Cologne - Moving on from traditional armchairs and sofas, designers are now using leather to cover furniture previously not associated with the material.

At the Cologne International Furnishing Show, held each year in late January, cutting-edge creations included a leather-fronted cabinet and leather-bordered beds.

"And a lot more is coming, too," predicted Ursula Geismann, a member of the German Furniture Industry Association.

Munich - Fixed appointments have become an exception in many people's lives.

While previously, it sufficed to say "Friday at 8" when setting a date, nowadays people discuss an appointment, but then agree to ring each other shortly beforehand only to postpone or cancel it. For some people, a short text message is all it takes.

It appears nobody wants to be pinned down by fixed appointments, but constant postponements amount to bad conduct and prevent real friendships from developing, behavioral experts say.

Sydney - The fun of watching a James Bond film lies partially in spotting what the advertising industry calls product placement.

The brands on show be they of cars, watches, hotels or even locations have paid for the privilege of their association with the hunky celluloid spy and his world of glamour and sophistication.

Yet, it seems a bit of a cheat - cinemagoers, after all, have paid for their seats and have to sit through commercials even before the film begins - but Hollywood argues that the parade of products helps pay for the whiz-bang special effects.

Cologne - Transformability was one of the biggest trends to emerge at this year's international furniture trade show in Cologne.

There were sofas, for example, that didn't necessarily have to go in the sitting room and desks that did not have the serious look of office furniture.

Many of the 1,000 exhibitors from 50 countries at the January show, featured furniture showing how different living spaces in the home are slowly growing together. At the same time, however, the differences between the private and the "public" parts of a home seem to be getting stronger, and this development has had an effect on furniture design.

Herford, Germany - "Anyone can be lucky!" "Winning is wonderful!" These are the kind of lines used by video arcades, betting offices and casinos angling for customers.

Though most people realize that the operators just want their money, many bite. In Germany alone, there are as many as 400,000 gambling addicts, according to the Gambling Addiction Association (FAGS).

The consequences of the addiction are severe. "Gambling is the most costly addiction of all, often ends seriously and has the highest suicide rate," noted Ilona Fuechtenschnieder, the chairwoman of FAGS, which is based in the German town of Herford and looks after the interests of gamblers and their relatives.

Hamburg  - When internet furniture dealers lure buyers with bargain basement prices for alleged design classics, consumers often end up with fakes, an interior design magazine in Germany reported recently.

When the internet price is as little as one-third of the store price, the buyer can assume that a knockoff will be delivered.

Often the furniture never even gets to the buyer because the maker of the copied, brand-name furniture finds out about the deal and catches the transport truck at the border.