News: the Royal College of Art will end up as a "Chinese finishing school" unless the UK government does more to encourage young people to study art and design, according to writer and broadcaster Andrew Marr. More about Royal College of Art risks becoming a "Chinese finishing school"
East London designer Hugo Passos talks about making his modernist Piet side table without machinery in an "old artisanal way" in this movie filmed by Dezeen. More about "It's nice to make a modernist table in an old artisanal way" - Hugo Passos
A house-shaped metal frame surrounds the objects on these tall display tables by Kazakhstan designer Artem Zigert. More about Home Shelves by Artem Zigert
Product news: Dutch designer Frederik Roijé has added to his series of candle holders with a design that looks like a bent pipe poking through a wall. More about Wall of Flame by Frederik Roijé
Industrial designer Konstantin Grcic worked with furniture brand Emeco to create the chairs and tables that furnish the new Parrish Art Museum on Long Island, recently completed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron. More about Parrish by Konstantin Grcic and Emeco for the Parrish Art Museum
Product news: each of these lamps by Swedish design duo Mats Broberg and Johan Ridderstråle for Nordic furniture company Muuto is shaped like a single leaf at the end of a long stem. More about Leaf by Broberg & Ridderstråle for Muuto
McDonald's restaurants in France will soon be kitted out with designer outdoor furniture by Patrick Norguet and Italian brand Alias. More about Côme by Patrick Norguet and Alias for McDonald's
News: the lighting of the London 2012 Olympic Cauldron was conceived as a religious ceremony, designer Thomas Heatherwick has explained. More about "The Olympic Games is phenomenally religious" - Thomas Heatherwick
Product news: Paris designer Inga Sempé has extended her range of little round wall-mounted shelves and dishes for French brand Moustache. More about Balcon collection by Inga Sempé for Moustache
News: Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has apologised for selling products manufactured by East German political prisoners in the 1970s and 1980s. More about IKEA says sorry for using East German forced labour
Can the shape, texture and colour of cutlery change the way food tastes? Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Jinhyun Jeon created this set of knobbly, bulbous and serrated cutlery to stimulate diners' full range of senses at the table (+ slideshow). More about Tableware as Sensorial Stimuli by Jinhyun Jeon
Designers Oscar Medley-Whitfield and Harry Trimble have turned clay dug from the muddy banks of the river Thames into ceramic tableware (+ movie). More about Oscar Medley-Whitfield and Harry Trimble at Designers in Residence 2012
Architect and writer Sam Jacob wants to transform St Paul's Cathedral in London into a live map of the phases of the moon. More about Man Made Moon by Sam Jacob
British artist Jeremy Hutchison will open a pop-up shop selling useless objects at a London gallery this December. More about Erratum by Jeremy Hutchison
Here are photos of the full collection of furniture designed by actor Brad Pitt, which features a dozen pieces including a bed, tables, chairs and a marble bathtub (+ slideshow). More about Pitt-Pollaro furniture collection by Brad Pitt
Product news: this magnetic bicycle light by Danish design studio KiBiSi lights up instantly when its two halves snap together. More about iFlash One by KiBiSi
Product news: these chunky aluminium structures provide the legs for a colourful range of tables, cabinets and benches designed by Barcelona studio Lagranja Design for Spanish design brand Sistema Midi. More about Midi Colors by Lagranja Design for Sistema Midi
Product news: Japanese designers Nendo used glass from old Coca-Cola bottles to make these bowls with dimpled bases, which are meant to resemble the classic green bottles with their tops sliced off. More about Bottleware by Nendo for Coca-Cola
In this movie filmed by Dezeen, east London designer Paul Cocksedge describes his discovery of the interesting forms created when polystyrene cups are heated and how he used the process to create a pendant lamp. More about "Heat-shrinking the polystyrene cups created beautiful shapes" - Paul Cocksedge
Product news: Austrian design company Schmidinger Möbelbau has created a chair that's a cross between traditional alpine furniture and Danish modernism. More about Trix chair by Schmidinger Möbelbau