about Nendo's seven door concepts include designs for wheelchair users and children
Milan 2015: British furniture brand SCP is celebrating its 30th anniversary by reissuing a range of products and prototypes from its archives – including Jasper Morrison's first produced designs (+ slideshow). More about SCP reissues classic design pieces from its 30-year history
Milan 2015: German designer Konstantin Grcic combined two plywood shells into a T shape to form this chair for Italian furniture brand Plank (+ slideshow). More about Konstantin Grcic's Remo chair for Plank features a T-shaped back
Finnish designer Iiro A Ahokas has created a tea set that fits neatly together inside an insulated cup shaped like a "bawdy" test tube. More about Sigmund's Travelling T-Laboratory tea set packs away into a phallic tube
Milan 2015: students from Swiss design school ÉCAL collaborated with craftspeople to present time-related objects in an exhibition at the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi in Milan (+ slideshow). More about ÉCAL students design seasonal objects for time-themed exhibition
The Lockheed Lounge by Australian designer Marc Newson has retained its title as the world's most expensive design object, after selling for more than £2 million. More about Marc Newson's Lockheed Lounge sets new record at auction
Milan 2015: British designer Tom Dixon has launched a set of lights based on mechanical cogs to accompany his range of brass home accessories. More about Tom Dixon's Cog lights are shaped like machine components
New York research studio The Extrapolation Factory's workshop-based projects include a website that sells conceptual products for imagined future scenarios (+ slideshow). More about The Extrapolation Factory holds design workshops that explore possible futures