London Ships-In Design Week

London Fashion Week may be over, but the trendy spectacles, air kisses and free flowing champagne aren't going anywhere. Of course, it has to be London Design Week. Some great launches at Designjunction, Designersblock and Tent London this year with the former shipped over to the old sorting office on Oxford Street.

Highlights include suitably smart container storage from Sander Mulder (pictured) perfect for the Isomodal Container Townhouse; while Buro Vormkrijgers's playful 'Woofer' speakers at $1,4000 are a practical addition to man's other best friend; the home entertainment system.

Members clubs Fold, Apartment 58 and the Hospital Club generously kept VIP's comfortable, with Maserati replacing Aston Martin as this year's luxuriously appointed taxi service.

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Belgians Do It Better - Brussels Design Market

With less than a few hours notice and a Sunday to spare, this weekend I hopped over to Brussels to see what the city's Design September had to offer. The month long festival brings together over 100 design launches, exhibitions, pop up shops and the flagship Brussels Design Market.

Expecting something similar to the bi-annual Puces Des Design in Paris, the Brussels Design Market is a veritable candy store for any design enthusiast; and by far trumps the rival fair across the border. Set in a mammoth former customs hall, the market boasts hundreds of dealers, champagne bar, classic cars and thousands of mid to late 20th Century design gems.

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The Continent-Busting Cooktop by Stoves

When it came to selecting a new countertop hob for the Man Cave, I thought the decision would be easy. The best looking, most beautifully designed, flawlessly engineered hob would of course come from the continent. But would it be from Gaggenau or Gorenge whose alluring names boast designer collaborations with Karim Rashid and Pininfarina? or from the likes of Bosch or Miele; confident poster children of the Vorsprung durch Technik generation?

Surprisingly, the most attractive cooktop isn't of German design. It doesn't even carry a designer price tag. Designed and manufactured by hand in Britain by Stoves, the CR600 is the clear winner. Achingly elegant, the ceramic hob features chrome rotary controls [no thank you, flash touchscreen displays, we like our tactile knobs and buttons!] and a flush, frameless surface with clean and iconic indicators.