Tabla de contenidos para #20 en Design Anthology, Asia Pacific Edition

I for one love that we’re living in the age of cross-disciplinary cross-pollination. Art, design, craft, architecture; where are the boundaries? Do they even exist anymore? If so, they’re becoming increasingly blurred. In our first issue of each new year we look at the crossover between industries and practices — that not-so-easily defined grey area. Last year was fashion, the year before food, and before that travel. This year we turn our focus to art. In this bumper issue we’ve curated six stunning homes of collectors around the region, from Sydney to Singapore. In the art scene we explore Taipei’s newest art fair, a cutting-edge digital art space in Tokyo and an emerging platform for contemporary design in Manila. Following the theme of up-and-coming spaces, we also have an introduction…

AB Concept: A Cultural Journey Through Light, Form, and Space Text by Paola Singer (Assouline) Hong Kong-based AB Concept has become a global name in hospitality design, and this volume has been released just in time for its 20th anniversary. The book’s four chapters feature an international selection of projects that represent the firm’s influences and style: Looking West shows the early influence of founders Ed Ng and Terence Ngan’s Western design education; Looking East chronicles their turn towards more Asian-influenced design language; and Looking Here displays the development of the firm’s unique place-focused style that blends and transcends these influences. The final chapter, Looking Beyond, gives a brief overview of the firm’s product collaborations and ongoing projects. While not chronological, focused as it is on the past decade, the…

JUDGING PANEL Our panel of judges was selected based on their merits as designers, their combination of disciplines, places of origin and their representation of the broader design community. The judges looked for projects that displayed a high level of originality and aesthetics, and that were functional and commercially successful. They had to show a rigorous approach to design and demonstrate a sensible use of budget while satisfying client briefs. SPONSORS…

Flanking the entrance of the inaugural edition of Taipei Dangdai were two of Taiwan’s most promising emerging galleries: Michael Ku Gallery and Project Fulfill Artspace. Directly ahead stood Taiwanese wunderkind John Yuyi’s I Tree to Call You, a live tree covered in her signature temporary tattoos. From the outset, Dangdai (Mandarin for ‘present moment’ or ‘contemporary’) makes its intention clear: to bring attention to the region’s burgeoning creative landscape. The fair was established by Magnus Renfrew — former director of Art Basel Hong Kong, and regularly named in industry top-100 lists — and the same power quartet of art event organisers behind Hong Kong’s ART HK, which was acquired by Art Basel’s parent company in 2011. Already Taiwan is home to a formidable arrangement of museums and galleries, three art…

Designers Ivy and Cynthia Almario have a keen and experienced eye for detail. They understand the impact a single piece of art can make when hung on a blank wall, but also know the powerful effect a home with richly decorated walls, brimming with visual inspiration, can have. ‘It was a dream to work with a client who’s been collecting art since he was young,’ says Cynthia. Being close friends of the family, the Almarios already knew what the client’s burgeoning art collection offered long before the project started. They were also particularly well-suited to the task: having designed the homes of several other art collectors over the years, they’ve become skilled curators. Design-wise, the home was simple enough to work with. ‘Architecturally, we were working off a plan based…

From sleepy fishing village to gleaming metropolis in a brief span of 50 years: this is the compressed development history commonly associated with Singapore. As a city hyper-focused on the future, as demonstrated by the upcoming Punggol Digital District, it engages in continual urban revitalisation, its metanarrative promising some future apotheosis of that practice. Set against this backdrop, several landmarks appear to have fallen outside the futurist frame. Completed in the early 1970s, Golden Mile Complex and People’s Park Complex are post-independence Brutalist landmarks consigned to be demolished for redevelopment, and committees have been formed for their sale. They have been alternately revered and reviled; while historically and architecturally significant, they have deteriorated over time, and being frequented by Singapore’s largely invisible, subaltern communities, they have suffered a degree of…

Sub-Zero and Wolf, Hong Kong Sister brands Sub-Zero and Wolf have opened a new showroom and experience centre for their cooking and food preservation products, including the new Wolf Gourmet range. The sophisticated 200-square-metre space was designed by Singapore’s Studio TERRE to invite interaction through various settings that inspire customers to design their own kitchens. A ribbon wall extends the overall wall surfaces while creating a semi-enclosed space that lends a home-like feel, while the material palette and lighting create an inviting environment. Sandblasted teak and polished cherry wood panels create distinct zones for each brand, delineated by a lit glass structure, while their common space is defined by sandblasted black paulownia. subzero.com.hk Dada, Tokyo Italian kitchen brand Dada has opened a new flagship store in Tokyo’s Minami Aoyama. The…

In overcrowded, high-density Hong Kong, space to rest, relax, enjoy life and breathe can seem as elusive as a dream. But 8 Deep Water Bay Drive, a luxury residential project by Nan Fung Group and Vervain Resources that’s located in one of the city’s most prestigious neighbourhoods, is set to change that. Featuring 52 spacious and tranquil homes, this rare site, cradled by the natural beauty of southern Hong Kong Island, commands a high level of privacy and offers picturesque views. The property’s interior designer, Alexandra Champalimaud — whose clients range from Raffles Singapore to niche residential developments in New York — understands perfectly the need for serenity. ‘I think anyone who lives in a big, dense city is looking for a sense of peace, especially close to their home,…

Gabriel Tan’s demeanour is humble and thoughtful. His clothing is never loud, his manner of speech never bombastic. His personality reflects his oeuvre, where design is always centred on natural materials, simple functionality and nuance. There is a meditative grace to pieces like his Skyladder for Ariake — a timber shelf whose base curves like a dancer mid-poise — and his fruit containers for the 2018 Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition, where steam-bent wood profiles swirl unexpectedly to frame their quotidian contents. Tan never planned to go into design, but his initial career choice as a naval officer veered off course when he discovered design books. ‘It was as though I’d discovered a whole new world as I read about furniture design, product design, Italian design, Scandinavian design and so on,’ he…

In a small workshop near Saint-Tropez, 20 talented artisans practise the venerable art of carpet weaving on 19th-century Jacquard looms. Here, as it has for almost a century, French company La Manufacture Cogolin defines the underfoot masterpiece. The process may be ancient, but contemporary inspiration makes the collection (which ranges from custom-made carpets to sumptuous bath mats) essential for interior designers and architects looking for floor coverings that are more like works of art. Cogolin rugs adorn the floors of the Élysée Palace, the Palace of Versailles and French embassies around the world. The brand has also been a favourite of fashion brands and designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Hubert de Givenchy for their private residences. The Jacquard loom, which uses a highly complex system of needles, a cylinder…

For Sonia Cheng, the CEO of Rosewood Hotel Group, the debut of the Rosewood brand in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui — specifically in the Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed Victoria Dockside mixed-use development — is a deeply personal moment. ‘Being in my hometown and located on the very site where my grandfather set out his original vision for the city, Rosewood Hong Kong is a tribute to him and to his lifelong dedication to the betterment of the city. I wanted to build on this legacy,’ she says, referring to Cheng Yu-tung, the legendary founder of New World Development Company. This explains why the 413-room and 186-residence hotel — ‘a labour of love’ is how Cheng describes it — has had such a long gestation. A project of this scale, and…

‘We consider art to be unexplainable.’ So says Toshiyuki Inoko, who knows a thing or two about the subject given that he’s at the helm of an apparent digital revolution within the contemporary art world. Inoko is the founder of teamLab, a fast-growing Tokyo-based collective of ‘ultratechnologists’ who are blazing a trail with imaginative installations that are as visually immersive as they are technologically complex. Since Inoko formed teamLab with a small group of friends in 2001, it has expanded exponentially: today, it is represented by Pace Gallery, and hundreds of in-house specialists create digital artworks that are exhibited across the globe, from Helsinki to Singapore. But perhaps the most impressive showcase of their work can be found closer to home, at MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM: teamLab Borderless in…

Some buildings have lived several lives. This house, located in the animated, bohemian Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, is one. Spread over two levels, the 220-square-metre home dates to the 1930s, when it originally served as a tram axle and undercarriage manufacturing facility before being transformed in the early 1990s into two townhouses that featured an unexpected combination of Tuscan and Art Deco styles. Having known the owners — a young family ready to move closer to the city — for 20 years, the team behind HOLA Projects, led by Chris Lalogiannis and Donald Holt, was tasked with preserving the historic shell while modernising the interior layout, which includes three bedrooms, a study and a pool. Heritage concerns meant that the interior height was restricted to that of the existing roof…

Designer Alfred Lam’s style has evolved, and he has a rebranded design studio and new apartment to match. The rebrand to Studio 1618 marks the maturing of his style, refers to the location of his practice at 16–18 Bonham Strand in Central, Hong Kong, and is also a nod to the golden ratio of 1.618. ‘Before, my studio was vibrant, trendy and young, but now I’m doing something completely different,’ says Lam. His new direction is more sophisticated, and he’s redesigned his home to reflect this evolution. Now, he says, the home is ‘contemporary with a cosy, timeless touch.’ At just over 200 square metres, Lam’s home was originally a three-bedroom apartment. ‘I wanted to make use of every space,’ he says. This meant the conversion of the second bedroom…

Francesco Balzano Paris-based architect, interior and product designer Francesco Balzano recently launched a limited-edition collection of sculptural tables made from the boldly expressive quattro stagioni marble. Comprising only eight pieces, the Dolce collection is custom made in France by Ateliers Saint Jacques. The collection is representative of Balzano’s passion for working with noble materials and creating timeless forms. francescobalzano.com Ben & Aja Blanc Ben and Aja Blanc first met as students at Rhode Island School of Design and have been collaborating ever since. The duo’s unique approach is thanks to the combination of Aja’s fine art and gallery background with Ben’s design practice and academic career. The Salem Eos mirror, made from Mongolian horsehair and antiqued mirror, is an example of how the pair juxtaposes materials and textures to create…

Despite a size that is tiny by global standards (if, at 230,000 inhabitants, large by Dutch ones) and a somewhat gloomy aspect, the Dutch city of Eindhoven is home to one of Europe’s most esteemed and creative design schools: Design Academy Eindhoven. Its reputation and strong focus on artistic expression over functionality attract designers from around the world, including many from Asia, who make up an Eastern community far from home. The city itself is inseparable from its design history. Once light bulb manufacturer Philips was founded there, what was once a small town became an increasingly industrial city. Now it is home to an expanding design scene; in every seemingly abandoned industrial building a designer resides. And it’s not an exaggeration to say that the Academy catalysed this new…

‘I met my business partner and good friend Nathan Headlam in Melbourne a number of years ago,’ says Australian expat Brendan McCarthy as we sip on a local craft beer at his Phnom Penh rooftop hangout, Sundown Social Club. ‘At the time we were co-managing a venue called The Penny Black in Brunswick while Nathan was studying and I was pursuing a music career. We made some loose plans to one day put a hospitality venture together, never expecting it to be in a place like Phnom Penh.’ Headlam came to the city in 2014 and after the first year identified several interesting opportunities in the market. Following some initial research he called on McCarthy to help expand on his ideas. ‘I came to Phnom Penh in late 2015, which…

PEOPLE Ambassador Kengo Kuma Architect Mun Summ Wong Emerging Designer Elaine Yan Ling Ng Female Designer Naoko Takenouchi Industrial Designer Oki Sato Interior Designer James Acuna Vanguard Joyce Wang PLACES Adaptive Reuse MONOARCHI OFFICE, SHANGHAI MONOARCHI Commercial Spaces @ BATUBATA OFFICE, JAKARTA STUDIO AIR PUTIH Cultural, Arts & Educational Spaces F22 FOTO SPACE, HONG KONG LAAB ARCHITECTS Hospitality Spaces — Dining BOY’N’COW MEAT BOUTIQUE, BALI A&PARTNERS Hospitality Spaces — Hotels AMANYANGYUN, SHANGHAI KERRY HILL ARCHITECTS Residential Living — Interiors CASABLANCKA RESIDENCE, BALI BUDI PRADONO ARCHITECTS Residential Living — Interiors (Compact) EVERTON PARK, SINGAPORE THE MONOCOT STUDIO Sustainability T · CAFé, HONG KONG LAAB ARCHITECTS Urban Redevelopment GARDEN RESTROOM, HONG KONG LAAB ARCHITECTS PRODUCTS Accessories HAND DRIP COFFEE SET FOR JIA INC. STUDIO SHIKAI Furniture GRACEFUL REINA SERIES VII CHEN &…

Calvin Tsao recently relocated his Brooklyn studio to a former light bulb factory. The reimagined warehouse has a glass and steel facade, soaring white walls and a loft that floats above an immaculate, open-plan workspace. As we settle into our chairs, Tsao explains that the new office, which accommodates a staff of approximately 25, is part of a resolution to scale back. ‘Our decision from now on is to be a small, design-forward studio,’ he says. Tsao founded his New York-based practice, Tsao & McKown Architects, in 1985 with his partner Zach McKown. The architects have since adapted their sensuous vision of modernism to a variety of typologies and scales: from lush villas in Singapore and mixed-use towers in Dalian to a spiritual center for Buddhist monks in Bhutan. Currently,…