Lumps of foamy coal make up the 20/30 rug by Belgian designer Raphaël Charles, and extra nuggets are scattered along the periphery. The name of the carpet is in reference to a standard calibre of coal, raising questions about energy and the future. In the here and now, however, the rug is a cosy spot that beckons bare feet. Arihiro Miyake has used recycled PET bottles to create Fort, a sound-absorbing room divider made up of individual "bricks" held together by magnets. The lightweight modules allow the partition to assume a variety of shapes and sizes. Vases do double duty as message centres, as the Pisarro range offers either a chalkboard or whiteboard surface for note-taking. Little Saigon is a mirror grouping by Studio Taschide that is pretty enough on its own, without any faces peering into it.

The Campana carpet by A/R Studio is meant to evoke memories of playing hopscotch on the pavement of an old courtyard while enjoying some relaxed, contemporary barefoot play. The Del Del cabinet by Pore is one of two storage pyramids of drawers and cupboards that have an imposing, almost formal presence. Considerably less formal is the Miami shoe hanger by Apparatu & Mashallah design, a notched rail that beckons to stilettos. And Sebastian Jansson went the hanging route with all of his wares at SaloneSatellite: Habitus Stools, Cumulus Lamps and Tempus Kitchen Utensils are all hanging on the wall or from the ceiling.

Over the past little while we've been bringing you highlights from SaloneSatellite 2009, a show of work by over 700 young, emerging designers and design students. The theme this year was Designing Wellness, with the focus on mind, body and soul. The Ovankgol Table by Reiko Kaneko gives the impression of a heavy wooden table floating just above the surface, thanks to the cast resin legs. Asif Khan's Foam Shell Chair also goes against type: the material has been hardened to keep its shape and offer structure for seating. Work from Denmark's Designskolen Kolding included felt seating and flooring, offering tactile warmth and visual richness.

The kkaarrlls collection of about 20 items by a group of young European designers from Karlsruhe was tucked away in Spazio Crispi in Milano, but those who made it there were not disappointed. The Chairstoolbench by Yvonne Fehling and Jennie Peiz was not only a new way of visualizing a lack of linearity in seating, but also presented an alternate way of interacting. Bastian Goecke's 2work table pulls out to reveal a large tray or drawer that extends the seating area. This was topped by David Hanauer's Superflux candleholder, a silicone base that gets softer and more flexible as the candle heats up. Philipp Scholz's Lehner is a power bar with extra function, and Tina Schmid's Ascher strips the ashtray down to its essence. Silva Krüppel takes a series of drawers to create a shelf, and Katharina Wahl combines a carpet with an airplane kit. Katrin Sonnleitner displayed a new version of her Puzzle Perser rug and Cordula Kehrer combined plastics with natural fibres to do some creative basketweaving.

Poussez la porte: le soleil est a l'interieur (Open the door: the sun is inside) was the name of the exhibition featuring the work of several Belgian design studios from Wallonia and Brussels. We've already featured the latest carpet from Atelier Blink, but there were also rugs from Charlotte Lancelot, including a giant cross-stitch. Christiane Högner displayed a cushionized sofa made up of so many pillows that counting sheep would never need to enter the equation. Speaking of sheep, Draw Me A Sheep featured a fascinating installation of prisms created by solar-powered LCD panels. Kaspar Hamacher used the concept of a leather belt to create hanging bookshelves that make quite an impact in a group, Dust Deluxe featured a textured sideboard, and Habit-T had some delicate hanging lamps. One of our faves was the Secret Chair by Nedda El-Asmar, a practical tidy-up solution.

The variety of new designs out there is astounding. Werner Aisslinger showed his new work at Made in Berlin, the Coral series of seating and lighting that is made of a blend of felt and polycarbonate. We saw the domino cabinet from Schelling & Borsboom at Tutto Bene, which is such an interesting piece because from a distance it appears to be quite old-fashioned, with Asian overtones, but then when you see the dominos it becomes more of a novelty. The combination makes it a keeper (for now, anyway). Frederik Roijé held a squarely themed exhibition where he featured his new wooden chairs. HEAD, Geneva's University of Art and Design, presented Carpet Hunting, a collection of rugs that look like hunted tables. Seeing is believing.