Design Anthology - Asia Pacific Edition
Steve Leung: Designing Asia and Beyond
Any resident of Hong Kong, and many in the broader region, will have seen or experienced the work of Steve Leung. The designer has been prolific over his four-decade career, but more importantly, he has been a pioneer in many ways. Leung was the first Hong Kong interior designer to encapsulate a modern approach that combined his upbringing in the city with a Western-informed design outlook. He is also a collector, entrepreneur and owner (and designer) of multiple restaurants encompassing a variety of styles and cuisines.
This work celebrates the best of that time span, its seven chapters covering more than 40 exemplary projects from Leung’s beginnings to more recent work, each chapter with a contextual essay by design journalist and Design Anthology contributor Christina Ko. The 290 colour illustrations show marker projects including luxury residential developments, high-end hotels and resorts, and Leung’s signature restaurants, as well as product collaborations with global brands. ‘The way that I design is not a “style”,’ says Leung. ‘I always say that the most important word in my design philosophy is to be appropriate. But what is appropriate? We should do the right thing at the right time in the right context. Everything should come together.’
This year’s edition of Maison&Objet Paris once again brought together designers and industry leaders from around the globe for one of the year’s most anticipated design events. With more than 2,200 exhibiting brands and a robust programme of events, the fair attracted almost 60,000 international visitors eager to discover new exhibitors and products for the upcoming season.
Among this year’s highlights was the much-loved Taiwan Crafts & Design pavilion. Curated under the theme The Taiwanese Crafts Equation, it brought the country’s history of functional crafts and its unique aesthetic and entrepreneurial spirit to the international stage. Directed by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture and the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute in collaboration with Dubai-based French curator Cyril Zammit, the exhibition featured 79 works by 17 brands and creators.
Selected through an open call, the pieces in the exhibition were carefully assessed based on their sustainability potential. A variety of carbonreducing and sustainable materials featured, such as domestically grown Taiwania, Japanese cedar, bamboo, paper mulberry, mud from Sun Moon Lake, marble from Hualien, denim, metal and even a kind of reusable soft cement.
Contemporary wooden furniture on show included leather and wood works by design studio Chaiwood, as well as other tables, chairs, benches and screens made from bamboo and locally grown woods.
What’s more, in an effort to generate interest and increase revenue, the organisers worked with M&O’s online retail platform MOM as well as leading e-commerce platform Pinkoi, a retail solution for independent designers in Asia. Pinkoi set up a special section on its website for the brands exhibited at the Taiwan Crafts & Design pavilion, making the sales process more efficient and attractive for would-be buyers.
Once again, the Taiwan Crafts and Design Pavilion reaffirmed the country’s rich arts and crafts heritage and the local design community’s meaningful approach to sustainability. By highlighting Taiwanese brands and makers and their products, the annual pavilion acts as a bridge that fosters dialogue and encourages Taiwan’s craft community to engage with the world.