From the editor

Not long before I wrote this issue’s letter, director Chloé Zhao made history as the first Asian woman, and only the second woman ever, to win one of the Academy’s highest accolades — the Oscar for best director — for Nomadland. In 2020, we saw South Korean director Bong Joon-ho sweep up a long list of awards for his black comedy-thriller Parasite, including Oscars for best director and best picture, the latter marking a first for any non-English language film.

Why is this so significant? Because stories are important, and diversity in stories and storytelling even more so. 

Storytelling is a cultural tradition as old as humankind. We tell stories to learn from one another, with facts, legends and myths passed down from generation to generation. If we’re lucky, we see ourselves represented in them. When a story is particularly relatable, it can be profoundly inspiring; even if not, it can present opportunities to see the world through someone else’s eyes, to walk in their shoes for just a few moments. 

However, when stories aren’t representative of or relatable for a more diverse audience, we do a great disservice to that audience and to ourselves. Those times are, at best, missed learning opportunities, but at worst they’re injustices to all people who don’t see themselves represented in stories, real or fictional, and who as a result may struggle to find their own path or be inspired to grow to their fullest potential.

We as a society need to see a diversity of perspectives, hear a diversity of voices and get to know a diversity of characters, because our collective stories help foster inclusion, acceptance and empathy. We’re living in an increasingly polarised world, so there’s no time like the present to listen and to truly hear each other, and to rejoice in our commonalities as well as our differences.

When we founded Design Anthology a little more than seven years ago, we recognised that as Westerners, our voices were already heavily represented, but we saw that there were innumerable stories that needed to be told about the people working in this extraordinarily creative region. We hope we’re doing our part to address this imbalance. 

As always, stay well until next time.

Suzy Annetta
Editor-in-Chief

Inside the issue

Dossier

Openings
Tai Ping’s new Paris showroom

Products 
New collections and collaborations 

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

Design Week, Melbourne
At Melbourne Design Week 2021, a series of group exhibitions explored meaningfully made objects and the stories they tell

Studio Culture
We take a look inside the tropical studio-cum-home of Sri Lankan architect Palinda Kannangara

Creative Space, Bangkok
Initiated by architect Nantapon Junngurn, Somewhere is part studio, part gallery and part coffee and karaage spot, making up a cool new destination in the city’s next design district 

A Day in the Life
We spend a summer’s day with Yumiko Sekine, founder of Tokyo lifestyle brand fog linen work

Profile
Korean designer Jeongseob Kim emphasises the tactile nature of materials and champions the role of the maker’s hand

Style

Editor’s Picks
A selection of summertime must-haves

Fashion Label, Hanoi
Kilomet109 transforms ancient craft into contemporary eco-fashion

Wanderlust

Songkhla, Thailand
Cafe culture, creative pursuits and historic charm come together in Songkhla’s Old Town, a favourite weekend trip among those in the know

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

Vernissage

Art Movement
In the 1950s, Japan’s avant-garde Gutai group pioneered a radical approach encompassing performance, painting, installation and theatre

Home

Singapore
A single-storey bungalow provides a living backdrop for a family of two architects and their children

Kuala Lumpur
Subverting the typology of conventional Malaysian terrace houses and oscillating between garden, farm and home, the Planter Box House in a celebration of its owners’ lifestyle

Bangkok
Designer-architect Albano Daminato transformed a concrete bare-shell apartment into this careful balance of modernity and tradition, cool and warm materials, and open and intimate spaces

Singapore
Brewin Design Office transformed one of Singapore’s iconic shophouses into a calm, light-filled oasis

Architectonics

Documenting Architecture
Photographer Xi Wenlei is determined to document old Shanghai’s historic built environment before it vanishes forever

Urban Mobility
COVID-19 forced Philippine government agencies to find new ways to move more people. Now Metro Manila is on a path towards better mobility

The Flâneur

The 15-Minute City by the Sea
A flâneur 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, urbanist Julia Nebrija muses on the merit of the 15-minute city model in her adopted home of A Coruña, Spain