Caroline Williamson

During Helsinki Design Week, I visited Habitare 2012, a furniture and design fair that drew about 57,000 people over the five days it was open. There was such great work on display including a large amount of student designs and work by Finnish designers.

Hill House is located in Melbourne, Australia, where lots are narrow, requiring architects to think outside the box -- and the team at Andrew Maynard Architects did just that. The owners of the home wished for a modern update that included reorienting the entryway and an outdoor space that actually got sunlight. The also needed the home to provide adequate space for their three growing children.

We've featured wall decals before but never ones that are from high-resolution photographs. These Wallflower wall stickers are from high-quality photos that are enlarged to enormous proportions and are a great alternative to wallpaper.

From the Barcelona design studio Ubica, the Nautico collection of outdoor furniture is a modular design with angled backs and sides made of stainless steel. The overall shape has clean lines that are made with its large, wide cushions making it comfortable to lounge poolside.

I headed to Berlin last week to attend the launch of the Axor Starck Organic bathroom collection, which is a collaboration between design genius Philippe Starck and the German company Hansgrohe's luxury brand, Axor. The collection combines a sleek, organic faucet form with a revolutionary way of saving water.

Mestizodizenio is a line of furniture from young Argentinian designer Leonardo Puppo. The line focuses on practical designs but with a punch that makes each one stand out. Each piece mixes wood with another color, or even black and white, which gives them their own personality.

Vancouver-based designer Greg Papove has created a collection of furniture that was inspired by your everyday socks and the stories they have to tell. Socks + Furniture is a coffee table, floor lamp, and sofa that challenge one to take a second look at the mundane and not to overlook the simple things in life.

This house located in Hyogo Prefecture in Yamasaki came to us via JA+U (Japan Architecture+Urbanism) and the light-filled, minimalist space is perfect for the often-cloudy location that it's in. Designed by Yo Shimada of Tato Architects, the main part of the home is partially sunken in the ground, which includes the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms.

Strala is known for their line of limited edition objects but this year they're mixing it up with their "cult object" line of unlimited pieces. The Ponte table is the first such design and it's a good one. The angular wood frame is made of solid oak and stands out under the glass tabletop. The sharply angled legs are to hold the weight of the glass but aesthetically they really make the table.

Now this is an entryway! Designed by the architectural firm Matharoo Associates, the Curtain Door is most definitely a door like no other I've seen. The massive door is made of 40 sections of thick Burma teak and sits between the entrance's concrete walls. Each section has been carved to incorporate 160 pulleys, 80 ball bearings, one wire rope, and a hidden counterweight.

3D printing has taken design where we never thought it would go in recent years and it has boldly set up shop in the jewelry world. For companies like Toronto-based Hot Pop Factory, it makes the ability to produce affordable and unique jewelry a possibility, all from the comforts of their own home. Architecture school graduates Bi-Ying Miao and Matthew Compeau began their collaboration and Hot Pop Factory was born with its first collection, Stratigraphia.

Brazilian designer Roberta Rampazzo is back with a new table that plays around with perspective. The Illusion Side Table is the result of studying the feet of tables and working with the angles of the legs. By angling two of the legs, the table remains stable but it changes the look completely.