Editor’s Note
One of the more predictable consequences of a year spent mostly at home is that many of us have unwittingly become experts on the subject of interior design. Tiny apartments have been transformed into home offices and spare bedrooms became classrooms or gyms, while those of means spoilt themselves with breadmaking kits and luxury-branded mahjong sets. So it should come as little surprise that many fashion labels have pivoted to making “haute homeware”, as coined by fashion director Rosana Lai in a sharply observed feature in this month’s issue, which explores the many ways our relationships with our residences have changed.
The designer Phillip Lim, for example, spent more than a decade creating the quintessential New York City artist’s loft, filling it with exquisite furniture by Marcel Breuer, Eileen Gray and George Nakashima, and artworks from Ellsworth Kelly, Louise Nevelson and the former designer Helmut Lang. But the endless cycle of fashion left him with little time to spend there, other than sleeping, until circumstances forced the entire world to reset. Working from home, Lim discovered a creative reboot was exactly what he needed to realise new ideas like a more relaxed athleisure collection and a multi-platform cooking concept. “We have literally done more in this time period than ever before, but in a way that is more efficient and more purposeful,” he says while giving Tatler a tour of his remarkable home.
Meanwhile, our cover story focuses on another incredible art collection, that of William and Lavina Lim, which is widely described as the world’s largest focused on artists from Hong Kong. The Lims have often welcomed visitors into their homes to explore the works, which document Hong Kong’s evolution from an artistic backwater to a global hub for galleries and fairs, writes executive editor Oliver Giles. Now they are sharing them with the world, having donated 90 pieces from their Living Collection, including important examples of Ho Sin-tung, Wilson Shieh and Tang Kwok-hin, to the M+ contemporary art and design museum that is expected to open later this year. “We always felt that these works should belong to a museum and that they should be seen by the public,” says William Lim, the founder of CL3 Architects and also an artist himself. Though the Lims are not overly precious, as Lavina Lim adds, “Art is something to live with and not put on a pedestal. We actually don’t feel that our artworks need to be very pristine or that you need to wear gloves to handle them. It’s just part of normal daily life.”
Well, it might not be normal for everyone. But sharing one’s home is an act of generosity we certainly should celebrate.