Do you know the name of the concept car designed by Mario Bellini? If you do, you could be one of the winners of the Stylepark Christmas competition. Here are the correct answers and the names of the lucky winners.

Chinese cities are known to grow very rapidly. So it is all the more important that those involved talk about architecture and urban planning. One suitable platform for discussion is the Shenzhen & Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale. For the show in Shenzhen, curator Terence Riley chose the topic "Street" and asked twelve architects for façade designs.

Trends at the Heimtextil trade fair “Crazy” at Maison&Objet Productive laziness? Lecture by Ludloff + Ludloff Architects Pop-up shop at the NRW-Forum

Finding the right gift is an art in itself. Then there is the question of the wrapping. We recommend Stylepark's gift wrap designs, and not only for design accessories.

There was a time when it counted as a symbol of fertility and since the 16th century it has served as Yuletide decoration. The Christmas tree can hardly be topped in terms of symbolism – essentially it's become the Christmas logo per se. The "Oh Tannenbaum!" exhibition offers a range of radical versions.

What will your Christmas be like? Candles burning? Do you like the scent of incense? Are there Christmas angels looking down from the mantelpiece? At Christmas everyone has their own idea of how to create the right atmosphere in their home. The artist Claus Richter loves it when there are little (flashing) lights everywhere. We paid him a visit in his personal Christmas paradise.

What makes Miami a relevant location on the world design map? Is it the flair of "Miami Vice" with the summery villas, luxury yachts and all the naked skin? Definitely not, as today the Design Miami trade fair pulls the crowds with products by Jean Prouvé, presented close to buildings by Frank Gehry and Herzog & de Meuron.

New Year’s Eve in Helsinki the design capital Studio for special tasks The Ego in the iPhone Walter Gropius in neighboring Poland

Euro 60 million for a collection plus the cost of investing in a building: Why on earth is the Chinese city of Hangzhou buying an extensive Bauhaus collection and building a special museum to house it in on the Design Campus?

Christmas is a coming, and with it the gifting season. Perhaps there’s a piece of jewelry on your dream list, or a home accessory, or even a piece of furniture. Before heading for the department store simply take a look at our quiz. With a little knowledge and a bit of good luck you could simply win an item from the Stylepark database.

In Berlin's villa quarter of all places, namely in Zehlendorf, or to be more precise at Haus am Waldsee, Graft Architects are just presenting their visionary-like installations and objects. Alongside converting Hotels Q and their "Phantom" table there are many unrealized projects on view. For example, the design for a temporary art gallery in Berlin that seems to float like a cloud over Schlossplatz.

Soft upholstery, cushions, sometimes with a frame around it – in the typology of the sofa there are less breaks than variants. And the potpourri that evolves as a result holds a great deal of charm.

We hardly spend as much time anywhere else as on our office chair, other than in bed that is. Only logical that the chair should help us sit comfortably and healthily. That goal may sound simple, but finding the right solution remains a challenge to this day.

Dialogs on urban transformations Nurturing the bizarre in Berlin Form follows nature Oh Tannenbaum! Alexander McQueen retrospective

Over a period of two years, Ingrid von Kruse photographed stars of the international architecture scene. A selection of these, portraits of celebrities such as Bjarke Ingels, Peter Zumthor and Oscar Niemeyer, is currently on show at Deutsches Architekturmuseum under the title "Eminent Architects". The pictures are a testimony to the photographer's masterly and sensitive approach; only the presentation, as though in a hall of fame, leaves something to be desired.

The "Building with timber" exhibition in Munich documents the potentialities afforded by this ancient material, making adventurous constructions a real possibility for the future. Rather than the undifferentiated use of the term "sustainability" as a mere marketing slogan, dates and facts are subject to strong analysis – presenting accomplished examples of application.

What is a sofa? A piece of furniture designed for sitting together sociably or for individual relaxation? Or both? And what does that have to do with Freud's couch and the Orient?

Urban-Think Tank Ethics in Aesthetics The Greatest Grid Architect@work

Tables need to be able to take the load, irrespective of their structure. Only then can you really bang your fist on them if push comes to shove. People prefer to sit around “one” table, however, as a glance at the history, metaphors and current products shows.

Her portfolio is full of surprises, her career international. The young Spanish product designer, Inma Bermúdez, works both for Ikea and Spanish porcelain manufacturer Lladró as well as being an assistant to Sigga Heimis, Jaime Hayon and CuldeSac. Talking to Nina Müller, she explains what designers have in common with engineers and how to really fire up the inventive spirit of a designer.

Beds are good for more than just sleeping, they also offer a place to read, write, eat, watch TV, chat on the phone, draw, play around, make great plans, canoodle with loved ones and indulge in amorous play. Considering that this is an item of furniture that chaperones us through life – from the day we are born to the day we die – it receives precious little attention.

It should not only be in times of crisis that we stop to think about critique, says Benita Braun-Feldweg in keeping with the tradition of her grandfather Wilhelm Braun-Feldweg who considered writing a part of design. To foster design-focused debate in society, the Braun-Feldweg Prize is now to be awarded for the sixth time. Nina Reetzke took the opportunity to meet and talk to the granddaughter of the German design mastermind.

Small Infrastructural builds Kibbuz and Bauhaus EuroMold Dutch Mountains by Francine Houben Exhibition on Günter Horntrich

Modular, flexible and adaptable – multi-functional appears to be the buzzword for the furniture of our times. Yet there are in fact few interior design solutions that warrant the title “multi-functional”.

Ever since the death of its founder Studio Hannes Wettstein has been run by several managing directors. Alongside new projects, the focus is on looking after his estate. Meret Ernst spoke with Simon Husslein about this balancing act.

Verner Panton once caused quite a stir with his psychedelic design for “Spiegel’s” offices. While parts of the “Spiegel Cafeteria” will soon feature in Hamburg’s Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, the “Spiegel” unveils its new, illustrious office building designed by architectural firm Henning Larsen – this time the Ippolito Fleitz Group has handled the restaurant’s interior design.

Shenzhen and Hong Kong Biennale Fashion on the move Paper here Film „Le paysage intérieur"

Is the rocking chair the follow-on from the cradle? An upper? Or a nostalgic object, evidence of a time when peace and quiet was still of some help to us? But it must be more than this, for if it weren't, there the variety of design approaches and solutions would be hardly as diverse.

In Germany, “Billy”, “String” and “USM Haller” can be considered some of the best-known shelves. Yet in fact, a whole plethora of shelving types has been developed in the last hundred years. Appearing sometimes as an architectural component, sometimes as a fixture in exhibitions, the shelf is, ultimately, a simple piece of living room furniture – and sometimes it even collapses.

There are all kinds of things we can say about design that interest not only adults, but children too. "Farbe, Form, Orangensaft" is one of the first children's books on the icons of our daily lives.

Berlin-based furniture and design fair Qubique aimed at setting new standards in the sector. However, its first effort at the former airport Tempelhof failed to live up to expectations. Nevertheless, the underlying conceptual approach, with the emphasis on more quality despite practical difficulties, does seem to be the right one.

An armchair comes with a promise of comfort. That is its strength, but at the same time also its weakness. For there is nothing mustier than that feeling of grandpaness. So much the better that models such as "EC03 Eugene" and "Alcove Highback" provide a highly contemporary take on the classic armchair.

+++ Opportunity Green +++ +++ Sustainability in the design process +++ +++ Experimentdays +++ +++ Reflections on the European city +++ +++ Design Miami +++

Marc Newson originally studied jewelry design and sculpture, then switched to designing spaceplanes, sports boats and even fashion collections. And he has just won the Lucky Strike Designer Award in Hamburg. There, he commented on early influences, on urgency in the fashion industry and on how the present suppresses the future.

Not only the origin of the notion, but most certainly the future of the shelf currently seems undecided. There are high-bay warehouses with them – and they’re booming. But shelves in apartments, homes, or libraries are in crisis since the digital media have seized control over the book.