Meta is dedicated to combining exquisite materials with the world's finest artisans to create 21st century design at a quality once seen at the heights of the decorative arts. A group of leading designers, including Asymptote, Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby, Tord Boontje, Matali Crasset and Wales & Wales have been commissioned in association with over 50 master ateliers and artisans to create Meta's inaugural collection of contemporary objects and furniture. Mallett is the parent company of Meta.

Swarovski Crystal Palace pushed the boundaries in Milan this year with an exhibition by leading designers during the Salone Internazionale Del Mobile. A carefully selected group of creators had been invited to design an atmosphere, which included items of lighting, furniture and interior design elements.

Layers is Richard Hutten's studio exhibit presented at the Milan 2008 furniture fair. Simply said, it's all about layers of meaning and what we read in it. The fun of making the objects was equally important and some of the works certainly have a rough look to them. Interestingly is the concepts behind the works and how the material & meaning shapes the furniture.

We give an impression of the Droog Design exhibit at the Milan furniture fair 2008, this years theme was "a touch of green" which looked at the whole green movement from a different perspective. Featuring designs from Pieke Bergmans, Tobias Rockenfeld, FormaFantasma, Gaële Girault, Jens Praet, SMAQ. Of course if you get a chance, go see the exhibit in person!

Perfectly in tune with our times, the young couple has been designing an ode to their country roots in stark contrast with the opulent and monumental ‘robber baron’ series designed for the Americans. Now that the farmers of the world will clothe, feed and fuel us, a far-reaching movement will trigger designers to revisit folk and farm mentalities to blend rural and urban style. In an amazing barn-like space in the centre of milan, twenty-four bronze works and six pieces of pallissander furniture will evoke the archetypal artefacts of the low lands including germany, flandres and the netherlands. Shown in an almost calvanistic setting, this rigourous and strong collection is counterbalanced by a folding fresco screen depicting the ideal of life on the farm in bright and naive colours.

Designhuis shows an exhibit about design for the average person. Czech designer Maxim Velcovsky shows us how creative you can get with off the rack flatpack furniture with his customized pieces. Curated by Li Edelkoort

Popshop, remixing icons of mass culture is a group exhibition staged by MU, in which artists are rehauling pop stars, fans, and world hits. This time, it’s not about artists switching over to making clips, or to designing an LP sleeve, but clips being sucked back into the realm of contemporary art. www.mu.nl

"gimme the loot" was a guerilla exhibition which was seen across the many different art fairs at the Miami art week, december 2007. Gerard Kilgallon tells us some of the ideas behind the guns, according to him the AK47 (of which this collective created a plastic "miami style" version of) can be considered the most used weapon of mass destruction. We also take a quick peek at the Scope Art fair with works by Seon Ghi Bahk and Yong Ho Ji.

"Lightness of being" shows us the beauty of growth and decline in nature, captured in an enormous flexible lamp made of steel, carbon, felt and rubber. Pepe's other project, "A restless chairacter", has the look of being overpainted again and again, taking its' inspiration of an old wobbling chair. The chair looks stiff and sturdy at first sight but once you sit on it you notice how flexible it really is. Combining metal and rubber this chair is actually built for wobbling. Pepe is currently working on a wobble bench and a wobble table.

A look back at the "Tales from Eindhoven" exhibit, milan 2007. Alexander Pelikan's work uses moulded plastics with wood to form new furniture under the name "the plastic nature".