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
This energy-efficient laboratory by architecture office Go Logic is clad in pale cedar to reference agricultural buildings found close to its site in a remote forest clearing in Michigan (+ slideshow). More about Cedar-clad field station by Go Logic houses University of Chicago laboratory
Italian design studio Alcarol has expanded its collection of furniture made from resin-encased wood to include a bench patterned with holes created by shipworms (+ slideshow). More about Alcarol uses resin to preserve worm holes in wooden bench
To see 2014 out with a bang, we've pulled together our most read stories of the year – including a silk leaf that could create oxygen in space, furniture for space-poor hipsters and a house with a swimming pool instead of a roof. More about Dezeen's 10 biggest architecture and design stories of 2014
News: Classical architect Quinlan Terry is one of a small number of architecture and design industry figures to be recognised in the 2015 New Year Honours list. More about Architect Quinlan Terry awarded in New Year Honours 2015
We published hundreds of projects from all over the world in 2014 – from tiny apartments to technology firm offices, cafes and luxury penthouses – but these are the 10 interiors that proved most popular with Dezeen readers. More about Dezeen's most popular interior design projects of 2014
Described by architects Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen as a "monolithic prism of concrete", this top-heavy house nestles into the hillside beside a Chilean lagoon (+ slideshow). More about Pezo von Ellrichshausen's Casa Guna is a top-heavy house beside a lagoon
Funny, cutting, witty and informed – comments from Dezeen readers never fail to get under the skin of a story. Dezeen's social media editor Ross Bryant selects 10 of his favourites from the past 12 months. More about Dezeen's top 10 reader comments of 2014
News: electric car manufacturer Tesla says its Roadster 3.0 upgrade will include a new battery that can increase the range of its sports vehicle to over 400 miles on a single charge. More about Tesla's electric Roadster to travel over 400 miles on single charge
Cologne 2015: Munich design studio Formstelle has created a subtly patterned lounge chair for iconic furniture brand Thonet. More about Formstelle designs Lounge Chair 808 for Thonet with "wave effect" upholstery
Architect Oscar Gutiérrez used bright yellow paintwork to pick out often-overlooked details on the clean white facade of this courtyard house in Mexico. More about Yellow accents brighten the stacked white volumes of Pino Street House by Oscar Gutiérrez