Table of contents for Issue 33 in Design Anthology, Asia Pacific Edition

Warmer weather, longer days, fresh tropical fruit, trips to the beach and swimming in the ocean — these are just a few of my favourite things about summer. They’re always welcome markers of the change in season, much like the arrival of the annual summer edition of Design Anthology. In this issue, one of our favourites to research and put together each year, we’ve scoured the region for stories about culture, creativity, commerce and contemporary living: from a lush space in Ho Chi Minh that looks more like a greenhouse than an office, to a community architecture project in Bali run by a local design collective. We’re also thrilled to share four stunning homes — in Hong Kong, Singapore, India and Vietnam — that reflect an equally stunning range of…

Salvatori × John Pawson Italian natural stone specialist Salvatori has teamed up with renowned British architect John Pawson to produce Omphalos, a collection of coffee tables crafted in serene Bianco Carrara marble and Crema d’Orcia limestone. The collection references the Greek creation myth in which Zeus used two eagles to locate the centre of the world, its omphalos or ‘navel’. Pawson draws on this concept of centrality, and the resulting tables draw the gaze almost involuntarily. Omphalos tables are available in circular and rectangular versions, and feature concealed bases that make them appear to hover quietly just above the ground. salvatoriofficial.com/ johnpawson.com stem. Aman Bhayana and Sugandhi Mehrotra of Noida-based studio stem. have released a new series of handcrafted table objects in aluminium, brass and gunmetal bronze. The bookend, pen…

MORNING Charif Lona begins each day bright and early at five-thirty with a run along the Saen Saep canal from his home in Bangkok’s hip Thonglor neighbourhood. ‘Bangkok is inspiring, but also exhausting. There’s not a lot of peace to be found in this city,’ he says. ‘I’ve always been a very introverted person, and I grew up in a quiet, rural environment in Yala in the south.’ The exercise helps the founder and design director of multidisciplinary firm Studio Act of Kindness centre himself for the day ahead. ‘Each day I need to communicate with many people about many different things. Running in the early morning gives me the chance to revel in my little bubble,’ he says. When he finishes his run, Lona takes advantage of the pre-work…

To a young Joseph Bagasáo growing up in the Philippine province of Nueva Ecija, the glittering allure of a fashion career seemed a faraway pipe dream. Spurred on by early exposure to FashionTV as a fourth-grader, and the influence of his elegant grandmother’s custom-made clothing, the budding designer began sketching in high school, creating dresses for his mother and sister. ‘As a kid, I wasn’t the most outgoing. Fashion made me feel like I was expressing things I didn’t say, through design,’ he explains. To appease his parents, Bagasáo abandoned creative aspirations at college to complete a psychology degree, though his passion never wavered. With the help of a friend in the industry, he landed an internship with an established designer; this new mentor persuaded the Bagasáos to allow their…

Rumours had been swirling for months before May 2021, when international art fair Frieze finally confirmed that it would be launching a new edition — its first in Asia — in Seoul, with the inaugural event set to take place in early September 2022 alongside Kiaf SEOUL, Korea’s leading international art fair that has been running for two decades. The official announcement was something of a foregone conclusion by that point, given several key indicators that already pointed to the South Korean capital as the next Asian hub for global art collectors — chief among them the arrival of international blue-chip galleries, including the likes of Thaddaeus Ropac, KÖNIG and Gladstone, with early adopters Lehmann Maupin and Pace upgrading their spaces, the latter taking on a new gallery almost ten…

It wasn’t long ago that Bali was an idyllic getaway for backpackers looking to surf at pristine beaches or relax amid rice terraces. They were soon followed by luxury travellers drawn to the five-star resorts that opened on the island’s dramatic southern coast. Then came everyone else. In 2009, just over two million foreign visitors landed in Bali. A decade later, that number had grown to more than six million. As tourism surged, so did the number of people looking to get into the hospitality market. ‘Individual citizens — Balinese, non-Balinese Indonesians and foreigners — started developing properties and building businesses to meet the growing demands of the new tourism stream,’ explains Eva Natasa, an industrial designer who runs her own furniture brand in Bali. ‘It generated an island-wide phenomenon…

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 Browse our collection of back issues, books, guides, merchandise and more with worldwide shipping to your door, wherever you are design-anthology.com/shop SUBSCRIBE Receive four issues, as well as access to the digital edition and exclusive invitations and discounts, with an annual subscription 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 is an exclusive roundup of stories, products, events and opportunities delivered straight to your inbox each month 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…

01 Barefoot Living by Natalia Swarz HÔTEL WEEKEND The increasing pace of life seems to be leading to an uptick in the number of ‘slow’ books that remind us of the value in reducing our pace and inspire us to do just that. Barefoot Living explores the picturesque destinations where creative consultant and globetrotter Natalia Swarz has felt the least hurried. From the Mediterranean coast to various sunny isles, countryside locales and, surprisingly, cities, the book explores homes, guest houses and boutique hotels belonging to people who embrace a quieter existence. Each section includes a part on setting the table, a fundamental sensory experience of slowness and locale, as well as sundry musings and appropriately torpid photography. 02 Faye Toogood: Drawing, Material, Sculpture, Landscape edited by Alistair O’Neill PHAIDON Faye…

The cityscape of Yangon represents a vivid blend of traditional Myanmar, British colonial heritage and contemporary innovation in the arts, resulting in a unique and unparalleled urban culture. The skyline of the country’s former capital and international gateway is pierced by the gleaming spires of Buddhist stupas clad in layers of hand-pounded gold, while the downtown district along the Yangon River is filled with historic heritage architecture, charming tea shops and colourful markets supported by a multicultural, multilingual community of Burmese, Chinese, Indian and Persian descendants as well as minorities from the border regions. Yet Yangon is a fragile city, battered frequently by natural disasters such as the 2008 Cyclone Nargis and political violence such as that following the 2021 military coup. Conflicts between old and new politics, as well…

British designer Alexander Lamont has worked in Thailand for more than two decades. His Bangkok-based workshop houses craft ateliers for various natural materials, and artisanal techniques form an integral part of each one of Lamont’s furniture, lighting, wall covering and accessory designs. Now, following the brand’s flagship store in London’s Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, Alexander Lamont has opened a new gallery in the creative hub of Warehouse 30 on the Chao Phraya. The two-level Gallery takes over a traditional shophouse building; the ground floor showcases the brand’s handcrafted gifts, accessories and decorative items, while upstairs are furniture, lighting and wall hangings curated in a tranquil showroom designed for homeowners, interior designers and architects. Whether a delicate gilded vessel made from horse-tail hair, natural lacquer and pure gold leaf, or a…

Learn more louispoulsen.com When Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen designed Radiohuset in the 1940s — the functionalist building that housed the headquarters of national Danish broadcaster DR in Copenhagen until 2006 — he didn’t know that the fixtures he created for the space would become icons themselves. Now, eight decades later, Danish lighting manufacturer Louis Poulsen has revisited Lauritzen’s archive and introduced updated versions of his original studio wall lamp, paying homage to the late architect and to the spirit of Danish functionalism. Originally designed to be placed on the wall outside the broadcaster’s recording studio to indicate, with a green or red light, whether the studio was recording, the opaline glass lamp was also used throughout the Radiohuset. It was designed around the same period as Lauritzen’s famous VL38 Table…

In their adopted home city of Berlin, Hsin-Ying Ho and Kai-Ming Tung have found the perfect place to combine their love for creativity and desire for a slow-paced approach. Partners in work and life who have just had their first child, they met while studying architecture in their native Taiwan. Their master’s degrees, in scenography for Ho and product design for Tung, led them to the German capital, where they established Yellow Nose Studio in 2017. ‘Berlin is the kind of place that allows us to have a break from busy city life,’ Ho says. ‘We’re inspired by daily life just walking from home to the studio, where we see things like random abandoned furniture pieces on the street or coloured patterns on the buildings.’ Ho and Tung found their…

01 Hong Kong brand 2°EAST’s watches are ethically produced from sustainable materials like recycled plastic or vegetable-tanned leather straps and robust sapphire crystal faces. Our favourite is the timeless monochrome Black NATO with a contrasting white strap woven from 100 per cent RePET recycled plastic bottles. 2degreeseast.com 02 Sunki is a low-impact but high-attitude fashion and lifestyle brand from Manila, founded by four friends with a shared passion for mindful consumption and easy-to-wear garments. For long summer days that turn nocturnal, we love the Knitty Gritty cropped tank and Knitty Gritty lounge pants set, both made from deadstock cotton knit. sunki-label.com 03 Days in the sun call for a statement hat that makes any outfit. Indonesian social enterprise and sustainable brand Handep works with local artisans and smallholders to produce…

01 The Madrid EDITION  —Madrid Located in the heart of the Spanish capital, The Madrid EDITION has been designed by visionary British architect John Pawson and Paris-based François Champsaur as a luxurious new offering with impeccable attention to detail. Pawson’s serene design sensitivities and Champsaur’s originality mesh to create thoughtful spaces, including 200 guestrooms and suites, two restaurants, three unique bar concepts, a breathtaking rooftop pool overlooking the city, and a wellness and spa facility, all showcasing that heady mix of creativity and innovation we’ve come to associate with EDITION. 02 Château de Fiac  —Tarn With its carefully curated furniture, textiles and art, boutique hotel Château de Fiac is a petite accommodation bursting with exquisite features courtesy of interior designer Alexis Dupont. Located near Toulouse, its 14 rooms and suites…