Tabla de contenidos para Issue 40 en Design Anthology, Asia Pacific Edition

Silver is a divisive material. Admirerssee utter beauty in its quiet lustre, while others, especially if they’re tasked with polishing it, see instability and even caprice, as oxidation yellows and reddens the material until the surface is tarnished with shades of black. To South Korean ceramic artist Heami Lee, that tricky characteristic is its biggest charm, and a major part of why she chose to work with the craft tradition of silver overlay. Her pieces, Lee says, ‘enter a collector’s home or a gallery, change colour according to their surroundings, to the atmosphere around them, to the hands that touch them, recording the time that has elapsed.’ It’s also why she chose pottery, she says. ‘It’s a product of accumulation. Your gestures are imprinted on the surface, as shapes.’ In…

Tai Ping and Stanley Wong are Hong Kong institutions in their own rights, so it may seem surprising that the heritage rug studio and the acclaimed visual communicator hadn’t collaborated until 2022. But when Tai Ping asked Wong, aka anothermountainman, about working together, he jumped at the opportunity. ‘Tai Ping is one of the Hong Kong brands I’ve appreciated and respected all these years,’ he says. ‘This is a dream situation, to work with an international Hong Kong brand, and one of such high quality.’ That initial collaboration resulted in Hong Kong Walk On, a large-scale installation that saw Wong’s iconic Red White Blue series translated onto a bespoke carpet for Art Basel in 2022. Now the two have collaborated once more, this time on Tai Ping’s new showroom in…

As Cathay Pacific’s aircraft descends into Tokyo, the cabin is bathed in warm winter light, illuminating a forest of earthy fabric seats, moss-green leather surfaces, tactile taupe blankets, milky cotton pillows and glazed ceramic tableware. It all makes for an unmistakable place marker, an unusual feeling given that we’re above the clouds, where we’re neither here nor there. Cathay Pacific, founded by an Australian and an American in 1946, remains one of the key connectors between its Hong Kong hub, the wider Asia Pacific region and the rest of the world. In fact, there are probably few aircraft in the airline’s 230-strong fleet that haven’t carried a Design Anthology editor at some point over the last decade, with Cathay’s lounges a de facto network of members’ clubs, hosting impromptu meetings…

During the pandemic, many homeowners became amateur horticulturalists. For some, the interest faded as they headed back into the world and resumed normal life. But for others, gardening defined a new way of living. Such was the case for the owner of this Singapore apartment, who had become a true plantsman and was frustrated by the way his home’s compartmentalised framework kept him away from his leafy companions. ‘I want to wake up to my plants’ was the simple brief he gave Shing Hui Lim, founder of L Architects, who worked on the home with the studio’s architectural interior designer Reid Tan. Typically for dense, developed cities, the apartment had a small living area and an enclosed kitchen, with three bedrooms accessed via a corridor. Lim decided to look at…

When I arrived in Chiang Mai in October last year, it was in the wake of the worst floods the city had seen in decades. Taking the overnight train from Bangkok was more than just an attempt to ease my carbon guilt, it was about seeing the land as it is. But the journey stopped short in Lampang, two hours away, as the tracks ahead lay submerged. The Ping River had risen over five metres, drowning neighbourhoods to the east and south. The weather might be getting worse across the globe, but floods are nothing new here; traditional Thai houses were built on stilts for a reason. Thailand’s second city was founded as the new capital of the Lanna Kingdom after floods destroyed the previous one. Moated and walled in…

In a deliberate departure from traditional memorial design, Evergreen Community Precinct by Australian firm Walter Brooke redefines not only how spaces for grief and reflection can support the process of loss, but also how these spaces can be integral in the community. The scale of the building in Adelaide’s Enfield Memorial Park, together with its sensitively selected materials, makes it an appropriate civic and public offering that invites interaction. Rather than focusing solely on the sadness and intimacy of grief, firm director Mark Berlangieri and his team chose to centre connection, inclusivity and the enduring link between people and place. ‘Evergreen isn’t just about reflecting on death,’ he explains. ‘It’s about creating a community space — something welcoming and supportive for everyone. When you go to a funeral, it doesn’t…

Standing in the midday sun in his Kyoto workshop, lantern maker Ryo Kojima slowly unfolds his latest creation: a UFO with a trailing beam, its modern lines meticulously crafted from washi paper and hand-tied rings of bamboo. It’s not every day that Kyoto’s traditional craft takes the form of the extraterrestrial, but much like this creation, Kojima Shoten, the lantern company Kojima’s family has run for more than 220 years, embodies the relationship between heritage and innovation, blending generations-old techniques with contemporary creativity. For centuries, the Japanese art of crafting cochin, or paper lanterns, has been in the service of gently illuminating the traditional confines of temples, shrines, tearooms and residences, as well as lighting up the thousands of festivals that take place across the country each year. Kojima Shoten,…

In an atelier tucked into the folds of the Tibetan Plateau, lifestyle label Norlha creates clothing and homewares from fine khullu, the soft under down of the native yak known for its warmth, softness and durability. But the label goes beyond making products for the body and the home: it embodies a vision that preserves fading traditions, restores purpose to local communities and gives honest meaning to the word ‘luxury’. The seed for Norlha was planted in the late 1970s, when Chicago-born Kim Yeshi and her Tibetan husband began to discover the beauty of the simple yet valuable products created by the nomads of his native region, such as yak’s milk and sheep’s wool. Over the decades, as Yeshi’s understanding grew, so too did her desire to preserve the culture…

Seoul. Sleep 01 Banyan Tree Club & Spa A stay at this five-star hilltop urban resort is a trip back in time. Swoo Geun Kim, one of Korea’s first modern architects, designed the original concrete structures of the then Tower Hotel in 1969, a landmark achievement at a time when the country’s per-capita GDP was less than 200 US dollars. The quiet haven in Seoul’s geographical centre reopened in 2010 under the current brand following a renovation by Gansam Architects & Partners. 02 Ryse Hongdae, a university neighbourhood in Mapo District near Hongik University, has long attracted the city’s young artists and misfits. The 274-room Ryse opened there in 2018, and every corner feels like a tribute to the creative community, from bold, colourful interiors by Michaelis Boyd and local…

Once a humble, haphazardly renovated shack on stilts, designer Melissa Strauch’s beachside family haven is now an artful composition, welcoming its idyllic surroundings with eclectic charm. Created by German-born Strauch and her partner Brendan Cairns, a builder with local roots, the home weaves distinct cultural influences with an environmentally mindful approach. ‘We both loved that it felt like a treehouse,’ Strauch says. ‘We really wanted to retain that character, so we intentionally oriented the house on the property to make sure we wouldn’t disturb any of the gorgeous old trees.’ This philosophy of working with the landscape rather than altering it defined the project’s trajectory. Perched lightly among gnarled native greenery, a streamlined rectilinear form reflects a lifelong appreciation for clean lines, stripes and geometry, which Strauch attributes to her…

A vital feature of the quiet, lush locale of Thiruvalla is the Manimala River, which flows through and sustains the largest town in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district. Midway through its journey, the river bends and washes over a series of stone steps that extend into a striking, brutalist-style home designed by Reny Lijo and Lijo Jos of Lijo Reny Architects for a doctor couple. The distinctive 1,200-square-metre residence is built primarily from stone and concrete, both highly resilient in the area’s sun and moisture, as well as being easy to maintain and ageing gracefully over time. ‘As the couple and their children were used to living in small, simple, hospital-provided quarters, they wanted a home that required the least amount of upkeep,’ explains Jos. ‘That encouraged us to choose a brutalist…

The dappled sunlight of a leafy side street falls on a travertine table by local designer Tom Fereday, plays on the lacquer top of a toadstool-shaped side table by Paris-and Hong Kong-based designers Batten and Kamp and Henry D’ath, shimmers across the brushed aluminium surfaces of Belgian Jumandie Seys’s furniture, and comes to settle on a hewn oak dining table designed by Carlo Scarpa in the early 1970s, which stands on a painterly, raw concrete floor. ‘The effect we’re striving for here is one of pronounced calm,’ says Joseph Gardner, who, along with partner Aaron Wong, is co-founder and director of the Studio Gardner gallery in Sydney’s Rushcutters Bay. ‘I feel like we’re just so overstimulated every day with screens beeping at us, social media flashing alerts… It’s an assault…

Indonesia, a country with a longstanding craft heritage, is one of the world’s largest furniture manufacturing centres, yet its designers and makers haven’t quite had their moment in the sun. This is a nation that has developed numerous products for internationally recognised brands, but is lesser known on the global stage for its ingenuity and artistry. It was this chasm that led Jakarta-based designer Alvin Tjitrowirjo to establish his eponymous furniture brand AlvinT in 2006, with the aim of creating new and unique forms that take inspiration from and reference Indonesia’s rich culture. The Dahan Bench is a case in point: crafted by hand from rattan — Tjitrowirjo’s trademark medium — it’s a fresh, sculptural take on natural materials and local craft. And it speaks to cultural and environmental patterns…

01 Aimer, Thailand Thai label Aimer takes an elevated approach to the essentials. Its latest collection is inspired by the city uniform and celebrates tailoring, sleek cuts and simplicity. The collection is produced by local tailors, whose expert skills bring a sense of tradition to the updated classic styles. Our picks are the structured double-breasted blazer and oversized trousers in dark brown and the slouchy First handbag, crafted from 100 per cent cow suede. theaimershop.com 02 Ched Studio, Philippines Under the creative direction of Christian Edward Dalogaog, Filipino brand Ched Studio draws inspiration from art, history and contemporary culture to create pieces that are fused with local craft traditions. The made-to-order grosgrain oversized cashmere wool vest is cut from pure cashmere wool, with a boxy fit, an open side panel…

CRESCENT HEAD Sea Sea Hotel The northern New South Wales coast is the setting for this 70s-inspired surf club hotel. The brainchild of creative director and designer George Gorrow, creator of The Slow in Bali, and his wife Cisco Tschurtschenthaler, the 25-key property styles itself as a cultural hub as much as a place to stay, with art exhibitions, music performances and a communal surf club underlining the offering. Rooms are inspired by 70s surf culture, and despite their contemporary take will feel immediately familiar to those who stayed in similar properties of yore. In this case, though, Gorrow and his network have created bespoke homewares, amenities, scents, surfboards, music, objects, art and sculptures throughout the hotel. Chef Daniel Medcalf brings the best of the nearby Macleay Valley to restaurant…

Chongqing-born Shanghai gallerist Matthew Liu had always wanted a home with its own garden, until he came across a ground-floor apartment nestled in a leafy courtyard community. ‘The landscaping was incredible, with grown trees and palms — you don’t see that in Shanghai,’ he says. To redesign the home for himself, his husband and their cat, Liu enlisted his friend and fellow Chongqing native, Signyan Design co-founder Ke Xie. Despite the whole-floor layout, the original space felt fragmented by three separate bedrooms. The first step was removing these barriers to allow natural light to flood in from both sides and fully frame the garden views. Stretching the length of the apartment, the new main suite flows into a generous walk-in closet and bathroom, with sliding wall partitions for privacy. At…

In this apartment for a renowned game developer in Guangzhou, China, Bernice Bi of Kinjo Design has transformed a compartmentalised interior into a fluid, connected space. The owner, says Bi, ‘wanted to escape urban noise, and sought a comfortable, laid-back home that also offers surprises.’ But the dwelling is not only for rest and is now equipped with dedicated zones for painting, model making, reading and home gardening. The apartment is located in the city’s financial area, and overlooks a garden suspended over the highway. From the living room window, the distant view of a mountainous forest park inspired the idea of a home with its own form of topography. In the original layout, the front door opened directly to two living rooms and dining space, flanked by two bedrooms…

Shanghai-based photographer Zhefeng Shang brings a keen, thoughtful eye to modern Chinese history, delving into its impacts on society and the country’s shifting landscapes. Hailing from a rural corner of Shaanxi province, Shang frequently visits his hometown to seek inspiration from local folk traditions and his family history. It was on one such visit that he encountered a striking remnant of the past: the outdoor stages that once hosted revolutionary operas during the Cultural Revolution. The discovery was to become the focal point of his series Theater Stage. Chinese opera culture dates back several centuries, but the stages Shang photographs are different from traditional versions as they combine traditional decorative motifs with red slogans and national emblems that reflect their historical context. In a stark, objective style, he documented 51…

For some, Sydney’s Central Station was a place to avoid. A confusing maze of gloomy passages and dark corners, it could feel uninviting or unsafe to travel through. But a recent transformation, completed in 2024, has rendered it almost unrecognisable. The station now has a cathedral-like vastness, with soaring ceilings bathed in light. ‘It’s on par with the scale of other Central Stations around the world,’ says John Prentice, principal at Woods Bagot, which was tasked with the overhaul of Central Station with John McAslan + Partners. Despite the subterranean environs, Prentice says the firm sought to create a ‘positive underground experience’, adding that their research gave them ‘a real understanding of those nuances about human interaction, the sense of consideration, sense of safety, warmth, tactility and natural light.’ The…