Product news: the repeating arches of these colourful chairs designed by Spanish architecture studio Arquitectura-G were inspired by the use of forced perspective in Renaissance paintings. More about Claudio Chair by Arquitectura-G
To create a full-length running track inside this refurbished gym in the Czech Republic, Prague studio QARTA Architektura added a translucent extension that projects out on stilts (+ slideshow). More about Tyršův Stadion by QARTA Architektura
Product news: Austrian designer Robert Stadler's update on the classic bentwood bistro chair by Thonet, synonymous with cafe culture since it appeared in the nineteenth century, has gone into production. More about 107 Chair by Robert Stadler for Thonet
Competition: we're giving readers the chance to win one of five calendars for 2013 featuring illustrations of modern superstitions. More about Competition: five Unfortunately013 calendars to give away
This ridged limestone house by Athens studio decaArchitecture faces out over the edge of a cliff on the Greek island of Milos (+ slideshow). More about VNC House in Milos by decaArchitecture
Italian designer Guido Garotti worked with traditional ceramicists to create a hand-painted vase with the appearance of a stereoscopic image and a pair of road signs that look like decorative plates (+ slideshow). More about Deviazione and 3Dzionale by Guido Garotti
The top floor rooms of this house in Japan by Tato Architects are contained inside sheds that sit on the roof (+ slideshow). More about House in Yamasaki by Tato Architects
Product news: Berlin-based designer Uli Budde placed a flat disc above the bulb of this lamp so that it looks like a hot air balloon taking flight. More about Balloon by Uli Budde for Vertigo Bird
News: China will produce as many world-class designers as Japan within 20 years, according to Hong Kong-based industrial designer Michael Young. More about “China is a dream scenario for a designer” - Michael Young
Israeli engineer and systems developer Izhar Gafni has invented a cardboard bicycle that's strong, waterproof and costs less than £10 to manufacture (+ movie). More about Cardboard Bicycle by Izhar Gafni
Cornices are commonly used to decorate the junctions between walls and ceilings, but at the new Boston shop for skin and haircare brand Aesop, cornices cover the walls and form shelves for the brand's signature brown bottles. More about Aesop Newbury Street by William O’Brien Jr.
News: the US military is developing its own 3D printers for the frontline which will enable soldiers to quickly and cheaply produce spare parts for their weapons and equipment. More about US military invests in 3D printing on the frontline
Travellers visting the Mexican town of Tepoztlan can spend a few nights, months or even years at this three-armed concrete guesthouse by architects Cadaval & Sola-Morales (+ slideshow). More about Tepoztlan Lounge by Cadaval & Sola-Morales
Product news: this carbon-fibre and aluminium bicycle with no upright in the diamond-shaped frame weighs just eight kilograms. More about 77|011 Metropolitan Bike by Rizoma
The locker room at the London School of Economics is now a village of cabinets with house-shaped profiles and bold graphics. More about The Locker Room by Belsize Architects
This home on a golf course complex in Belas on the outskirts of Lisbon consists of five smaller houses connected by interior passages.(+ slideshow) More about House in Belas by CHP Arquitectos
To prove that germs aren't all bad, Paris-based studio Bold-design came up with an activity kit that uses bacteria to turn sand from the beach into stone souvenirs (+ slideshow). More about Memorabilia Factory by Bold-design
In a movie filmed by Alice Masters for the Design Museum's annual Designers in Residence exhibition, Lawrence Lek explains how he created a modular system of plywood pieces that can be bent into objects including a stool and a pavilion. More about Lawrence Lek at Designers in Residence 2012
Interieur 2012: Studio Makkink & Bey built a house of scaffolding and stairs to represent the transient, roaming lifestyle of the future as their contribution to the Future Primitives series at last month's Interieur design biennale in Kortrijk, Belgium. More about Lost in Translation by Studio Makkink & Bey
The peeling, brightly painted walls of an abandoned house provide a striking backdrop to this collection of over-dyed handmade rugs by American designer homeware brand ABC Carpet & Home. More about Color Reform Spectrum Edition by ABC Carpet & Home