Rather than erasing all trace of this Kyoto townhouse's previous owners, Japanese architects Q-Architecture Laboratory preserved the earlier haphazard extensions as a timeline of the building's history. More about Timeline Machiya by Q-Architecture Laboratory
ECAL graduate Kacper Hamilton has designed a luxury axe with carbon-fibre in its handle and interchangeable heads. More about Zai CORE Axe by Kacper Hamilton
London designer Max Lamb used stonemasonry tools to hand-carve the models for this crockery collection from lumps of plaster. More about Crockery by Max Lamb for 1882 Ltd.
Dezeen promotion: the winners of the garden unique competition to design outdoor dining products will exhibit their work at spoga+gafa garden trade fair in Cologne from 2 to 4 September 2012 and Dezeen readers can apply for 100 free tickets to the event. More about spoga+gafa garden unique competition winners announced
Dezeen Wire: Little Printer, the web-connected gadget we featured earlier this year that prints out personalised messages, news, birthdays and to-do lists collected from the internet on a till-roll, is now going into production. More about BERG's Little Printer goes into production
A collaborative proposal by Erginoglu & Çalışlar and IND [Inter.National.Design] for a swimming pool under an inverted dome at an Istanbul primary school has been shortlisted for an award at this year's World Architecture Festival, which will take place in Singapore from 3-5 October (+ slideshow). More about Koç Primary School swimming pool by Erginoglu & Çalışlar and IND [Inter.National.Design]
For those still craving more sport in their life, Vancouver-based design graduate Tom Chung has come up with a countdown clock to speed up daily tasks. More about Game On by Tom Chung
Dezeen filmed a series of interviews with Design Museum director Deyan Sudjic about 59 objects from their collection for the Design Museum Collection App for iPad, which is available to download free from the app store here. More about Design Museum Collection App: chairs
We've been sent an update from Jardin de la Connaissance, the garden of decaying books in Quebec which we featured back in 2010: the books are now sprouting enormous orange mushrooms, and this year the designers introduced moss. More about Jardin de la Connaissance by Rodney LaTourelle and 100 Landschaftsarchitektur – update
Austrian architects Atelier Thomas Pucher built a glass box and courtyard onto this house in Graz to bring the family's living space outdoors (+ slideshow). More about Villa SK by Atelier Thomas Pucher
When asked to represent Nordic identity, Norwegian studio Permafrost created wooden toys based on an oil rig and tanker. More about Wooden Toys by Permafrost
Dezeen Wire: Israel's interior ministry has approved a major construction plan for Jerusalem which includes 12 new skyscrapers, reports the Jerusalem Post. More about Israeli government approves plans for 12 new skyscrapers in Jerusalem
Following our recent showcase of design talent in east London, the team behind new housing development VIVO have commissioned Dezeen to acquire ten pieces of original design by creatives surrounding Stepney Green. More about Stepney Green Design Collection: call for submissions
Coded messages have been bleached into these scarves with a customised printer invented by Dutch graphic designers Raw Color. More about Cryptographer & Encoded Textiles by Raw Color
Competition: we are giving our readers the chance to win one of ten weekend passes to the 3D Print Show, taking place from 19 to 21 October 2012 in London. More about Competition: ten tickets to 3D Print Show to be won
Dezeen Wire: the British coalition government's new stimulus package to encourage house building includes complex plans to lower the proportion of affordable housing that private developers must include in large projects, reports CNBC via the Financial Times. More about British government to reduce affordable housing quotas as part of stimulus package
Nearly three years after first revealing his concept for a shoe with no foot-plate on Dezeen, architect and shoe designer Julian Hakes talks about designing the Mojito shoe as the first collection goes into production. More about Movie: Julian Hakes on the Mojito shoe with no footplate
Rio 2016: host city for the 2016 Olympics Rio de Janeiro will be taking notes from the London 2012 Olympics – the most 'temporary' Games in history – to avoid the legacy of 'white elephant' sporting venues suffered by other former host cities including Athens and Beijing, reports Reuters. More about Rio looks to London's "temporary" Games to avoid white elephant Olympic legacy
Cards featuring illustrations of iconic modernist buildings in London and prints of the BT Tower by designer Stefi Orazi are now available at Dezeen Super Store as part of London design month. More about Modernist London cards and BT Tower print by Stefi Orazi at Dezeen Super Store
A screen made from century-old bricks divides this Japanese restaurant in Sydney, designed by Australia and Japan-based architects Facet Studio. More about Uchi Lounge 02 by Facet Studio