Affordable, easy-to-assemble, customisable, design-led and quickly delivered: new online homeware retailer Hem seems to tick every box for the homeware shopper. But it will succeed in its mission to “bring joy to people everywhere” through affordable design?

Americans are giving away family heirlooms, and some are even paying junk-removal services to get rid of their prized possessions. With the cost of furniture having fallen 50% over the past 30 years, the market for second-hand furniture seems to have disappeared.

In 2013, property prices in the UK increased by over 11%. Living spaces may be getting more expensive (and smaller) but new schemes aim to make houses better connected and personally serviced too. How are people and brands reacting to the changing nature of our homes?

About 40% of Hamburg's 1.8 million residents don’t own a car, so IKEA has introduced its first ‘citystore’ – an urban little sister to its sprawling, out-of-town counterparts. It’s already more popular than any other German branch, but who is this inner-city store attracting?