Table of contents for Jan-2019 in Wallpaper

JENS H JENSEN Wallpaper* Japan Editor Jensen enjoyed a busy month, chronicling how Oriental Carpet Mills ‘hand-tufted’ its way to the forefront of Japanese design (page 086) and reporting on Norwegian café Fuglen’s new Tokyo outpost (page 075), which offers speciality brews and Scandi design. ‘Both stories were fun to do because of all the wonderful people involved,’ says Jensen, who, alongside being Wallpaper’s eyes and ears in Japan, has recently co-founded design studio Monomochi. ALLYSSA HEUZE Photographer In this issue celebrating new creative talent, we invited Heuze – awarded the inaugural Wallpaper* New Generation prize at the latest Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography – to inject her playful flair into our fashion story (page 139). ‘I imagined a mix of scenes around strangers living under the same…

To see a water purification plant with a twist, visit the Swiss municipality of Muttenz. Far from the traditional industrial facility that remains off-limits to members of the public, this innovative treatment centre is a truly interactive experience, open to all by appointment. Designed by the Miami-based practice Oppenheim Architecture, the building is a landmark for the Basel area. A model of sustainability, its sculptural form is made of materials that blend harmoniously with its environment, close to a forest and the Rhine river. Shotcrete (concrete sprayed on with a hose) was used for the façade and roof, giving it the appearance of sandstone, and in time it will develop a patina in tune with its setting among protected woodland. Bridging state-of-the-art technology with existing ecosystems and producing potable water…

‘The entire technique, which I’ve spent years developing, is a secret,’ says the Brazilian-born, New York-based fine jewellery designer Ana Khouri of the manufacturing process behind this delicate choker, formed from a mesh of coloured gold. ‘It took a long time to perfect the colours, which were achieved using a heating process.’ Khouri is fascinated by how her pieces are able to interact with, and become organic extensions of, the body, with fluidity and softness. Take her sculptural earrings, which slot into or curve around the ear. This necklace moulds closely to the contours of the neck. Over time, its pastel shades will fade into pure gold. ‘My idea of jewellery goes behind the intended purpose of ornamentation,’ says Khouri. anakhouri.com OUT OF OFFICE | HANS ULRICH OBRIST AND KOO…

Asmundo di Gisira Catania Like many palazzi, Asmundo di Gisira, a converted 18th-century pile in Sicily’s second largest city, hides its true beauty within. The hotel interiors take their inspiration from Sicilian legends, referenced with a contemporary design language by GUM, a local studio that spent seven years restoring the 400 sq m compound located just steps away from Catania’s landmark Fontana dell’Elefante. Original elements such as decorative ceilings and mouldings were retained, while a new skylight turns a courtyard into an atrium, and ensuite bathrooms focus on comfort. Unique touches come courtesy of Sicilian artists: the public space celebrates the myth of Billonia, with a painting of the goddess by Sergio Fiorentino; an enormous flamingo sculpture by Domenico Pellegrino references the birds that used to inhabit the fountain at…

Informed by the powerful devotional readings he shared with his mother, LA-based designer Jerry Lorenzo established the Fear of God fashion label in 2013. After five years of creating distinctive, discreetly hyped sneakers and super-luxe streetwear, Lorenzo had built up a loyal fanbase, invaluable sports endorsement and a reputation as a discerning disruptor in the mould of James Jebbia and Virgil Abloh. Then Nike came knocking and a plan for a Nike and Fear of God collaboration was hatched. ‘Nike noticed that our designs don’t just look cool, but also provide solutions,’ says Lorenzo. ‘They looked at our footwear and liked the way we shape our lasts and layer impact for the wearer.’ The collaboration, encompassing both clothing and footwear, ‘is my perception of shape and design, and Nike’s unparalleled…

Hot tropic CHEVAL BLANC ST-BARTH ISLE DE FRANCE Thanks to its exclusive hillside perch overlooking the Baie des Flamands, LVMH’s St Barths property has been the bolthole of choice for a kaleidoscope of VIPs since 2014. Following the devastation of Hurricane Irma last year, the resort has undergone a complete overhaul by designer Jacques Grange. It includes the addition of 19 new suites, and gardens created by Madison Cox the man behind Marrakech’s Jardin Majorelle. Within the new villas’ timber-slatted frames, Grange has fashioned a laid-back, seaside interior of bleached wood and rattan furnishings, accented by colourful Aboriginal paintings and Colombian werregue baskets. When not picking a sunbathing spot on the beach’s talcum-white sands or by the pool, guests can notch up indulgences such as massages at the only Guerlain…

PAOLA ANTONELLI Italian author, design super-curator and MoMA marvel NENEH CHERRY Chanteuse, style icon, Buffalo girl BJARKE INGELS BIG-thinking Danish architect DAVID KORINS Blockbusting Broadway-and-beyond set designer PHILIPPE MALOUIN Wallpaper’s towering Designer of the Year 2018 DO HO SUH South Korean art colossus and mesh manipulator 01 BEST DOMESTIC DESIGN SHORTLIST ‘Astro’ fan, by Nichetto Studio, for Tubes With its soft, curved edges and retro look, this intelligent fan heater and air purifier looks like a ‘small spaceship that is about to take off ’. tubesradiatori.com ‘Hive View’ security camera, by Fuseproject, for Hive This indoor security device, with detachable magnetic camera cube, motion sensor and built-in app, adds elegance to surveillance. hivehome.com ‘Gliss Master’ walk-in closet system, by Vincent Van Duysen, for Molteni & C A modular walk-in wardrobe…

Johannesburg has grown into the cultural capital of Africa, a beacon of creativity that has beckoned to talents of all backgrounds and genres, and hatched the continent’s biggest art fair, alongside a patchwork of pioneering galleries. Here, we call on eight artists who have made the city their home, and discover how they square its troubled past with future promise. Nicholas Hlobo Among South African artists who came of age around the fall of apartheid, Hlobo has perhaps had the most rapid ascent. His large sculptural works, often created from ribbon, leather and rubber, are a powerful comment on the growing pains of democracy. In 2008, just six years after he graduated with a fine art degree from Technikon Witwatersrand, he had a solo show at Tate Modern; two years…

French alpinewear brand Rossignol has gone a little more off-road this season. It collaborated with Croatian designer Damir Doma, who took inspiration from the rugged world of electric mountain biking, resulting in a collection made up of technical outerwear and slogan detail T-shirts and hoodies. However, it was this glow-getting reflective jacket that really caught our eye. The piece, formed from double-face Luminor Membrane and wool with a nylon layer, draws on Rossignol’s technical prowess, and is essential whether your preferred terrain is rocky or snowy. rossignol.com NEXT GENERATION SHOWCASE SOPHIE GLADSTONE MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY, UK In this, our Next Generation issue, the fashion pages of our Newspaper section were shot by photography graduate Sophie Gladstone. For her profile and work, as part of our Graduate Directory, see Wallpaper.com from January.…

The architecture boom that has gripped New York City for the past several years has left many indelible marks on the city’s skyline. Buildings by almost every big-name architect jostle with each other for breathing room on Manhattan’s western waterfront, and designing a towering New York landmark is now de rigueur for a Pritzker Prize-winning architect. Yet for his first project in the Big Apple, Tadao Ando opted to create something on a significantly smaller scale. The Japanese architect’s seven-storey, seven-residence condominium, 152 Elizabeth Street, stands on a busy thoroughfare in Manhattan’s Nolita district. Instigated by the development firm Sumaida + Khurana and located on the site of a former garage, the concrete-and-glass structure took more than two years to construct. The newly completed building’s succinct design seamlessly brings together…

The more complex, intriguing and seemingly impossible a project is, the more it piques the interest of Chilean practice Elemental. Ever keen to learn, adapt and evolve, its team has produced work that not only questions architecture’s wider social responsibility, but also comes up with some great answers – a path which has led its director Alejandro Aravena (who co-founded the practice in 2001 with Gonzalo Arteaga, Juan Cerda, Victor Oddó and Diego Torres) to the 2016 Pritzker Prize. That same year, Aravena took his manifesto to the Venice Architecture Biennale, curating its 15th edition, ‘Reporting from the Front’. Within this context of constant experimentation, designing a holiday retreat for a private developer may seem an unusual choice (in nearly 20 years, Elemental has only ever worked on two other…

Fuglen, which means ‘bird’ in Norwegian, originally started out as the small Kaffefuglen coffee bar in Oslo in 1963. It was part of the Norwegian coffee chain Stockfleths until 2008, when Einar K Holthe, its long-term daily manager, took it over with a couple of good friends and rebranded it as just Fuglen. Peppe Trulsen, the former owner of vintage furniture store Flabbergaster, brought his passion for midcentury Norwegian design to the interiors, mixologist Halvor Digernes developed an after-coffee cocktail menu, and Holthe continued to lovingly roast and brew the speciality beans that Fuglen is known for. Chance and good fortune brought Fuglen to Japan. Holthe had fallen in love with the country on a trip to Tokyo in 2007 when he was taking part in the World Barista Championships…

A big city that keeps getting bigger, Beijing now has a population of 21.7 million – or around 5,700 inhabitants per square kilometre. Since this challenging urban environment is precisely the kind that MINI LIVING’s concept seeks to address, the Chinese capital made a perfect setting for the programme’s eighth project, a cabin designed in cooperation with local architect Dayong Sun of studio Penda. An exploration of urban residential architecture, the compact cabin focuses on producing innovative ideas for maximum quality of living within a minimum space. At its heart is an open area referencing the inner courtyards of Beijing’s traditional hutong houses, while storage and seating are cleverly embedded into the design in the periphery of the cabin. It’s a small but super-smart structure: the double bed slides through…

In Rio de Janeiro or any of the dynamic destinations in the series, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Istanbul, London, LA, Milan, New York, Paris, Rome and Tokyo, Wallpaper* City Guides uncover the most interesting architecture, enticing sights and hippest haunts. Whether you are on a business trip or a weekend break, here’s an insider’s checklist for the design-savvy visitor.…

3rd Ritual 3rdritual.com A Alessi Tel: 44.20 7518 9090 (UK) alessi.com Amara Tel: 44.1376 321100 (UK) amara.com Ana Khouri Tel: 1.646 998 4840 (US) anakhouri.com Aoiro Tel: 49.30 6920 4271 (Germany) aoiroair.com Annelie Hultman anneliehultmanaraya@gmail.com Apple apple.com Artemide Tel: 44.20 7291 3853 (UK) artemide.com Atrium Tel: 44.20 7681 9933 (UK) atrium.ltd.uk B Balenciaga Tel: 44.20 7317 4400 (UK) balenciaga.com Bocci Tel: 1.604 639 5195 (Canada) bocci.ca Bottega Veneta Tel: 44.20 7838 9394 (UK) bottegaveneta.com Byblos byblos.it C Caravane Tel: 44.20 3819 8660 (UK) caravane.co.uk Cargo Records Tel: 44.20 7731 5125 (UK) cargorecordsdirect.co.uk Chanel Tel: 44.20 7493 5040 (UK) chanel.com Cherevichkiotvichki Tel: 44.20 7729 2092 (UK) cherevichki.com Chloé Tel: 44.20 3057 4000 (UK) chloe.com Church’s church-footwear.com D Dolce & Gabbana Tel: 44.20 7659 9000 (UK) dolcegabbana.com Dorus Van Haeren doruspiekepaolo.com E…

We like to start the day on good form so, to refresh our breakfast table, we turned to this year’s design graduates who, just when we think there’s no more room for innovation, love to prove us wrong. 01. Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Teresa Berger’s ‘Beyond Taste’ tableware series explores gastrophysics, using colour, shape and texture. 02. Inspired by the puffins that live off the coast of Norway, the ‘Lunde’ collection of milk jugs and sauce boats, by Oslo Metropolitan graduates Studio Foy, make chirpy additions to the breakfast table. 03. Fellow Oslo Metropolitan graduate Rikke Dyrnes’ sculptural six-piece serving board series, ‘Variations’, is made from ash. Each piece can be used on its own or with another to cut, drain or display food. 04. ‘Overflow’, by Dorus Pieke Paolo, a…

The battle against social media addiction and life-eclipsing work schedules is very real and the maintenance of mental wellbeing requires daily ritual and regime. This has led to a growing market for meditation aids that soothe all the senses. Here we contemplate a selection that should help you to keep calm and carry on. 01. The Breathe app on the latest Apple Watch features a circular graphic that guides you through a series of deep breaths at a rhythm and duration that you set yourself. Series 4 watch, €1,399, by Hermes and Apple 02. Sort of Coal’s white charcoal blocks, made from Korean Holm oak, work as an air purifier when placed in a room, but also double as a scent diffuser when essential oil is added. Here it is…

There was a steampunk sensibility behind Manuel Facchini’s debut collection for Italian label Byblos. The designer was fascinated by the architectural landscape of Burning Man, an annual festival held at Black Rock City, a temporary town erected in a desert in northwest Nevada. Made up of aluminium tents and futuristic metal pods, it’s a sight that wouldn’t look out of place on a Mad Max film set. Industrial embellishments and foil-like fabrications were central to Facchini’s collection. We particularly love this dress – constructed from metal and plastic washers rather than sequins or beads – which nods to the materials seen as part of the Black Rock City skyline. We’re sure it would weather any unsuspected sandstorm. byblos.it…

Architect Marisa Giannasi and furniture maker Callum Robinson, the duo at the helm of Scotland’s Method studio, are known for their exquisitely crafted, often complex creations. For the last ten years, they have worked on bespoke projects including furniture for an Aesop store in Edinburgh, a new chair for the Glasgow School of Art, and trunks and chests for Burberry, Bentley and Vacheron Constantin. The travel trunk, in particular, is a recurring element in their work: the pair share a passion for luggage and travel and founded their studio after jaunts across South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and an extended stay in Tasmania. But this wanderlust is balanced by the couple’s rootedness in Scotland. Their workshop is located in a restored timber sawmill on the Bathgate Hills, near…

Today’s music lovers face a quandary. Music is more accessible than at any time in history, yet more has perhaps meant less in the way of sound quality – we mostly listen to music on tiny earbuds against an audio backdrop of screeching public transport – and in terms of visceral, emotional engagement. Café and event space Spiritland, which first opened a venue in London’s King’s Cross in 2016, is out to counter that trend and alert us to the full potential of recorded music. Founded by artistic director Paul Noble, creative director Patrick Clayton-Malone and commercial director Dominic Lake, Spiritland combines traditional hospitality with high fidelity. Noble’s background is in music and radio production, including stints at the BBC. Lake and Clayton-Malone co-founded Canteen, the restaurant concept built on…

DESIGN 01 BOLDIZSAR SZENTECZKI Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Hungary ‘Cell’ is a mirror installation designed to alter the viewer’s perspective of space. Made from tinted silver-plated glass, the pieces can be used individually, or in multiple compositions that play with the gradient colour scheme. Dream collaborators: Tokujin Yoshioka, Rick Owens. boldizsarszenteczki.com 02 AMINA HOROZIC ECAL, Switzerland Inspired by the columns of Greek and Roman architecture, the ‘Colonna’ clock, a collaboration with Marsotto, celebrates ‘the monolithic permanence of marble’, cutting through space ‘as a sort of three-dimensional punctuation mark’. Dream collaborator: Isamu Noguchi. aminahorozic.com 03 RISA SAITO Tama University, Japan Saito’s object is inspired by rock formations. ‘Rocks get crushed and become gravel, turn into sand and soil, nurture plants and provide habitats for animals,’ she says. Her sculpture…

#99 Leandro Erlich’s interactive installations have included an illusory swimming pool that allows visitors to walk underwater thanks to a well-placed layer of glass, and a pair of escalators seemingly knotted like a pretzel. The Argentine artist is soon to take over a stretch of Miami Beach with 100 car-shaped sand sculptures, then let the public claw them apart. His take on the asado (the classic Argentine barbecue) has a similarly participatory element, requiring a merry band of helpers, a roaring fire, a string of sausages, bread rolls, and a chimichurri prepared by his collaborator Raùl. To ensure the chimichurri doesn’t spill, the sandwich is best enjoyed, much like Erlich’s art, with the head tilted 90 degrees back. leandroerlich.art. For Erlich’s recipe, plus culinary author Sylvia Gabet’s account of the preparation, see Wallpaper.com…