Trends: Best seats in the house

Retailers, exhibition organisers and even cafés are breaking down the public/ private divide by inviting consumers into their own homes.

In London, furniture designer Russell Pinch ( www.pinchdesign.com/index.htm) has turned his home into a showroom for his hand-made pieces, while in Mexico City's Minichelista café (www.myspace.com/minichelista ), customers are free to take their coffee anywhere they want within the traditional townhouse – from the bathtub or bed to the walk-in wardrobe.

And in France, the exhibition Contemporary Art Doesn't Feel Cold At Home, took place in the home of French artist Jeremy Cheval, with an installation in the bathroom and a site-specific piece in the housing compound's rubbish hut.

Thanks to thefuturelaboratory.com