Milan 2014: these hand-blown glass bubbles by Dutch duo Studio Thier&VanDaalen that delicately spill out of their wooden frames have been created to house precious objects (+ slideshow). More about Hand-blown glass bubbles suspended in wooden frames showcase precious objects
This retirement home near Antwerp was designed by Belgian studio Areal Architecten around a pair of courtyards to avoid creating identical rooms along endless rows of corridors. More about Areal Architecten's Mayerhof retirement home wraps around two courtyards
Illuminated glass droplets full of bubbles appear to fall from the ceiling in this installation by Japanese studio Torafu Architects (+ slideshow). More about Torafu Architects suspend bubbly balloons of light for Tokyo installation
Illustrator Federico Babina has immortalised the faces of 33 prolific architects, including Zaha Hadid, Mies van der Rohe and Álvaro Siza, by creating portraits made up of elements from each of their buildings. More about Architects' faces are made up of their buildings in Federico Babina's Archiportraits series
Milan 2014: London design duo Glithero will present a range of textiles that have been woven using organ punch cards in Milan next week (+ slideshow). More about Glithero patterns fabric using organ music
This wooden pavilion with a protruding canopy was designed by Ramser Schmid Architekten to offer a sheltered outdoor seating area for visitors to the city library in Zug, Switzerland (+ slideshow). More about Wooden pavilion by Ramser Schmid Architekten built beside Swiss library
Milan 2014: Spanish designer Jaime Hayón has created a table for furniture company Republic of Fritz Hansen that can be used at home or at work (+ slideshow). More about Jaime Hayón designs Analog table for use in home, office or restaurant
Milan Expo 2015: New York firm Studio Link-Arc and a team from Tsinghua University have revealed their competition-winning design for a pavilion with an undulating roof to represent China at the World Expo 2015 in Milan. More about China's pavilion for Milan 2015 expo to feature wavy roof and indoor crop field
Milan 2014: French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are launching a collection of glass furniture in Milan for Italian brand Glas Italia. More about Bouroullecs to present coloured glass furniture range in Milan
Black panels of corrugated iron clad the exterior of this lakeside wooden cabin in rural Victoria, Australia, by local firm Branch Studio Architects (+ slideshow). More about Pump House by Branch Studio Architects is a metal-clad lakeside retreat
This short movie by Danish animator Thallis Vestergaard traces the history of the bicycle from its invention in the eighteenth century up to the present day (+ movie). More about Watch the design evolution of the bicycle in a one-minute animation
Dezeen Guide: April sees the design world descend on Milan for the city's annual festival of exhibitions, installations and parties. We also have five more events in our update this month. More about Dezeen Guide update: April 2014
London studio Haptic references eroded granite rock formations commonly found around the Norwegian coastline with the curving form of this layered timber staircase, created for an office interior in Oslo. More about Arkwright office by Haptic features slatted staircase emulating rock formations
Dezeen promotion: past winners of the New Design Britain awards will show a retrospective of their products at this year's May Design Series in London. More about New Design Britain winners to exhibit at May Design Series
News: Richard Branson has today revealed new architectural designs from Virgin, including a New York skyscraper shaped like a bunch of balloons, a Sydney tower with the form of a space shuttle and a moon hotel that looks like tubular bells. More about Richard Branson launches plane-shaped skyscraper and moon hotel
Milan 2014: a three-metre-long sofa created by Peugeot Design Lab splices together a piece of volcanic stone and carbon fibre to create a mix of the old and new (+ slideshow). More about Ancient volcanic rock and carbon fibre spliced together in Onyx sofa by Peugeot Design Lab
News: plans have been revealed this morning for a series of loaf-shaped skyscrapers to accompany the Cheesegrater, Can of Ham, Toast Rack and Gherkin buildings in central London. More about London's bread-shaped skyscrapers unveiled on first day of April
A group of London-based industrial designers have created an edible water bottle using algae and a technique popularised by El Bulli chef Ferran Adria. More about Edible water bottle replaces plastic with algae
Paris studio Yoonseux Architectes added wooden surfaces and red floors to this school classroom building in the French city of Livry Gargan, to echo the autumnal tones of neighbouring trees (+ slideshow). More about Yoonseux Architectes' school extension designed to match autumnal tree leaves