The Dispatch — Nº125, September 2024

Our monthly bulletin documenting creative culture in Asia Pacific and beyond. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

The Dispatch

Nº125, September 2024

In partnership with Tai Ping

What began as an effort to preserve a craft soon became a studio for innovation. Deemed 'art of the floor', Tai Ping's bespoke rugs and floor coverings are a celebrated legacy, and the pieces from its iconic, unparalleled design archive have graced the floors of the most prestigious residential, hospitality and commercial spaces the world over.

From the Editors

Dear reader,

We've just visited the printers in Hong Kong, where we watched our new issue roll off the press, pass through the hands of the binders and get packed up to make its way to a newsstand, mailbox, airline lounge or bookstore near you. For us, it was a reminder of the very human, handmade nature of magazines: the collective effort of crafty writers, photographers and illustrators, skilled printers, canny logistics operators and a network of distributors and retailers all working to do something that still feels pretty special, all these years in.

If you've been paying attention, you'll spot a pair of new names heading the magazine's masthead, but bar a few tweaks, the new issue continues many of the conventions established over the past decade. We always look for the Design Anthology take on design, architecture, travel, fashion and art, and as usual this set us off on a global tour.

Our Dossier section stops off in Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai, while Wanderlust has us checking out Kyoto and Mongolia's Orkhon Valley. Then it's up to London and Venice for our Vernissage section, down to Bangkok, Bali, Singapore and Australia's Mornington Peninsula for our Homes section and then back to the Thai capital for Architectonics.

And if you can't wait for the postie's knock at the door, for the first time ever you can read every story from our new issue on our website with one of our brand-new memberships. In addition to the latest issue, our new membership programme gives you access to our ever-growing archive of stories published in The Dispatch and the print magazine, as well as event invitations and a little surprise here and there too. And speaking of surprises, we're planning a special Design Anthology trip in Japan for February, available exclusively to members. Sign up and keep an eye on your inbox in the coming months.

New annual members will receive a complimentary print subscription and we're offering all current print subscribers a half-price offer, accessible by using your personal promotional code in your original welcome email. If you have any questions, reach out to hello@design-anthology.com and we'll sort you out.

Finally, if you have a project to pitch or a tip to reveal, our inboxes are always open. Whether we're yet to meet or are old friends, we can't wait to clink glasses with you somewhere in the world in the months to come. In the meantime, enjoy The Dispatch's September outing, which charts a course across the region, including tea with Tokyo's Kooo Architects, a striking new workspace by Studio 8 in Hangzhou and a smart store by Laud in Hong Kong.

Thank you for your support.

Simone Schultz & Jeremy Smart
Editors-in-Chief

Dossier

Setting Up Shop

Hong Kong

Designed by local studio Laud, new concept store 52 Gage celebrates the makers and brands behind the products it purveys, from furniture to fashion and wine

The founders of new Hong Kong concept store 52 Gage (named after its address in Central) started their foray into retail by asking what quality means in a retail landscape where 'quality' is often promised and seldom delivered. This enquiry led them to workshops and ateliers where the artisan's touch was a cornerstone of their story and the products coming out of them.

Designed by local studio Laud, the store reflects founders Maxime Isnard, Antoine Vatar and Jean-Edouard Mano's attention to detail and materiality. 'They wanted to open a retail store inspired by their lifestyle and design philosophy, with the aim to curate a unique shopping experience anchored in artisanal craft and unbridled creativity. Their feature products stand for quality, luxury, innovation and sustainability,' explains Laud founder Liz Lau.

The neighbourhood, Lau says, 'has a special duality that we love, with smaller F&B, retail and other creative outlets, a local market, old restaurants and local food stores.' Lau ensured that the store would blend into the neighbourhood by making use of the existing architectural elements, incorporating existing beams and the original facade to create a sense of place. The store itself is inspired by small neighbourhood grocers — traditional stores that often use natural wood and earthy tones. Here, humble yet refined textures and tones come in the form of St. Leo's marble paint, Mutina terracotta tiles, and smoked oak and rattan screens. The upper level is reserved for a marble-accented custom pantry, intended to host workshops and wine tastings.

Design enthusiasts will recognise brands like Ariake, Gidon Bing, Origin Made, De La Espada and Kamaro'an, and there's an intriguing selection of jewellery, fashion, home linens and wines for the discerning shopper.

Text by Simone Schultz
Images by Amanda Kho
Styling by Kate Jones

Dossier

Welcoming Workspace

Hangzhou

China's famous lakeside city is home to an office that brings the outdoors in

The contrasts of Hangzhou's lakeside garden environment and its embrace of modernity have been realised in a striking contemporary office by Shanghai firm Studio8 Architects for hospitality firm Cishan.

'The client visited Gud, a restaurant project we did in Hangzhou, and reached out to us afterward,' says Studio8 founder Shirley Dong. And the brief was appropriate for a hospitality client: 'They wanted an office where they could cook, hold meetings over meals and enjoy a terrace for gatherings.'

On the initial visit to the otherwise unremarkable top-floor space, recalls Dong, the architects discovered the roof terrace. 'This sparked our initial inspiration to connect the indoor space with the terrace, capitalising on its top-floor position,' she says. 'We introduced a small courtyard — a "green core" — at the heart of the office, visible from various angles and creating a seamless blend between indoor and outdoor spaces.'

The layout then became a relatively 'solid' central island within the existing column grid to house small conference rooms, an open kitchen and storage; it also serves as a transition between public and private spaces. And the adjacent green core became the primary colour; with the building's raw concrete as the main element, the designers kept indoor materials simple and restrained, privileging wood and self-levelling cement. The open kitchen and tea space are wrapped in black wood panels, and window-side cabinets in the open office area use the same wood panels, integrated with office furniture, establishing a calm and restrained dialogue between different materials. Soft elements come from the owner's antique furniture collection.

The main challenge throughout the 300-square-metre space was to take what could have been a functional if prosaic office and add layers that would transform it into something more. Here, the green core was key, with the team balancing technical requirements such as insulation with the chance to maximise the space by linking areas from the pantry and corridor to the main office space and meeting room.

On the terrace, the team designed a series of monoliths that connect with the green core. Rather than use pre-made outdoor furniture, they custom-cast concrete into a fireplace, low tables, seats and tree pits accommodating various plant root systems, enriching the space and nodding to the ancient landscape.

Text by Philip Annetta
Images by Sven Zhang

Dossier

Natural Selection

Beijing

Weathered wood, earthen brick, ceramic tiles and linen abound in a new nature-inspired tea store and cafe in Beijing's financial district designed by Kooo Architects

The first floor of Beijing's World Financial Centre is home to Shanjuchajing, a new tea store and cafe from tea brand Théatre. Designed by Tokyo- and Shanghai-based Kooo Architects, the store serves a fast-paced crowd of office workers in need of a place to escape during the busy workday.

Studio director Kotaro Kitakami explains that the client was looking to create a a 'mountain getaway' right in Beijing's heart, creating 'an oasis in the city for people to connect with nature.' While the typical customer from one of the building's offices might traditionally take a drink back to their workplace to consume, Kooo sought to create a space in which they feel free to linger.

Inspired by the many plant species from which tea leaves originate and the fermentation process they undergo, the studio developed a palette of materials contextually appropriate for the urban environs while feeling organic and natural. A chemical-free and biodegradable brick made from tea leaves and rammed earth was used in most of the walls, with the remainder using diatom mud bricks. 'The brick shows a range of colour and texture variations,' says Kitakami. 'We chose red tea-earth brick for the central volume to create a visual focus, while the embracing walls use a more subdued yellow colour for a calming atmosphere.'

The architects placed the store's lounge area and VIP room on its southern side to capitalise on natural light, with linen curtains for privacy, and the connection to the natural environment. Like so many of the project's materials, the flooring is irregular and tactile, made from reused ceramic tiles. The bespoke furniture was created in a similar spirit, with the counter, shelving, drawers and tables using solid wood with exposed natural edges, resulting in a soft, calm and deeply human experience, in line with the act of drinking the tea itself.

Text by Jeremy Smart
Images by Keishin Horikoshi / SS