From the editor

Spanish poet and philosopher George Santayana famously said ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ These words ring as true today as when they were written in 1905.

While there’s a long list of drawbacks and heartaches associated with the current global pandemic — not least for many, a lingering sense of doom and increased anxiety (and possibly even more serious mental health ramifications) — the last two years have also brought an opportunity to reassess everything that we hold close and thought to be true. 

I have no time or space in my life for regret, but these last two and a half years — you may remember that the pandemic was preceded by six months of political unrest in Hong Kong — have definitely made me look at my life with a new perspective and rethink decisions I’ve made about my future, and for that I am truly grateful. On a broader scale, there are of course many lessons to be learnt from this experience. At the very least, it’s become clear that, as Santayana said, we simply cannot continue to make the same mistakes.

You may wonder whether a design magazine is the right platform for this discussion. In my humble opinion, it’s the perfect place for such talk. Because design is not merely about making beautiful spaces and decorative objects. Design is a tool that, when utilised to its full potential, can bring about great change, help mitigate existing damage and prevent further destruction and waste.  

Throughout the year, I’ve been privileged to have conversations with designers of various disciplines that have left me with a sense of hope and optimism, but also with the sense that we’re on the cusp of huge change. While some of that change may be uncomfortable, it is without a doubt necessary.  

As always, we hope you enjoy reading this issue of Design Anthology as much as we enjoyed putting it together. And while this festive season may look markedly different than usual, we hope you manage to rest, spend time with loved ones and enjoy the holidays.

Stay well.

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

Profile
We get to know Aki and Arnaud Cooren, the designers behind French-Japanese studio A+A Cooren

A Day in the Life
We spend a day with artist Cindy Hsu Zell, who creates minimalist, mindful sculptures from her bright backyard studio in Los Angeles

Profile
Steven Yeung of Kar Studio creates ‘art furniture’ that bears the mark of the maker’s hand

Studio Culture
From its Bangkok office space, architecture and interior design firm Tidtang Studio champions creative autonomy and unbridled imagination

Bank Design, Seoul
Architectural design consultancy intg. references the history of banking and traditional hanok architecture in its first commercial project for Hana Bank

Profile
The work of Thai artisan Charnon Nakornsang celebrates the tactility and character of wood

Style

Editor’s Picks
Holiday essentials for any occasion

Profile
At her family’s wooden toy factory in Thailand, product designer Panisa Khunprasert blurs the lines between art, function and play

Wanderlust

City Escapes
Four voices from the worlds of architecture, fashion and hospitality tell us where they go to escape without leaving their home cities

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

Vernissage

Craft Museum, Seoul
The first public gallery dedicated to Korean handicraft and folk art has opened on a historic royal site in Seoul

Profile
Vietnamese-born sculptor Kieu Tran crafts sensuous forms that evoke both the contemporary and primordial

Home

Tokyo
In the residences of AMOMA Hiroo, interior design studio Wonderwall has cultivated a subtle balance of Eastern and Western concepts

Singapore
Ling Hao turned this penthouse inside out, taking an unconventional, minimal approach that harmonises with nature

Philippines
Art and the natural world enmesh in this lyrical home by architect Marlon Manalo II

Hong Kong
Interior designer Manon Tiano refurbished this four-storey villa into a chic family home characterised by its arches and views

Jakarta
This home for two prominent gallerists is as full of character and art as one might expect, with designer Francine Denise taking a canvas-like approach

Architectonics

Heritage Restoration
Participatory design firm Doh Eain has a blueprint to unlock Yangon’s overlooked heritage property sector

Social Design
Hong Kong studio EDITECTURE sets out to provide a sense of home for those without one

The Flâneur

Will We Ever Meet Again?
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, architect and researcher Moritz Henning contemplates the Olympic Stadium as an enduring symbol of Phnom Penh’s history and character