Table of contents for #24 in Design Anthology, Asia Pacific Edition

Our planet is on the brink of an irreversible catastrophe, and the side you take in the anthropogenic global warming debate seems irrelevant. I say this because there’s no arguing that the vast majority of us are over-consuming: plastics, products, packaging, petroleum, animal protein… the list goes on. We’re consuming finite fossil fuels when our governments and private industry should be investing in and promoting clean renewable energy sources. We’re filling islands and swathes of once-pristine land with waste and landfill. The way most of us are living is simply not sustainable. I’ve always been an advocate for buying well and buying less, a principle I hope is evident in the pages of every issue we publish. In this issue we take a look at small spaces, density and treading…

A Decade of Design Wanderlust by Domisilium Studio (SiMPUL) Indonesian design duo Santi Alaysius and Hamphrey Tedja established Domisilium Studio in 2009 (see page 46), and published this book in celebration of the studio’s first decade. While it’s largely project-focused, the work contains conversations with the firm’s collaborators, descriptions of the two (each written by the other) and their working process, and even a feature on their cats. The treatment is both informative and whimsical, with a stream of handwritten notes and musings providing colour alongside playful doodles. Domisilium’s work is characterised by wit as well as intelligence, and the book is a personal celebration of both. AA Women in Architecture 1917–2017 edited by Elizabeth Darling & Lynne Walker (AA Publications) This book is the keystone of AAXX 100, a…

Recent years have seen a growing trend in design to bring the inside out and the outside in, blending the two into a harmonious space and way of living.This has of course led to a demand for outdoor furniture of high quality, that holds its own as design objects rather than being merely utilitarian. With this in mind, heritage furniture creator Flexform has produced its first outdoor furniture collection, bolstered by its forays into yacht and resort projects, and its vast experience in designing and manufacturing luxurious modern pieces. Design remains key in the new range. Flexform’s own Design Center is represented, as are long-time collaborator Antonio Citterio and past icons Mario Asnago and Claudio Vender. Citterio has created the new Vulcano customisable seating system, which brings the brand’s much-loved…

‘W e were inspired by a richer, more romanticised time — a bit of film noir and the sixties and seventies decades,’ says Jou-Yie Chou, partner at New York-based Studio Tack, about his team’s design of The Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur’s latest design-led hotel. ‘We wanted to introduce a timelessness that’s rooted in history, whether it be directly by Chow Kit the person, the neighbourhood, Kuala Lumpur or Malaysia as a whole.’ Located on a corner site in Chow Kit, the hotel embodies an old-world glamour inspired by the country’s first tycoon and the neighbourhood and hotel’s namesake, tin magnate Loke Chow Kit. The Malaysian Anglophile made his money in tin mining and began opening trade shops, then gambling and opium dens, in the area. Widely regarded as one of…

The designers featured in this issue are all highly skilled in creating beautiful smaller spaces, for economy and efficiency at the scale of a single unit. Viewed from a wider angle, how might this small-space savvy add up to meet a grander design challenge: the question of how to accommodate millions of people, each with their own needs and expectations, within a finite amount of space? The global population is due to reach eight billion people around 2025, and although growth has slowed in recent decades, upward trends in urbanisation and international migration continue. Moreover, only 20 per cent of the Earth’s surface is suitable for human habitation, and prominent ecologists have called for the preservation or restoration of much of this land to ‘rewilded’ territories that will act as…

Minotti, Xi’an Italian furniture brand Minotti has inaugurated a brand-new flagship store in Xi’an. This newest location is its seventh in China, strengthening the brand’s presence in the country. Spanning two floors, the expansive mono-brand store was conceived by Minotti Studio, the brand’s creative department. Located in the tony Daminggong Residential District, the store aims to offer context-driven experiences of Minotti’s latest collections. minotti.com Rimadesio, Seoul The Italian producer of high-tech furniture continues its expansion in Asia with its latest store in Seoul, following openings across China, Japan, South East Asia and India. Located in the fashionable Gangnam district, the new store showcases and retails systems for living and sleeping areas, accessories, tables and doors. rimadesio.it Tom Dixon, Hangzhou Iconic British designer Tom Dixon’s eponymous brand has recently opened its…

Design Anthology: How did you first meet? CHEN AND WEI: We met fifteen years ago, when we were both working in Taipei. Hung-Ming was an industrial designer in the electronics field and Chen-Yen was an assistant fashion designer. Though our companies had nothing in common, our offices were in the same industrial zone. Our mutual friends, a newlywed couple who were our respective colleagues at the time, introduced us in 2004. That’s where our story began. How did you end up living and working in Stockholm? We moved to Sweden in 2006, when we were in our mid-twenties. The main reason we came here was so Hung-Ming could study at Konstfack. We thought of it as a sort of two-year honeymoon. We were actually quite naive and didn’t think too…

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,…

‘Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.’ This is the mantra embraced by artist Ricky Lee Gordon, which he has made manifest through his art studio and home Sunyata. Nestled into the headland of Nilwella in southern Sri Lanka, the space emerges quietly from the surrounding tropical foliage. Once the home of a local fisherman, Śūnyatā is an expression of Gordon’s search for stillness away from an ever-frantic world, combined with a desire to open his doors to artists who share his vision. The Johannesburg native started his career almost two decades ago, when he began painting public murals in the city’s poorer communities, which stood in stark contrast to his privileged suburban upbringing. Using his art to highlight humanity’s commonalities was at once humbling and inspiring, and sparked a reflectiveness…

Businessman, visual merchandiser, brand developer, interior decorator, designer and shop owner; Ito Kish has worn many hats over the course of his storied career. Known for his ability to create impressively eclectic vignettes and inspiring, experiential spaces, Kish built his portfolio and business on a discerning eye — something he developed on his own and without any formal design education. ‘Everything I’ve ever done has been based on what I liked and what I found beautiful,’ Kish says. ‘When I think about how my life has unfolded — how I came from humble beginnings — I realise how I can’t take anything for granted.’ At the onset of a new decade, Kish finds his days slow, spacious and steady. With his showroom now closed and having chosen not to take…

When I first visited Wangjing in 2010, it wasn’t much more than a residential district. It was, however, slated to become one of Beijing’s next business districts, and it wouldn’t be sleepy much longer. Nine years later, while I was transferring between subway lines a few kilometres away from Wangjing, I got a first glimpse of the results of that vision. A vast new centre was rising up, full of skyscrapers with their own distinct profiles. As an architecture photographer, I traverse many business districts across the vast mainland of China. While all different, they follow a similar pattern: they try to solve societal issues — and they all fail in exactly the same way. In a past life, I was an architect designing the kinds of towers that populate…

Ladies & Gentlemen Studio × Vera & Kyte Multidisciplinary Brooklyn-based Ladies & Gentlemen Studio has collaborated with Norwegian design duo Vera & Kyte on the new Krane lighting collection. ‘Working over long distance via email and conference calls, we came to discover our Pacific Northwest roots are closely entangled with Nordic influences,’ says the pair behind Ladies & Gentlemen. The outcome is a beautifully simple design that challenges the traditional lighting archetypes while remaining versatile. The collection comprises two configurations, both produced by boutique manufacturer Roll & Hill. ladiesandgentlemenstudio.com / vera-kyte.com /rollandhill.com PELLE New York studio PELLE was founded by designer couple Jean and Olivier Pelle, both trained architects who combine artistic expression and architectural precision in their work. New from the duo is the tripodal DVN table, which is fabricated…

Young Korean ceramicist Yoon Seokhyeon has created a set of tableware that combines refinement with an organic appearance. An alumnus of Design Academy Eindhoven, Yoon’s 2019 graduate collection, titled Ott / Another Paradigmatic Ceramic, was a set of ceramic tableware with a rare, sober beauty. The concept behind the set is as simple as it is genius: apply a traditional Korean lacquer — once used for wood — rather than a conventional glaze. ‘During my studies in the Academy’s Well-Being department, I was taught to reflect on durability and sustainability. With ceramics being my starting point, I started to reconsider the glazing,’ Yoon says. ‘While clay is such a natural product, the glazing is often quite the opposite, especially the orange and red versions, which contain heavy metals and can…

Anew 28-storey office building in Hong Kong developed around the concept of a vertical creative city has set an original benchmark, redrawing boundaries between work and life to create a fresh social experience. The Platinum LEED pre-certified building in North Point demonstrates a growing shift towards integrating office spaces with cultural and community hubs like restaurants, bars and cafes, and art and culture spaces. Known for their signature curatorial approach to communication strategies, Marisa Yiu and Eric Schuldenfrei,founders of multidisciplinary architecture studio ESKYIU, were commissioned to produce an unconventional interior fit-out that challenges mainstream approaches to office design. ‘We wanted to design a building with quirkiness and surprises,’ says Yiu. This starts at street level with a green facade of more than 40,000 plants covering the first three floors and…

At Dechiu Hotel in the coastal Vietnamese town of Hoi An, waves crashing on the shore of nearby An Bang Beach set a gentle tempo to the days. Breakfast starts with freshly squeezed juice and whatever has been harvested from the cafe’s farm. A walk on the beach, a bike ride through the rice fields into town, or hours spent curled up with a book on the daybed are but a few of the activities available for the day ahead. Life generally takes a more leisurely pace here — at least slower than what I’m used to — and it feels discernibly easier to be present and in the moment. This petite beach bolthole is the brainchild of self-taught designer TheO Pham. Growing up on the northern coast of Vietnam…

The shrinking of home sizes is an indisputable fact of city life, meaning urbanites need to get creative in order to make the most of minimal space. A case study is this home in Singapore by Joey Khu Interior Design, which tells a modern tale of living small but well. Grounding this narrative is the delicate balance of mood and function. The design of this 53-square-metre two-bedroom apartment embraces many clever strategies that de-emphasise its small size. The couple who lives here requested a cosy abode with abundant storage space. They also wanted it to be a retreat from the city’s cacophony, much like a well-designed and welcoming boutique hotel that provides all the necessary comforts for weary minds and bodies. The hotel reference becomes apparent on entering through an…

There’s a certain repetitiveness and orthogonal rhythm to the busy streets of Hong Kong. Buildings appear to simply be extruded from their foundations, their structures unmodified over endless floors. One exception to this consistent, painfully rational and rather rigorous urban fabric is the Hong Kong Club Building in Central district, a modernist landmark whose distinct curved facades introduce a certain softness to the otherwise rough urban landscape. Austrian-Australian architect Harry Seidler was invited to design the third premises of the city’s first private gentlemen’s club after unsuccessful efforts to preserve its predecessor, a Victorian edifice designed by Palmer and Turner Hong Kong (now P&T Group) and completed in 1897. The much-loved building was demolished, and the unusual lot, with the neighbouring cenotaph and Chater Garden providing open space that contrasts…