Design Anthology, Asia Edition #27

Over the course of this year and since COVID-19 was officially labelled a pandemic, I’ve overheard and taken part in several conversations about what this period means for humanity, our planet and the future of cities, what we can learn and how or where to find silver linings. None of these conversations were as interesting as one I recently watched (and which we subsequently republished on our website): the second in the Bengal Institute’s BI Between series, which aims to explore the critical spaces between architecture, landscape and city. In this conversation, the institute’s director general, Bangladeshi architect and urbanist Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, spoke with architect, urban designer and conservationist Rahul Mehrotra of RMA Architects about the impact of COVID-19 and the future of cities in South Asia. I thought…

HOUSE OF WANG Beijing A restored hutong in Beijing’s historical heart is now home to multi-brand design company HOUSE OF WANG. Founded by Ruby Ren and Eric Wang, two business leaders in China’s design scene, HOUSE OF WANG is the sole distributor of a selection of internationally renowned lifestyle brands in the Chinese mainland, including Alexa Lixfeld, Apparatus, Bethan Gray, Calico Wallpaper, Lee Broom, Nada Debs, Ochre, Omar Khan Rugs, Paola C., Sé Collections and 1882 Ltd. houseofwang.com…

Karyn Lim Singaporean industrial designer Karyn Lim was prematurely repatriated during her postgraduate studies in Switzerland due to the pandemic. Back home and without access to the school’s facilities and prototyping equipment, and conscious of minimising noise so as not to disturb her neighbours during Singapore’s lockdown, Lim had to be resourceful during the design development and prototyping of her master’s project. The resulting Cloud collection comprises a coffee table and side tables or stools that are essentially functional blocks — generic geometric volumes made from printed birch plywood, but with softer edges that reveal the layers of the material. All of the pieces in the collection are available in custom sizes and colours. karynlim.com Caran d’Ache × Kengo Kuma Revered Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has teamed up with Swiss stationers Caran d’Ache…

In the wake of Salone del Mobile’s cancellation earlier this year, Italian leather furniture producer Baxter has conceptualised Baxter Worldwide 2020 as an alternative platform to share its new collections, an initiative involving a series of international launch events that all took place on the same day in October. According to Baxter CEO Paolo Bestetti, the project is the result of asking, ‘If they can’t come to us, why don’t we go to them?’ The new collection has been designed with a sense of comfort and security in mind, with shapes and forms that embrace and reassure. As always, colour is an important factor, and this year three palettes have been presented: the first is a combination of warm chocolates and camel tones combined with a hint of blueberry, the second…

Cities of Silence: Extraordinary Views of a Shutdown World (teNeues) Humans have long held a fascination with abandoned places; while this arguably reflects deeper feelings about the ephemerality of our own existence, the publishers of Cities of Silence find images of COVID-19 lockdown-affected urban environments calming and meditative. In either case, the imagery of cities with nary a soul in sight is surreal and compelling (and represents quite a feat in the speed at which this volume was compiled). Photographers both amateur and professional contribute to the work, which shows the effects of the pandemic in more than 60 cities across multiple continents. As the introduction notes, however, complete silence does not reign everywhere (indeed, it will surprise nobody to see a few people milling around Shibuya Crossing). Breakout sections in the bilingual…

Since its founding almost 40 years ago, Kukje Gallery has been a tastemaker in the global arts industry, representing significant Korean and international artists such as Park Seo-Bo, Lee Ufan, Louise Bourgeois, Anish Kapoor, Haegue Yang and Jenny Holzer. Its three spaces (K1, K2 and K3) are located near Gyeongbok Palace in the historic Jongno district, a neighbourhood dotted with cafes, boutiques and cultural institutions including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and The Blue House, the official presidential residence. Now, after almost three years of planning, design and construction, the gallery has relaunched its three-storey K1 building with an updated cafe, restaurant and bar, in addition to a wellness and yoga centre and the gallery. While architect Sooran Kim of OURStudio is behind the building’s design and the first-floor…