Japanese studio Naf Architect & Design rounded one corner of this Tokyo home to broaden a footpath, then clad the walls in glossy midnight-blue tiles to offer reflections of the streetscape (+ slideshow). More about Half & Half House in Tokyo has a curving wall to allow pedestrians to cut the corner
Opinion: designer Hella Jongerius and theorist Louise Schouwenberg today launch their manifesto, titled Beyond the New: a search for ideals in design. Here we exclusively publish the full text, in which the pair argue that "design has become an impoverished field" and propose a new idealistic agenda for the profession. More about "It's time to rid ourselves of the obsession with the new"
Milan 2015: a concrete cartoon monkey holding a tray forms this table by Spanish designer Jaime Hayón for manufacturer BD Barcelona Design. More about Jaime Hayón designs monkey-shaped table
This captioned video spotlights Halfbike, a three-wheeled vehicle designed by transportation start-up Kolelinia which allows riders to stand up while pedalling. More about Halfbike riders stand while pedalling to navigate the city
This black building stretches 37 metres along a narrow plot in the heart of Austria's Rhine Valley to provide a home for a young family and a studio for a graphic designer (+ slideshow). More about Juri Troy Architects creates 37-metre-long house and studio in the Rhine Valley
Transport design company Kolelinia has launched an updated version of its Halfbike – a three-wheeled vehicle similar to a pedal-powered Segway (+ movie). More about Halfbike II is a pedal-powered vehicle for navigating city streets
Milan 2015: Brussels designer Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte has created a cork helmet that lowers over the wearer's head when they need a respite from ambient noise. More about Cork Helmet covers the head to muffle noise pollution
A team of Icelandic designers has launched chocolate protein bars made from powdered crickets. More about Insect-infused Jungle Bars are boosted with powdered cricket protein
Marc Newson's samurai sword, a pared-back mosque featuring a "cave-like" prayer room (pictured) and photographs of "ugly" Belgian houses feature in this week's Dezeen Mail. Click through for the latest news, jobs and reader comments from Dezeen.
More about Dezeen Mail #248
Competition: Dezeen has teamed up with London design label Buster + Punch to offer readers the chance to win one of six LED Buster bulbs in the colour of their choice. More about Competition: six Buster + Punch LED light bulbs to be won
Milan 2015: designer Hella Jongerius and theorist Louise Schouwenberg are to launch a manifesto calling for an end to "pointless products, commercial hypes and empty rhetoric" in design. More about Jongerius and Schouwenberg launch manifesto against "depressing" design industry
A staircase formed of wooden boxes and platforms, and supported by a black metal framework, rises up through this Sicilian residence that was recently renovated by Milanese architect Francesco Librizzi. More about Sculptural staircase connects two mosaic floors in an old fisherman's cottage in Sicily
Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects has been selected to design a new branch of one of Sweden's most important art galleries, which will form an extension of a century-old regional museum in Östersund. More about Henning Larsen Architects to design outpost for Swedish National Museum
This London house extension features a red brick exterior thought to look like a profile of a fox and a multi-hued interior that references Adolf Loos' Modernist houses of the 1920s (+ slideshow). More about David Kohn's Sanderson House extension conceived as a fox in the garden
Milan 2015: Belgian brand Indera will launch this modular sofa system by London designer Benjamin Hubert in Milan next week. More about Benjamin Hubert slots Inlay sofa's legs inside opened corner seams
Japanese studio Schemata Architects has converted an old warehouse in Tokyo into a cafe and roastery for a Californian coffee company (+ slideshow). More about Schemata Architects inserts coffee shop and roastery into a Tokyo warehouse
Opinion: more and more design weeks take place around the world each year, but as brands flock in to woo designers, these are in danger of losing sight of their purpose, warns Lucas Verweij. More about "Marketing efforts surrounding design festivals create an oddly temporary gentrification"
Milan 2015: Swedish designer Markus Johansson used a full-size 3D-printed model to create the mould for this chair that looks like it was squeezed from a tube (+ slideshow). More about Markus Johansson creates fibreglass Loop Chair from a 3D-printed model
Snøhetta has unveiled plans to build a new kitchen for The French Laundry – a prestigious California restaurant that is often listed as one of the best in the world. More about Snøhetta designs a new kitchen for The French Laundry in Napa Valley
Dark grey bricks alternate between protruding and receding rows to give a ribbed texture to the facade of this family house near Brussels by Belgian studio Lezze (+ slideshow). More about Protruding brickwork gives a ribbed facade to Lezze's House VR in Belgium