From the editor

Before I co-founded Design Anthology, my career, like many others, travelled along often-dimly lit, winding roads that forked and turned and twisted. I spent my early career in the textile industry before eventually moving into what I felt was my destiny and my dream job: interior design. I had no idea that the universe had one more option for me...

As an interior designer, it helps to have clarity of vision when it comes to your own aesthetic. Although good taste and an educated eye are not enough to cut it in this industry, I think my weakness was that I liked too many styles, never happy with one particular look, and ultimately wanting to change my own living space time and time again. In hindsight I have enormous respect for designers and creators who know what they like, and what they’re good at, and stick to their guns.

In a roundabout way, I think this best explains the choice of homes (and stories) in each issue. I’m often asked what a D/A home looks like, and it’s always a difficult question to answer. The process for me has always been intuitive; I react emotionally to spaces. We aren’t just trying to feature modern and minimal spaces, or a particular ‘look’. What appeals to us, and hopefully to our readers, is a space that is personal, thoughtful and artfully curated — for want of a better, less trite word. I’ve never been one for homes and spaces that look like they belong in a showroom catalogue. I want to see personality. I want to see real design.

I hope this explains the mix of homes in our annual international edition. From a wildly eclectic apartment in Paris to a sparse architectural home in Tokyo, each of these five homes is unique — and couldn’t be more different — but is immensely appealing in its own way. I hope you agree. And of course, we’ve brought stories about creators, beautiful destinations, developments in the art world, and emerging architects who are making a splash. As always, we hope you enjoy reading the issue as much as we enjoy bringing it to you.

Suzy Annetta
Editor-in-Chief

Inside the issue

Dossier

Products
New collections and collaborations

Read
Upcoming and recent books on design, art, interiors and architecture from some of the world’s best publishers

Profile
Ceramicist Yoshimi Futamura talks about how traditional ceremonies and her Japanese heritage inform her work

Collaboration
Studio Adjective has designed a stool with Ishinomaki Laboratory as a way of helping the survivors of a natural disaster

Limited Editions
Broached Commissions harnesses the power of design to narrate history and culture 

Profile
For Lasvit founder Leon Jakimič, glass is much more than a material:  it’s an expression of light, joy and beauty

Restaurant, Singapore
The renovation of Origin Grill in Singapore’s Shangri-La Hotel pays homage to historic journeys

Retail, Hong Kong
Aesop’s new store in once-industrial Sheung Wan embodies the brand’s values while paying tribute to the area’s history

Studio
Merging ancient and modern techniques, AKAR de NISSIM works with Vietnamese artisans to produce meticulously crafted designs in rare materials

Fiera

Q&A
Mario Tsai speaks with us about his collaboration with ferm LIVING at this year’s MAISON&OBJET

Curated
From Minimalux to Memphis, these are our picks from this year’s September edition of MAISON&OBJET

Wanderlust

Profile
Japanese designer Akira Minagawa is known for fashion, but recent work has put his hospitality aesthetic on the map

Travelogue
Luang Prabang, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh feature hotels that highlight and celebrate the best of their unique locations

Hotel, Seoul
In the hip Hongdae district, a new kind of creative and cultural hub offers much more than a place to lay your head 

Hotel, London
An impressive roster of international designers contributed to the refurbishment of London icon The Berkeley

Hotels, Asia
New Waldorf Astoria properties in Chengdu and Bangkok reflect the brand’s sensibilities while adapting them to local tastes

Openings
The best of the new boutique and luxury designer hotels from around the world

Vernissage

Art Space, Seoul
Seoul’s ‘integrated resort’ Paradise City features a number of new attractions, all designed to blend into the environment. The result is a feat of architecture and a snapshot of contemporary Korean art and culture

Analysis
Following the demolition of Ai Weiwei’s Zuoyou Art District studio, we look at the future of art in China in light of the mainland’s urban redevelopment

Home

Paris
Each distinct in character, the spaces in this Parisian apartment are unified by precision, understated opulence and striking materiality

London
A London-based designer couple transforms a Shoreditch loft into a meticulously crafted home that reflects their unique tastes and style

Hong Kong
A statement piece by India Mahdavi became the focal point for the redesign of this bachelor pad, where a masculine palette allows vibrant art and design pieces to shine 

Tokyo
A third-generation homeowner’s vision for a multi-use building is brought to life in this two-storey space that acts as a gallery, coffee shop and family home

Brisbane
A new addition to an Australian heritage building acts as self-contained quarters for guests, an office for the property’s owners and a central hub for the family’s daily activities

Architectonics

Cultural Centre
In London’s King’s Cross, the new ten-storey Aga Khan Centre, designed by Pritzker Prize winner Fumihiko Maki, provides a series of much-needed green spaces that reflect Islamic culture and architecture

Profile
Gong Dong, founder of China-based Vector Architects, discusses how architecture should respond to and reflect society’s needs in order to create spaces that resonate with the generations who use it

The Flâneur

Air Cons & Heirlooms
A Flaneur is an urban explorer — a connoisseur of the street. In our rotating column, guests share their musings, observations and critiques of the urban environment in cities around the world. In this issue, Singapore transplant Sarah Mineko Ichioka considers the tension between heritage and progress in The Lion City