Design Anthology Asia Edition 2022

DOSSIER / PROFILE 49

Previous page Working at the intersection of art and design, Shanghai-based Cometabolism Studio translates urban observations and discarded industrial components into thought-provoking work This page Cometabolism’s saturated blue and orange designs, such as the Mixed Public-Private Boundary collection (top left), Displacement cabinet (top right) and Nomad bookshelf (bottom), incorporate repurposed industrial elements such as acrylic sheets, corrugated plastic and cargo lashing belts Facing page Cometabolism’s 2020 installation Have a Seat invited the audience to interact with urban elements such as benches and stools made of street bollards 50

DOSSIER / PROFILE Cometabolism launched in 2020 with an installation for an art festival at M WOODS 798 museum in Beijing. Titled Have a Seat, the installation invited the audience to interact with several street elements such as benches and stools made of street bollards. ‘Our process starts from observing people’s behaviour in a public environment,’ says Yang, explaining how the installation mimicked people’s interactions with bollards in the street, like when they sit or rest their legs waiting for traffic lights. Another work based on urban observations is the Nomad Bookshelf, which is inspired by how travelling hawkers in China have been gathering crowds around their movable shops for centuries. Built on wheels, the piece aims to redefine the bookshelf as an object that can leave private realms and move into other spaces, spreading information and gathering people together. ‘We’re trying to break existing definitions of furniture,’ Yang says, adding that, as art pieces, both designs make us consider ‘how we can define life more loosely, without imposing limitations’. The pieces in the Mixed Public-Private Boundary collection have more defined forms, but they continue to blur the lines between private and public and debunk the original functionality of common items. In this series, Zhang and Yang return the designs to a fundamental state and broaden their potential: chairs,cabinets,tables and lamps can be moved, repositioned and combined to reveal new functions and visual effects. More than practical items, the works are intended to provoke thought. ‘We want to present people with possibilities and incite the imagination. Hopefully, we can establish a new way of looking at the world with our works,’ says Zhang. 51

DOSSIER / PROFILE In No Rush In LA’s Arts District, the Japanese- inspired studio of architecture and Text Karine Monié KLZPNUÄYT;OL6US`>H`0Z<W 6>0<YLÅLJ[ZP[ZMV\\UKLYZ(THUKH Gunawan and Joel Wong’s slow and meaningful approach to design Images by Justin Chung O riginally from Indonesia and Singapore respectively, What was originally intended to be Gunawan’s home Amanda Gunawan and Joel Wong chose Los Angeles turned out to be the designers’ ideal studio space. Located to launch The Only Way Is Up (OWIU), an architecture and in the Biscuit Company Lofts, a live-work development design studio that takes a slow, considered approach. in the former National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) West Coast bakery in LA’s Arts District, it’s a serene A child of architect parents,Wong would visit the construction Japan-inspired space that lends itself to studio life. ‘I was sites of the houses he grew up in, so it’s perhaps natural that meant to move into the space following its completion he followed in his parents’ footsteps. Gunawan, too, realised in winter 2021, but after becoming accustomed to using early on that she’d pursue architecture. ‘I also knew early in it as a temporary home office, I kept delaying the move,’ my career exactly the type of architecture I wanted to do,’she Gunawan says. ‘The residential energy created a sense of says. ‘It’s not so much a question of aesthetics, because that calm, a sacred space.’ changes and evolves, but rather the type. I wanted to design and build thoughtfully, meaningfully and intentionally, and I Fascinated by projects that have a unique past, Gunawan wanted this to be both at a micro and macro level.’ and Wong are lucky enough to have worked on several historical buildings and homes in their adopted city. The duo met in high school in Singapore — Gunawan Drawing inspiration from Japanese ryokans, their latest moved from Indonesia when she was five —  and both project, Palmero, is one such structure. ‘For this mid- studied at the Southern California Institute of Architecture century modern house, it was important to us to evolve (SCI-Arc) before settling in Los Angeles, a city they felt the design,’ Wong says. ‘We approached it by finding had a strong and supportive creative community. This was the middle ground between preservation and renovation, the starting point for the launch of OWIU in 2018, and since using mid-century elements like glass blocks to create then they’ve honed their focus on sustainable development new design elements.’ On the ryokan concept, Gunawan through the prevention of construction wastage and the adds, ‘My Asian roots will always be in everything I do creation of spaces that last. — inwardly and outwardly — whether that’s through my values and tenets, my approach to design or my work itself.’ Sourcing materials that are often salvaged or reusable, favouring neutrality as a vehicle for harmony, leaving enough Day after day and project after project, Gunawan and Wong room for authorship and designing structures that evolve perfect their carefully considered design approach and with their inhabitants are some of the studio’s core principles. continue to branch out. They are currently in discussions ‘We like to find creative solutions to problems,’ Wong says. about working on a small hotel in Mexico City and their first ‘We craft very carefully, and while we care about the final book, Palmero House, was published in November this year. aesthetics of a project, we believe that is a by-product of a strong narrative.We believe one can’t exist without the other.’ 52





Facing page For the recent Palmero project, a mid-century house in Los Angeles, the OWIU team drew PUZWPYH[PVUMYVT1HWHULZLY`VRHUZ^OPSLÄUKPUN balance between preservation and renovation Images by Justin Chung This page, top Gunawan and Wong met in high school in Singapore and both studied at the Southern California Institute of Architecture before settling in Los Angeles and launching OWIU in 2018 Image courtesy of OWIU This page, bottom When designing Singapore’s GOHO kaiseki & bar, the designers veered away from traditional high-end Japanese restaurants and opted for a raw and industrially modern material palette instead Images by Finbarr Fallon 55

STYLE Fashion design and culture

For the upcoming holiday season, we’ve got our eye on a pair of COMFY penny loafers from gender-neutral Thai brand boyis. Image courtesy of boyis.

STYLE / EDITOR’S PICKS The Jet Set With travel restrictions relaxed and end-of-year holidays on the horizon, we’re giving our essentials an upgrade Edited by 01 Simone Schultz Welsh designer Ross Lovegrove’s sleek Mu7 headphones for KEF can be rotated and flattened into a smart travel case for compact transport. kef.com 02 The COMFY penny loafer from gender-neutral Thai brand boyis. walks like a sneaker and talks like a brogue. instagram.com/boyis.official 03 New Japanese luggage brand moln’s limited offering — three sizes in three colours, for now — goes big on design and looks. moln.com 04 The earth-toned pieces in Hong Kong label SoL’s new Green Knits collection are perfect for the plane or for days where comfort is key. Produced using a 3D-knitting technique, the garments are seamless, breathable and durable. solthelabel.co 58

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STYLE / PROFILE Evolving Tradition Text Quyên Hoàng V ietnamese designer Tom Trandt has recently been For Spring/Summer 2023, his first major collection for appointed the new art director of lacquerware brand Hanoia,Trandt decided that the vibrancy of colours and the Hanoia, the move cementing the beloved homeware sheen of fabrics should be highlighted — a continuation brand’s segue into contemporary fashion. A Parsons and reflection of the brand’s refined lacquerware. A alumnus, Trandt (whose Vietnamese name is Trần Minh blossoming flower, an air of naturalness and effortless Đạo) has established himself as a new and exciting voice in femininity are the qualities infused in the designer’s idea Vietnamese fashion since he moved back from New York of the ‘Hanoia woman’. Thus, with billowing pleats, soft in 2016 and established Môi Điên (the name translates to silk and fine lacquer brooches adorning collars, Trandt’s ‘mad lips’, meaning ‘outspoken’), his unisex label that has first collection for Hanoia offers a singular sensibility he become a favourite among Vietnam’s alternative musicians, says is ‘not easily available in other local or international artists and writers and their fans. labels, but appeals to fashion enthusiasts looking for something special’. ‘The interweaving between functionality and aesthetics and how we can harmonise time-honoured craft with That special something — inspired by Vietnam but quite contemporary universality — that’s something I want to subtle, almost conceptual  — is what Trandt and the convey with my collections for Hanoia,’ Trandt says. ‘The Hanoia team consider to be the key to the brand’s success partnership with Hanoia came from our mutual love for new in international markets. ‘I think the spirit of modernity challenges.’Whereas fashion represents Hanoia’s ambition to can be found in, inspired by or rooted in tradition. There’s bring lacquer craft into other aspects of life,Trandt considers a reason why some things are still considered timeless the assignment a test of his abilities as a designer. ‘It’s still until today,’ Trandt says. ‘I find the process of translating quite rare that an established design house in Vietnam traditional Vietnamese values, which Hanoia already does appoints a designer from another label as their art director with its line of contemporary lacquerware, into beautiful or creative director,’ Trandt explains. ‘So the opportunity to clothing for everyday life something quite natural. The work with Hanoia, to build and develop their fashion line youthfulness in my collection is an exact reflection of how from scratch, is something I find personally transformative. I feel nowadays. Thanks to my work with Hanoia, these It demands flexibility; I need to consider how I can translate days I’ve found Ho Chi Minh as invigorating as the time I the values and identity so intrinsic to my own design spent as a fashion student in New York. Everywhere I look, philosophy into a brand whose voice is already defined.’ there’s inspiration.’ 61



Under the direction of fashion designer Tom Trandt (bottom), Vietnamese lacquerware brand Hanoia has expanded into contemporary fashion, with a debut collection that translates Vietnamese values into functional everyday pieces. ;YHUK[»ZÄYZ[THQVYJVSSLJ[PVUMVY[OLIYHUK is inspired by the idea of the ‘Hanoia woman’, expressed through billowing WSLH[ZZVM[ZPSRHUKÄULSHJX\\LYIYVVJOLZ Images by H u Lê (previous page, facing page and this page, top) 63

WANDERLUST Designer destinations

On the pristine coast of Benguerra Island in Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago, Kisawa Sanctuary is a new ultra-luxurious lodge Image by Elsa Young

WANDERLUST / RESORT, MOZAMBIQUE Do Not Disturb 66



WANDERLUST / RESORT, MOZAMBIQUE 68

WANDERLUST / RESORT, MOZAMBIQUE Set on 300 hectares of prime land on the southern tip of Benguerra Island, positioned to catch brilliant sunrises over the Indian Ocean and spectacular sunsets behind the African continent, are just 11 sprawling residences. Each has a stretch of beachfront paradise to itself. The smallest residence is as big as a house and includes a main bungalow with wraparound wooden deck, an outdoor lounge and dining pavilion, and a kidney-shaped plunge pool surrounded by trees and dunes for privacy. Conceived by entrepreneur, philanthropist and first-time hotelier Nina Flohr and her design firm NJF, the lodge champions Mozambican and African design, style and craft. Ultra- luxurious yet gorgeously understated, it mimics the surrounding terrain, and it was built without concrete or heavy machinery to minimise the impact on the environment. Text T he picturesque islands and pristine waters Textured walls are made of sand and sea water, Kee Foong of Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago while the weaving and thatching throughout alone are enough to entice visitors in search of showcases the traditional techniques of the Images dreamy escapes. Every day, fishermen head out in island’s artisans, from the rippled rooftops to Elsa Young fleets of dhows,the way they have for generations. the matted reed ceilings and woven grass doors Below the surface, reefs teem with fish and that separate the living, sleeping and bathing Previous page and megafauna, including dolphins, whales, turtles, quarters. this page sharks and rays. Then there’s the archipelago’s Kisawa Sanctuary trump card: the incredible transformation of its Looking like they belong on another planet, was conceived channels into an otherworldly seascape. a cluster of circular structures makes up the by entrepreneur, wellness centre. Fringed walls taper up to peaks philanthropist and During high tide, Mozambique’s oldest marine and domes with skylights that funnel sunshine ÄYZ[[PTLOV[LSPLY reserve sparkles in fifty shades of blue. As the into havens of calm. Of the four dining venues, Nina Flohr and her sea ebbs, it reveals dazzling white sandbanks as the striking Mussassa could be straight out of KLZPNUÄYT51-;OL far as the eye can see, giving the illusion that you Ibiza, though the flashing grins of brightly lodge’s 11 idyllic could walk all the way from the mainland to one dressed waiters are disarmingly Mozambican. residences embody of its six islands. Mozambican and For all the luxury and style that Kisawa affords, African design, On one of these islands, a new lodge is set to put it wouldn’t be truly successful without legitimacy style and craft, and this remote destination on luxury travellers’maps. among the communities in which it operates. To incorporate local From the shoreline, it may not appear unique, its that end, more than 80 per cent of the lodge’s traditional techniques thatched roofs peeking above undulating sand staff come from local villages. In addition, Flohr such as weaving and dunes, but it’s when seen from above — from established the region’s first permanent ocean thatching the helicopter that brings most guests in — that observatory of its kind at Kisawa’s sister property, the magic of Kisawa Sanctuary unfolds. the Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies. A stay at Kisawa isn’t just good for the soul; it has a positive impact and contributes to the protection of a spectacular natural wonder. 69



Kisawa is spread across 300 hectares of land, and each residence has a stretch of untouched beachfront to itself 71

WANDERLUST / HOTEL, SPAIN Villa Magna Revived 72



WANDERLUST / HOTEL, SPAIN Text Elizabeth Beattie L ocated on the site of the 19th-century Anglada Palace, Spain’s iconic Villa Magna hotel has been transformed to become Rosewood Villa Magna.The new addition to the Rosewood Hotels & Resorts portfolio projects a grand image from its position in Madrid’s influential Salamanca district. Outside, tall, centuries-old cedar and carob trees, a rose garden and a variety of other plants edge the building in greenery, the vision of landscape architect Gregorio Marañón, while the remodelled facade and hallway are the work of Spanish architect Ramón de Arana. In the lobby, guests are introduced to the first of many ‘frames’, or scenes, created by Melbourne- based BAR Studio. Developing each space as an individual moment creates a sense of intimacy that belies the hotel’s scale (there are 154 rooms), and there’s a residential feeling that doesn’t sacrifice the sense of occasion. The hotel is BAR Studio’s first European project, realised with the help of its new Madrid base, and the team was responsible for the design of guestrooms and suites as well as the public areas. Maria Garcia-Arribas, director of BAR Studio in Madrid, says that when considering the hotel’s public spaces, the firm sought flexibility to accommodate different ways of meeting and socialising. ‘It’s a very Madrilenian way of life,’ she says, noting that the hotel’s all-day cafe, Flor y Nata, can ‘transition with the guests from day into night’. With minimal renovation carried out in interior spaces, BAR Studio honed in on details, drawing on furnishings and colour and celebrating the building’s original features, such as the stained- glass windows that peep out from behind curving staircases. ‘Framing views, embracing natural light and indoor-outdoor integration are all design gestures we use to connect to place,’ Garcia-Arribas says. 74

WANDERLUST / HOTEL, SPAIN Previous page and this page In Madrid’s Salamanca district, the iconic Villa Magna hotel has been reborn as Rosewood Villa Magna. Designed by BAR Studio, the hotel’s plush suites evoke the residential feel of apartments, and the all-day dining restaurant 3HZ)YHZHZKLSH*HZ[LSSHUHIV[[VTPZV\\[Ä[[LK with European-style furnishings that create a sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere Images by Peter Bennetts Local knowledge is evident in the design of the rooms, where the rich, vivid colours associated with Spain — think ox-blood red and olive green — contrast with punches of black and white. ‘In the guestrooms, the soft refurbishment aimed to connect guests to Madrid through the injection of design details and colour that are a nod to a vibrant Madrilenian personality, while at the same time providing a relaxing escape from the city with custom-made furniture, luxurious fabrics and sophisticated finishes,’ Garcia- Arribas says. Another locally sourced attribute is the phrase De Madrid al cielo, which translates as ‘From Madrid to the heavens’ and is a celebration of the connection felt between the city and the sky, as Garcia-Arribas explains. In Spain, terraces and balconies are king, and here the private suites have been designed like rooftop garden residences with private balconies. ‘The terraces of the one-bedroom Salamanca House and the two-bedroom Anglada House are inspiring outdoor recreational spaces that open to the Madrid skyline and embrace this connection to the city’s lifestyle,’ she says. These themes of openness and intimacy are infused in the hotel — there are spaces for quiet conversations in the nooks of the curling staircases, for witticisms at the bar on rainy nights, and for early-morning coffee on balconies overlooking the heritage architecture of the buildings below. In each space, BAR Studio has succeeded in building on the property’s history by highlighting original details, while reframing and incorporating these into a thoroughly modern offering. 75

This page The bold colour scheme continues in the guestrooms Facing page Anglada House was reimagined as a luxurious private residence, with dedicated living and dining rooms, a private balcony and a terrace overlooking avenue Paseo de la Castellana Images by Hospitality Builders 76



WANDERLUST / GUESTHOUSE, JAPAN Quiet Balance 78



WANDERLUST / GUESTHOUSE, JAPAN Text Previous page Facing page Elizabeth Beattie In Nara’s Takabatake, one- The designers breathed new life bedroom hotel and members’ into the historic 1923 house, Images salon-cafe Suimontei was fusing old and new by juxtaposing KOZO TAKAYAMA existing elements like exposed KLZPNULKI`;VR`VIHZLKÄYT wooden beams with contemporary Wonderwall, which reinterpreted forms and thoughtful lighting the building’s Japanese traditional sukiya architecture with a contemporary perspective I n the historically significant Takabatake area of The structure, which was left unused for a long period Nara, close to the legendary Shinto shrine Kasuga of time before the project, dictated a flexible approach, Taisha and the sprawling Nara Park, Suimontei is a one- since Katayama and his team didn’t know which parts bedroom hotel and members’ salon-cafe, a reimagining of of the building could be salvaged. ‘We repeated the a traditional Japanese structure conceived by Tokyo-based process of stripping and examining, and then stripping design practice Wonderwall. and examining again,’ Katayama says. This process, he continues, created a dialogue as the team ‘interacted with Studio founder Masamichi Katayama says the name the decades of history and considered how it would relate Suimontei is derived from Suimon-o, a nickname for the tea to the future’. ceremony coined by Tojiro Seki, a businessman who played a significant role in developing Nara’s culture in the early ‘If the history that exists here is covered up or destroyed, 20th century and whose family once owned the residence. it will disappear,’ Katayama says. ‘However, the idea is to make it exist, and in order to make it exist, it must be seen.’ Built in 1923, the house is an example of the sukiya With this in mind, the finished result weaves together style, a Japanese architectural typology originally used timelines to form a space that hovers between the past for teahouses and later also for private residences and and the future. Entering the property, the petite hotel is restaurants, characterised by the use of natural materials. on the left, with a ground-floor living room, dining room, Wonderwall’s design approach balances this narrative kitchen and garden, and upstairs guest quarters. To the with forward-looking design. A key question, Katayama right is the salon-cafe, which has a retail area, a salon area says, was ‘What is required is to create a place that will and a tea ceremony room in the back. In the garden, what connect to the next generation, using the hundred-year- was once a warehouse is now a gallery, its minimalist, old traditional Japanese house as a foundation?’ contemporary design creating a strong contrast between the main house and this addition, continuing the With spacious yet intimate interiors, exposed wooden conversation between historic and contemporary. beams, thoughtful lighting and surrounding greenery, each element in Suimontei is carefully measured. ‘In ‘History tells us a lot, so I want people to pay respect to adding design touches to the historic building from a the concept of history, and at the same time, I want them contemporary perspective, the project was an attempt to to feel something of the future,’ Katayama says. ‘I want seek a new balance,’ Katayama says. people to look at both the past and the future with a bird’s- eye view. Not only in architecture, but in everything. I feel The building’s age and history required the designers to that while it is important to protect, it is also important to tread carefully in some ways, but also to approach the change things.’ space completely anew. ‘It’s not a renovation project, but rather a project designed by using the old Japanese house as material,’ explains Katayama. 80



;OLOV[LSMHJPUNWHNLOHZHNYV\\UKÅVVY living room, dining room, kitchen and garden, and upstairs guest quarters, while the salon- cafe (this page) has retail and salon areas and a tea ceremony room. The garden warehouse has been transformed into a new gallery 82



The Quoin, Wilmington Images by Matthew Williams WANDERLUST / OPENINGS New Hotels 84

WANDERLUST / OPENINGS 01 05 Echo Park Hyatt Jakarta — Antarctica — Jakarta Established by polar explorers, travel company White Desert has Park Hyatt makes its debut in Indonesia, taking over the top 17 launched its new camp, Echo, in the rarely seen interior of Antarctica. floors of the Park Tower building in Menteng, in Jakarta’s CBD. Combining luxury with adventure, the camp has six heated ‘sky pods’ The 220 rooms’ residential style, inspired by the country’s natural featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, retro space-age detailing and and traditional heritage, comes courtesy of London-based practice luxurious furnishings. Echo caters for groups of up to 12 guests with a Conran and Partners. The hotel’s location offers easy access to team of chefs and hosts, as well as expert guides on hand to facilitate idyllic parks and retail and entertainment destinations, while inside White Desert activities like biking, skiing, hiking, ice climbing and the hotel, guests can choose from multiple dining options or head mountaineering. Remaining true to its commitment to sustainability straight for The Bar, where drinks and live music come with a side of and maintaining White Desert’s carbon-neutral status, the camp is city views from the outdoor terrace. designed to be dismantled without leaving a trace on the landscape. 02 06 Harding Boutique Hotel The Quoin — Ahangama — Wilmington Paying homage to the Sri Lankan pioneer of Tropical Modernism In a 19th-century brownstone in Wilmington, Delaware, 24- Geoffrey Bawa, the six-suite Harding Boutique Hotel in the coastal room hotel The Quoin is Philadelphia-based hospitality company town of Ahangama near Galle is the brainchild of hotelier Paul Method Co.’s latest property. The Quoin’s contemporary interiors Harding, whose great uncle opened The Blue Lagoon, Bawa’s first are by the company’s in-house design team, Method Studios, with hotel project in Sri Lanka. Designed by British architect Jonathan Philadelphia-based Stokes Architecture, and the building’s existing Ashmore of ANARCHITECT, the slimline beachfront hotel is materials combine with modern features. A location for guests surrounded by dense coconut groves, and features airy rooms with and locals alike, The Quoin is home to the city’s first rooftop bar, a open-air baths and showers, a rooftop restaurant and an infinity restaurant with courtyard dining and a lower-level cocktail lounge, as swimming pool. well as a gym, boutique retail space and a bike-share programme. 03 07 Immerso The Tampa EDITION — Ericeira — Tampa Five-star property Immerso is the first of its kind in the Portuguese EDITION’s 15th property worldwide and Tampa’s first five-star hotel, seaside town of Ericeira, less than an hour by car from Lisbon. The Tampa EDITION has opened as part of the city’s expansive Designed by Portuguese architect Tiago Silva Dias, the hotel urban development project, Water Street Tampa. Designed by ISC embraces spectacular ocean views and sits nestled in the undulating Design Studio in partnership with Morris Adjmi Architects, Nichols landscape. Natural materials predominate in the interiors, as do Architects, Bonetti Kozerski Architects and Roman and Williams, contemporary art and design by local creatives. With 37 rooms, the hotel maintains founder Ian Schrager’s style of refined, social two F&B projects, a spa, pool, bar and organic vegetable garden, this hospitality. Spread over 26 storeys, the property has 172 guestrooms, luxury retreat brings guests closer to nature and offers a chance for 38 private residences, a rooftop pool and deck, a spa, a fitness centre total relaxation. and seven restaurants and bars, including signature venues by Michelin-starred chef John Fraser. 04 08 InterContinental Khao Yai Resort W Algarve — Khao Yai — Albufeira The InterContinental Khao Yai Resort spans 19 hectares of natural W Hotels’ first property in Portugal has opened on the shores of landscape set on the boundary of its namesake national park. Albufeira in the southern Algarve region. Hong Kong-based AB Renowned designer Bill Bensley brings his characteristic flair and Concept’s first full-scope resort project in Europe, the 134-key hotel whimsy to the property, which is inspired by Thailand’s golden age of has 83 residences, multiple restaurants (including Paper Moon, train travel. There are 45 well-appointed rooms as well as 19 repurposed sister to the renowned Milanese restaurant), and the impressive heritage railcar suites and villas. F&B options include a farm-to-table 1,200-square-metre AWAY Spa. Inspired by the nearby Benagil restaurant serving Thai and international cuisine and a Tea Carriage set caves, the hotel’s interiors are free-flowing and incorporate local in a heritage railcar. There’s also a wellness and fitness programme, and cultural references. The new property also marks a shift in the area’s should you feel the need to venture further out, the resort offers a series hospitality landscape as it remains open through winter, promoting of adventures across Khao Yai’s famed mountains and landscapes. year-round tourism. 85

VERNISSAGE News from the art world

(Z0UKPH»ZÄYZ[JVSSLJ[HISLKLZPNUNHSSLY`¤X\\ō pays homage to the country’s craft heritage by acting as a bridge between local craftspeople and global designers Image courtesy of æquō

VERNISSAGE / DESIGN GALLERY, MUMBAI Rediscovering Heritage 88





VERNISSAGE / DESIGN GALLERY, MUMBAI Text A chance encounter in Paris in 2019 led Tarini Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar Jindal Handa, the third-generation scion of Indian conglomerate JSW Group, to meet French designer Images Florence Louisy — and the rest is history. ‘I was raised Courtesy of æquō in a tradition of arts patronage and had connected with many craftspeople. Elevating Indian craft has always been Facing page and this page a cause dear to me,’ she says. Her conviction resonated 0UKPH»ZÄYZ[JVSSLJ[HISLKLZPNUNHSSLY`¤X\\ō, with Louisy and the two decided to explore a working was founded with the aim to connect global partnership. In early 2022, Handa founded India’s first designers with local craftspeople so as to collectable design gallery, æquō, as a space to encourage preserve and further the country’s craft culture. dialogue between makers, designers and materials via Creative director Florence Louisy designed bespoke furniture and interior objects. ‘The aim of æquō is ¤X\\ō’s debut collection, RAW, each piece to connect global minds with Indian craft in order to create crafted by a skilled local artisan a new conversation around the country’s heritage,’ she says. Situated in Mumbai’s historic Colaba district, the gallery is characterised by clean lines and pristine white spaces. For the interior design, Handa enlisted French architect Ivan Oddos — an emerging talent noted for his minimalist design ethos — to transform one floor of a heritage building into a collaborative gallery with two workshops and a showroom. True to his signature style, Oddos took a restrained approach to preserve the building’s character. The picture windows and original columns were restored, while locally sourced materials such as Kota stone, marble, red terracotta and teak were introduced to complement the original architecture. The gallery is as rooted in function as it is in form, so a series of Parisian-style interior glass doors allow for the space to be divided into smaller rooms as needed. The muted interior is a fitting backdrop to the objects on display: sculptural bronze pieces made in Mumbai, brass and silver-plated tables from Jaipur, curved oak furniture from Mysore and hand-sculpted marble lights from Makrana, to name a few. Each object is prized for its provenance, designed by Louisy and made at the hands of skilled Indian artisans as part of æquō’s debut collection, RAW. ‘The collection explores the raw beauty of metal, clay, stone and wood. Each contemporary object is dedicated to one material,’ explains the designer, adding that the approach was inspired by the mono-material culture of India’s artisanal clusters. Future collections will be driven by other eminent designers. ‘Of course, designers will be asked to design for the craft, not the other way around,’ says Louisy, who has now taken on a curatorial role. She and Handa are presently working with five international designers, each working with a unique craft or material. Some of the artisans with whom the pair collaborates belong to rural communities, while others are from workshops in larger cities. ‘The challenge so far has been introducing new designs to craftspeople who are used to traditional typologies,’ Handa says. ‘Our goal is to create a cultural fusion where designers and makers feed off each other’s work and inspire a story behind each object.’ 91



Facing page Each object in Louisy’s RAW collection PZKLKPJH[LK[VHZPUNSLTH[LYPHS[VYLÅLJ[ India’s artisanal mono-material culture, such as the hand-sculpted marble Bow light (top left); the Camur chair crafted MYVTSVJHS[LHRHUKQ\\[LÄIYL[VWYPNO[\" the Tight console, made by nailing oak strips to wooden blocks (bottom left); and the Ilia armchair in cotton (bottom right) This page, top left The Dyad series of tables is inspired by the everyday brass- and silver-plated objects seen all over India This page, top right The Tavit armchair is crafted from hand- moulded cast bronze or aluminium This page, bottom right Inspired by the woven structure of a basket, the stainless steel Traverse chair pays homage to the objects crafted in Mumbai’s metal workshops 93

HOME Timeless spaces

This two-storey Singapore penthouse designed by MASSONEONG features a palette of natural materials that echoes the home’s lush outdoor spaces Image by Studio Periphery



HOME / SINGAPORE Green Escape

HOME / SINGAPORE B efore reaching this two-storey penthouse golden-beige travertine and a coat of alabaster Text in Singapore, one passes through the paint to the staircase. The foyer gives way to a Luo Jingmei condominium’s luxurious garden conceived commodious living room where comfortable by Japanese monk and landscape designer furniture in timber, stone and rattan invites Images Shunmyō Masuno. As one approaches the lounging, and a pair of Andrew Neyer-designed Studio Periphery building, the sensuality conveyed through the lamps draw the eye up the double-volume space. bubbling miniature waterfalls, meandering Previous page rock-lined footpaths and textured foliage slows Inspired by the works of Brazilian architect This two-storey the pace, settles the soul and softens the modern Marcio Kogan, Ong employed an abundance of Singapore penthouse lines of the architecture by SCDA Architects. natural materials,such as sandblasted oak,textured designed by The serenity continues into the home thanks to linen wall coverings, unfilled Navona travertine local practice genteel interiors by design firm MASSONEONG and burnished brass, and the kind of cinematic MASSONEONG and bucolic landscaping by This Humid House. quality that Kogan, a former filmmaker, promotes was conceived as a in his work. Alluring mise en scènes around the botanical sanctuary ‘The owners wanted to create a calm, botanical home include the bulbous Cloud pendant from for a family of four sanctuary for the family, a warm space their two Apparatus Studio floating above organically Facing page sons could grow up in and where the family shaped dining chairs from Ceccotti Collezioni, A former swimming could create memories together,’ says Vanessa and in the powder room, one of Singaporean artist pool area on the Ong, who founded the boutique design studio Dawn Ng’s Perfect Stranger text works is paired terrace was decked with Elisa Massone. The first step to crafting with customised wallpaper of painterly flora and a over and turned into a this environment was to reset the bones of the petit Viabizzuno brass and glass lamp. ÅV\\YPZOPUNNHYKLUI` apartment, weaving gathering spaces into the This Humid House, daily domestic rituals of resting, eating, sleeping The owners’ art collection adds depth to the and furnished with an and playing. A bedroom abutting the dry kitchen green narrative. ‘In many ways, we view the ensemble of outdoor was turned into a play area, for example, and the landscape around our space as art and the pieces from HAY former main bedroom is now a family room, windows the frame, as evident in all the plants where an arched doorway frames the greenery around the home,’ the homeowner says. ‘It’s not on the balcony. surprising that we chose pieces like Dawn Ng’s ,GRASS, EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED IS RIGHT HERE The swimming pool on the terrace was decked which captures the beautiful and wild landscape over, and in its place is a flourishing garden of a place we’re familiar with.’ that forms a dense tropical screen for privacy from the neighbours. Even inside the home, On the upper level, timber-clad walls enhance one is never too far from this view, bringing to the natural palette, while mesh- and timber- life the designers’ vision of a ‘treehouse in the screened sliding doors between rooms make city’. In the foyer, light shines through the leaves the spaces permeable to light, breeze and the onto a once-dark palette now lightened with reassuring sounds of family life. 98