Design Anthology, Asia Edition Issue 31

Spanish poet and philosopher George Santayana famously said ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ These words ring as true today as when they were written in 1905.While there’s a long list of drawbacks and heartaches associated with the current global pandemic — not least for many, a lingering sense of doom and increased anxiety (and possibly even more serious mental health ramifications) — the last two years have also brought an opportunity to reassess everything that we hold close and thought to be true. I have no time or space in my life for regret, but these last two and a half years — you may remember that the pandemic was preceded by six months of political unrest in Hong Kong — have definitely made me…

AWARDS The industry awards for the region’s design community, celebrating and showcasing high-calibre work by emerging and established designers design-anthology.com/awards SHOP A curated selection of products by makers working in and around Asia, with worldwide shipping to wherever you are design-anthology.com/shop SUBSCRIBE Receive four issues a year plus our Milan Report, as well as access to the digital edition and exclusive invitations and discounts design-anthology.com/subscribe EVENTS Online and offline, we bring thought leaders together to explore the future of design and inspire the people making it happen design-anthology.com/events EMAIL The Dispatch delivers a regular round-up of our top stories, products, events and opportunities straight to your inbox design-anthology.com/dispatch AUSTRALIA EDITION Published in Melbourne, Design Anthology Australia focuses on Australia and New Zealand’s burgeoning creative landscapes design-anthology.com/australia PODCAST Take an international tour to meet some of the most recognisable names working in design, architecture…

André Fu Living Hong Kong André Fu Living has opened its first stand-alone flagship store in Hong Kong’s Pacific Place, featuring the celebrated designer’s furniture, textiles, lighting and tableware collections. Inspired by the design of Kyoto’s traditional houses and Ginkaku-ji temple, the space is a holistic expression of André Fu Living’s design philosophy. ‘I wanted to capture the timeless essence of the collections and immerse guests in an atmosphere full of warmth and serenity,’ said Fu. ‘The soft geometry and simplicity of traditional Kyoto houses manifests the brand’s ideals of comfort, tactility and relaxed luxury.’ The store features pieces from André Fu Living’s existing collections, as well as OBJECTS, a separate run of material explorations that Fu launched at Design Miami/Podium × Shanghai this year. andrefuliving.com…

Louis Vuitton × Studio Adjective Hong Kong-based STUDIO ADJECTIVE has designed Louis Vuitton’s latest mah-jong set, a custom-made iteration of the traditional game created for the French fashion house’s Vanity Mahjong collection. As an architectural design firm, ADJECTIVE infused the mah-jong set with architectural elements, settling on the concept of ‘table architecture’ based on the stackable quality and geometry of the tiles. Made of ivory composite stone, American walnut and brass, the tiles and tile bars feature Louis Vuitton’s iconic four-petal flower logo, subtly incorporated into the design of the game. louisvuitton.com / adj.com.hk Mario Tsai Titled Origin, Hangzhou-based designer Mario Tsai’s new collection is a reflection on the decay of human instincts induced by modern technology. The collection’s six pieces — stools, benches and a floor lamp — were crafted with leftover logs…

The Making of M+ (Thames & Hudson) The recent opening of M+ in Hong Kong was a landmark occasion for a variety of reasons. More than a decade in the making, the museum presents an innovative approach in its aim to catalogue visual culture. This means that in addition to a variety of artwork throughout its many galleries, it can showcase essentially anything that can be seen, including built exhibits such as a 1988 Tokyo sushi bar by Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata. Designed by Seoul creative team Sulki & Min, this 720-page work is — appropriately — almost entirely visual, with 360 colour photographs taking a spread each. This storytelling includes images of news articles, site planning, the consultation process, building, artists, exhibits, staff and the occasional natural disaster. Captions provide context, as…

For Aki and Arnaud Cooren, launching their eponymous design studio in 1999 was a natural progression from working on projects together as students at École Camondo in Paris. ‘We each have a certain energy, so we’re really lucky to have met each other. We enjoy playing together,’ says Arnaud. Perhaps it’s this playfulness that makes the A+A Cooren style rather difficult to define. Although the couple favours a minimalist aesthetic, one of their collections can appear strikingly different to the next, as they use each as an opportunity to explore new materials, techniques and ideas. It’s their shared ethos and energy that is the constant link between each piece. ‘For us, design is about sharing ideas with people to understand who we’re making an object for,’ says Aki. ‘It’s this human…