Image credit: The Telegraph

Hello faithful followers! This morning dawned with the news of a new hero, valiantly protecting our capital city. I can only hope that in the near future London will have its own Boris signal, perhaps a bicycle-shape insignia, beaming out into the night whenever our blonde prince is needed. Now that you can all rest in the knowledge that Mr. Johnson is literally is fighting back against crime, why not take a minute to read through our pick of the best design news for your enjoyment?

mydeco’s pick of the top 3 news stories:

1.The Telegraph: Homebuilding & Renovating awards: the finalists

Competition seems to be the driving force for much of the entertainment industry at the moment: X-Factor, Masterchef, Strictly Come Dancing, and then of course there’s that group of amoebas fighting it out to become Paris Hilton’s new best friend…I’ll say no more. Still, there’s no reason for the design world to miss out on all the fun, and over the past few weeks Telegraph readers have voted on their favourite self-built and renovated houses. The final five have been selected, so I thought I would show you my favourite (pictured above). It’s no so much the aesthetics that attracted me to this converted bungalow, as the sheer magnanimity of the task – transforming a three bedroom bungalow into a five-bed-house in a mere 7 months! Follow the link to check out the other contestants and cast your vote now.

dornob: Industrial interior: Intense modern metal apartment design

Image credit: dornob

If Simon Cowell were cartoonised as Batman’s new nemesis (and lets face that’s not a bad idea), I imagine that this is what his evil layer would look like. Designed by Peter Kostelov, the apartment is given a little added texture using exposed rivets and visible welding to break up the large planes of single materials. Not the cosiest of interiors, but could provide some inspiration to those of you looking for some relief from the chintz revival.

3.inhabitat: $555 Billion Sahara Solar Energy Belt Takes Giant Step Forward

Image credit: inhabitat

Okay, so $555 billion might seem quite pricey for what looks like a giant greenhouse, but this solar belt is actually set to be the word’s largest  renewable energy project. If all goes to plan, in the future it will be supplying 15% of Europe with mother-nature-friendly energy, and with 12 backers now safely signed, the vision has taken the next step towards becoming a reality. What’s more, if the image above is an accurate prediction of the finished product, it will be visually stunning.

The best of the rest:

inhabitat: Stunning open air library pops up in East Germany

The Guardian: 10 of the best orchid buys

Daily Mail: House prices up for fourth month in a row… but experts predict 5% drop by end of 2010

Daily Mail: After Dragons triumph, Sharon Wright moves out of her Scunthorpe den

Daily Mail: How Self build can be ticket to delays, debts…and divorce

The Telegraph: Interiors: the Paris flat of the celebrated perfumer Jacques Polge

The Telegraph: Word on the street: Dawn French’s house “best house on the market for the money”

Hurrah, my first pre-lunch blog! Tune in again tomorrow to see if I can keep it up. Right, I’m off to get a pasty…