Magazin

The designers Markus Jehs and Jürgen Laub have been working together under the name Jehs+Laub for over 14 years now. We met them at Orgatec in Cologne, and spoke to them about their relationship with manufacturers, the quality of entrances, trends, sustainability, and the strengths and weaknesses of the other.

The Kunstbar has opened under Cologne's remodelled Domplatte, which a different artist redesigns every year. Belgian Arne Quinze is the first.

Bamboo has long since not just been an ingredient in Asian cooking; there are now laptops, bicycle frames and furniture made of the "wonder grass". It is one of the fasting growing renewable raw materials in the world and is currently the most popular, most loved ecological material.

It's about a presentation with our own interests at heart. At Designers' Saturday in Langenthal Stylepark presented itself with an installation comprising 800 boxes. Not that that was everything though.

He became famous for his VW ad, the "Bär im Mann" [the bear in man] and the spot "Sexy-mini-super-flower-pop-op-cola. Alles ist in Afri-Cola" [Sexy-mini-super-flower-pop-op-cola. Afri-Cola has it all]. Now the University of Art Braunschweig presents Charles Wilp "the artronaut" in addition to Charles Wilp, the advertising artist.

DS Awards presented for the first time at the Designers' Saturday in Langenthal

The 12th Designers' Saturday in Langenthal - Suddenly you enjoy being in the factory on Saturday. But only because on Designers' Saturday tables, chairs, wallpaper, floor coverings, fittings, carpets, luminaires and much else besides enters the local design industry's workshops. The result: a festival for the design community, which presents the things embedded in the culture of how they are made.

What do you get when you combine a thousand pieces of miniature furniture from different epochs in a single installation? Carolina Kecskemethy tried it out in the "Museum der Dinge" in Berlin.

The basic element is simpler than a clothes peg: A piece of plastic the size of a finger which at first glance looks useless and yet can effect true miracles. Together with Foscarini, Milan-based designer Giulio Iacchetti has created a modular ceiling luminaire consisting purely of thermoplastic components.

Flowers and trees grow - that you cannot deny, but chairs? The "Venus Chair" by Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka is made of tiny crystals which form on a support structure. Design and nature could not be closer.

What do the hundred thousand designers do who have studied or not, who are not favored by large corporations and have to fight their way through the jungle of commerce alone? Well. You'll find some of them at an alternative design fair such as Designers' Open in Leipzig.

In the past lots of things were much easier. Perhaps being Art Director as well. In an interview with Stylepark Rodolfo Dordoni, chief designer at Minotti, spoke about what it means to be in charge of the artistic side of a major company.

What's important when it comes to so-called charity design, apart from well-intentioned social commitment, is seductive marketing. In recent years, Danish manufacturer Vipp has stood out from the rest, in relation to this type of creative event. In no time at all, Vipp has evolved from a small professional design company to an internationally successful lifestyle brand, with their incredibly simple but functional pedal bins.

No, not many surprises are on offer at Orgatec 2008 in Cologne but naturally this depends on your point of view. In any event, on some stands, with their ergonomically tested recliners, it felt more like we had been transported into a modern torture chamber than a comfortable, open-plan working environment. Despite this, there are some happy exceptions.

"Net 'n' Nest" is the name of Vitra's office concept - which loosely means being linked in a relaxed way. No other manufacturer at Orgatec displayed such a wide range of models for communicative working in the office. In Cologne Claudia Beckmann and Thomas Wagner spoke to Hanns-Peter Cohn, CEO of Vitra, about the idea of collage, the significance of the digital office, globalization and CO2 reduction.

Every other year the small town of Langenthal near Bern becomes a Mecca for the international design scene. On November 8 and 9 it is time for Designers' Saturday 2008 to open its doors again.

Anyone who missed Light + Building in Frankfurt this year now has an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the new Zumtobel products - thanks to a European Highlight Tour.

The Interieur Biennale in the Belgian town of Kortrijk dares to question the future of design. And they are finding answers. A Flemish recipe for success.

Construction

Moscow celebrates Italian design in the middle of a global financial crisis. An autumnal digression.

Droog Design has responded to the fact that ExperimentaDesign Lisbon has suddenly lost the roof over its head by inviting the Portuguese biennial to move to Amsterdam. About a guest seeking accommodation.

Now e-books are coming, or, as Amazon describes its product "Kindle", wireless reading devices. It calls for a revolution and I have to admit, with the Kindle I would have more space on my bookshelves and my holdall would also be somewhat lighter.

With the 21st International Biennale Interieur08 Jaime Hayon presents a sprightly show with the best of his work. Right around the corner in Kortrijk Xpo, Quinze&Milan opens its gallery to the public. They show an overview of new products, materials and furniture collections, designed by Studio Arne Quinze and guest designers.

On Friday October 17, the design biennale Interieur 08 opens its doors in the small Belgian town of Kortrijk. The event is one of the best and most concentrated design fairs of our time.

The superb Birkhäuser book "New Alpine Architecture" contains architectural surprises and unimagined qualities.

The Comeback - The Orgatec office furniture fair, which had almost been written off, is celebrating an unexpected revival. The event is due to take place at the Cologne Fair & Exhibition Centre from 21 to 25 October.

Helsinki Design Week - Kari Korkman, who initiated and organizes the event, describes it as "an annual festival for creativity", and a visit indeed confirms that it is easy to be swept along by the Finns' enthusiasm for design.

He was an architect, designer, author and teacher all at once. A visit to the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, which pays homage to George Nelson, who would have been a hundred this year, with a huge retrospective exhibition.

Sustainable materials are becoming ever more numerous and varied and the demands for ecological quality ever greater: a snapshot of the state of play.

From among the large number of outstanding participants at Interiors, we are showcasing some companies who presented new products and developments in Kortrijk, including local champions Quinze&Milan and Modular Lighting, as well as Belgium's Dark and Extremis and UMS Pastoe, not to mention Holland's Cascando and Royal Mosa.

After a successful commemorative edition in 2006 - 98,000 visitors and 300 international exhibitors - project coordinator Dieter Van Den Storm will steer Interieur 08 in the right direction once again. An exhibitor schedule presents the most important manufacturers.

Fly or flee – it might be both at once: Antonia Henschel's 'Flight' takes us with her on her trip round the world. A diary in pictures, which tells of places, people and things. And teaches us to see.

¿Habla Español? If not, then a visit to the international Habitat furniture fair in Valencia could prove to be difficult on the communication front. It's all Spanish to me!

What do “Albers”, “Breton” and “Twombly” have in common? They are all inspiration for Minotti’s new “OneWorld Collection”, which will be presented on October 8 at Neue Werkstätten in Munich.

A fashion company called "countryman", which exclusively manufactures comfortable shoes and whose stores lack a proper corporate identity - an unconventional combination as the key to success.