The week started as honestly as it could: with the work of Samantha Hahn. Gorging on guilty pleasures, or rejecting food that does not meet with our approval – which will it be?

Marie E.V.B. Gibbons is a ceramicist whose work is intriguing, mysterious and compelling. Remembering the Dance is a gem.

Jeff Brouws’ photos of “progress” at some of its grimmer moments show us just how ugly we can make things. The title of the series says it all: Approaching Nowhere: The Franchised Landscape.

When Kegan Fisher looks around, she condenses her environment into a series of planes and angles.

The Corey Helford Gallery always has excellent group shows and this time the theme is a literary one. Exhibiting artists give their take on classics. Above, a slice of Greg Clarke's Wuthering Heights. SM

More at Art MoCo.

Frederik Roijé’s Amsterdam studio has been a hot spot for a variety of lighting and furniture concepts, all of them bold, simple and elegant. His recent LongLegs bookcase is composed of a series of tables of varying heights and the Lampscapes lighting consists of several shades melted into one. Yet Roijé has also played with symbolism in the form of his Holy Homes, very zen bird sanctuaries out of porcelain. How could we not ask about these?





Your bird sanctuary is very solemn, yet cheeky at the same time. What type of bird, or backyard owner, is this designed for?
All birds are welcome. In this case, however, size does matter.
Inhabitants must be small birds in big country gardens or small urban balconies.

+ Bob Augustine's latest project is this house in Cambridge, MA that combines green design with non-traditional architecture. The house, with exteriors of red cedar and pre-patinated copper, was inspired by the triple-deckers commonly found in Boston. Abundant natural light is key in this design and all floors and cabinetwork are crafted from sustainable bamboo. The roof is of particular interest, as it is planted with sod.

+ The Lightening Stick is a new low-energy lamp by Oliver Heath for Ecocentric. This steel lamp has a row of colour changing LEDs along its spine and washes walls with colour. A simple control box allows regulation of both the colour and the speed of the movement.

+ Luminale is a biennial festival of light held in Frankfurt, in tandem with the Light+Building trade show. The last Luminale, in 2006, was comprised of 180 lighting installations, exhibitions and performances, plus another 160 events that concentrated on light as the theme in areas of architecture, urban planning, design and art. The next Luminale takes place April 6-11, 2008 and a call for lighting projects by lighting manufacturers, planners and designers is on, with a deadline of December 24, 2007.

+ These gorgeous Artizan rings are the work of Michele Zanin, a Milanese jeweller whose range is marked by a very bold fluidity.

+ More information about this container getaway in northern Minnesota by Paul Stankey (one of the Hive Mod architects) and Sarah Nordby can be found at the rolu|dsgn blog.

Rocking Bench.

Eskimo Bench.

+ The Rocking Bench and the Eskimo Bench are part of the product range of Newcastle-based Just Another Product.

+ The Bile rocker and the Bohdi hanger are two pieces from Lazerian. Also worth investigating on the Lazerian website is the Thyia dining set, where the table and benches slide compactly into each other when not in use.

+ Kyouei Design presents two new items set for sale from September; the Umbrella Pot and the Topography Soup Plate. You can also catch Kyouei's other products at the Idea Frames gallery space (Omotesando Hills), until September 11.

+ The 60VISION line of classic re-issued products will celebrate its 3rd anniversary with the 60LOUNGE, at Shin-Marunouchi Building's (marunouchi) HOUSE (7th floor).

+ The latest from Bridge Design's Kenichiro Omori: HANA-MI, a stackable display case. JS

+ Marion Vidal's asymmetrical necklaces are composed of enamelled ceramic pearls. The new line focuses on black, silver and copper beads that are threaded with ribbon.

+ The Remind Me Chair is made of 6-pack rings that decompose after 3 months in direct sunlight, at which time the frame can be taken apart to reconstruct with a new set of rings. Designed by Adam Johnston, a University of Cincinnati student, but for now, no website is available.

+ Alissia Melka-Telchroew has a new line of Inside Out glasses, one for liqueur and the other for champagne. Keeps drinks cooler longer with the double wall.