Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2021 i Wallpaper

Those planning a playdate with a difference need look no further than the recently opened Hyundai Museum of Kids’ Books & Art (MOKA) in Namyangju, east of Seoul. Jaime Hayon, the design world’s wizard of wit, whimsy and wonder, was given free rein to conjure up a children’s playground, sculpture garden and library for the museum, with a brief to encourage ‘nature literacy’ among city dwellers. The result sees Hayon’s signature fanciful characterisation – more usually lent to figurines, vases and installations – let loose for play time, and is set to enchant grown-ups and children alike. Titled MOKA Play, the playground is populated by four colourful and captivating sculptural characters – a super-sized sausage dog, a trumpeting elephant, a giant llama and a reposing Pinocchio-style figure with a seesaw…

Before the Covid-19 pandemic put a pause on travel, seasonal Fashion Weeks saw swathes of editors and crates of clothing freewheel across the globe. This mass movement was a concern for Issey Miyake’s designer Satoshi Kondo, who shipped numerous boxes of clothing from Japan to Paris for the label’s A/W20 womenswear show in February last year. Serious about streamlining, Kondo has now succeeded in packing the entire S/S21 collection into one wooden shipping box. The brand’s clothing is famed for its functionality. Its lightweight Pleats Please pieces can be scrunched into suitcases and emerge crease-free, and they dry quickly after washing. For Issey Miyake’s S/S21 collection, Kondo has created pieces that can be folded, stacked, tied and rolled, ensuring they’ll need little space not just in a shipping box, but…

The island nation of Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa, may be tiny, but it has an outsized influence. Once a slave port, it is now an important international commercial hub, and a cultural melting pot, bridging African and European traditions. It was this rich cultural heritage that architect Kunle Adeyemi – founder of Amsterdam- and Lagos-based studio NLE (see W*258) – and Samba Bathily – the Mali-born sustainable solutions pioneer – wanted to honour and amplify when they first started discussing working together in 2018. Adeyemi recalls: ‘We wanted a scheme to use as a point of global connection back to the [African] continent, using music, arts, culture and hospitality’. Mindelo, on the island of Sao Vicente, has been central in the development of the local musical…

In a quest to manufacture better, the design world is channelling its efforts into material research, pushing toward a more circular way of producing furniture. Our favourite examples include &New’s bench, made from recycled landfill waste, Konstantin Grcic’s chair for Magis, using waste from the car industry, and Dutch studio Plasticiet’s blocky pieces, made from plastic waste and resembling mother-of-pearl. Studio ThusThat has been experimenting with copper byproducts, creating a strong, black geopolymer from slag with a carbon footprint that’s about 77 per cent lower than cement, while Hong Kong-based Studio Ryte’s light, stackable flax stool uses a material that behaves like carbon fibre while being fully biodegradable. And not only does Supernovas create recycled plastic objects and furniture, but these can also be returned or swapped for alternatives. We’re…

In May last year, as Denmark was emerging from its first lockdown, chef Rene Redzepi announced the arrival of the Noma burger on his Instagram with an image of a beef patty and bun. ‘Before we reopen Noma as we know it, we will transform into a no-reservation, drop-in only, wine and burger bar,’ he wrote. ‘We want to be open for all. We need to heal, so let’s have a glass and a burger, you’re all invited.’ The pop-up was a roaring success, making Noma more of a household name than ever, and the experience inspired him to give the Noma burger a permanent home. Named Popl, after the Latin word ‘populus’, meaning community of people, the waterside burger bar opened in Christianshavn in December, replacing restaurant 108 (which…

Formafantasma’s Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin embody what design means today. They bring together exquisite forms, unusual materials (among them plant-based polymers, volcanic ash and electronic waste), analytical thinking, and a conviction that design is a redemptive and revolutionary force, one that points us towards more responsible citizenship and a better world. Their Cambio project, presented as an exhibition at London’s Serpentine Galleries last year, explores the ecological impact of the timber industry through research, installation and film. ‘It’s an invitation to start to think about what we do on the planet as a shared experience,’ they say. It is fitting that they head up the new GEO-Design master’s programme at Design Academy Eindhoven, which investigates the social, economic, territorial and geopolitical forces that shape the practice of design. Their…

Reinvigorating the physical as well as the spiritual landscape around Nandyal, in Andhra Pradesh, this compelling Hindu temple combines modernity and tradition. When Mumbai-based architect Sameep Padora was commissioned to create a temple serving the residents of a number of local villages, his aim was to connect ‘the socio-cultural expectations of a temple with the ecological framework and dynamics of and around the site’. A nearby canal, previously used to irrigate the surrounding cotton and chilli fields, had dried up, so the architect set to work reintroducing water into the landscape, redirecting the overflow from neighbouring limestone quarries to form a pond. The temple’s volumes – two shrines and a lower-lying building housing more practical functions – nod to the traditional Indian ghat, a flight of steps leading down to…

A particularly timely product, Marazzi’s new Puro antibacterial technology for ceramic surfaces eliminates up to 99.9 per cent of bacteria and other harmful microorganisms. ‘Carácter’ is the first of three collections by the Italian tile manufacturer created using the innovative technology, a permanent treatment that provides continuous antibacterial protection throughout the life of the product surface, without the need for external activation agents such as UV radiation. Ideal for use in residential as well as commercial and public spaces, the stone-effect ‘Carácter’ tiles are suitable for indoor and outdoor floors and walls. In appealing natural tones, with a minimal or more pebbled appearance, the tiles are made from 40 per cent recycled materials, and come in a range of sizes. They also feature anti-slip technology called StepWise. Sophisticated design meets…

This contemporary take on the traditional Vietnamese shophouse, combining commercial and residential spaces, was created for an affluent artisanal family that produces high-quality ceramic products in the village of Bat Trang, near Hanoi, known for its specialism in the craft. Vo wanted the heritage of the village to be evident in the architecture, so he wrapped the property in a wall of perforated red clay ceramic tiles that he commissioned locally. This ceramic cloak protects the house from the sun in summer and from the wind in winter, while the holes ensure it still gets plenty of natural light. Large gaps allow for trees and plants from the property’s elevated gardens to burst through the façade. The house’s raised ground and lower-ground floors serve as showrooms for the family to…

Chile’s Pacific coastline – a 6,435km stretch of rock formations, sandy beaches, lush green forests and coastal communities – is about as close to wild nature as you can get. And so it made perfect sense that, for this pair of holiday homes in Navidad, Santiagobased studio Croxatto & Opazo looked to the region’s rich, natural context and character for inspiration. The two buildings are sited approximately 80m above sea level, on steeply angled terrain, overlooking the beach below. Each structure features a main living space – kitchen, dining and sitting areas – that looks out through carefully framed, large expanses of glass, to far-reaching seascape views (sea lions frequent these parts, and they are often seen from the cabins). A ladder leads up to a bedroom, and each structure…

In March last year, Nintendo launched the perfect and perfectly timed gaming antidote to long-term confinement. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the latest iteration of the social simulation video game that first appeared in 2001, allows players to design their own island paradise, and for fashion fans, the game provides an unexpected sartorial escape. Players can customise their avatars, and a host of visual artists on Instagram have responded with wardrobe wizardry, designing virtual catwalk looks inspired by brands such as Prada, Chanel and Louis Vuitton. There was even a staging of the game’s first fashion show, with runway looks inspired by Paco Rabanne and Craig Green, all set to a soundtrack created by soundscape expert Michel Gaubert. So we were beyond excited when, in November, Animal Crossing gained a Net-a-Porter…

As home working is here to stay, we’re investing in a fine desk, such as the Burattis’ ‘Gullwing’ table for Lema or David Thulstrup’s ‘Landscape’ table. Topped with Sørensen leather, the latter has a discreet drawer with room for a silver Hieronymus pen or two and silk notebooks, or a powerful iPad Air and slimline Samsung Galaxy Book S. Connect these to Transparent’s speaker for musical inspiration, try Anatome¯’s Focus + Concentration oil for a boost, and stay on track with Lavazza’s 2021 calendar, a photographic treat. Take Zoom calls in comfort with Sebastian Wrong’s ‘Lucio’ chair for Established & Sons and GamFratesi’s ‘Romby’ for Porro, while good lighting – Ilse Crawford’s ‘w203 Ilumina’ for Wästberg and Tobias Grau’s ‘Team Suspension’–will ensure you look your best.…

Kukje Gallery, Korea’s leading contemporary art gallery, has a proud history of introducing Korean audiences to new art experiences. With last summer’s reopening of its K1 building, which now encompasses exhibition spaces, a cafe, a restaurant and a wellness centre, it is rethinking how and where art should be experienced. The 1987 building is one of three spaces that Kukje operates in Seoul’s upscale Samcheong-dong enclave. The original structure comprises a midsection with Gehry-esque glass facades sandwiched between two rectilinear volumes, all of which have undergone a two-year makeover orchestrated by local practice Ourstudio, which was also brought on board to create the new cafe and exhibition areas on the ground floor. The idea, which has proven prescient, was to create open spaces throughout, with as few dividing walls as…

A tribute to the Spanish architect, the ‘Gaudí’ bed features a sinuous, steel-supported wooden frame finished in dark coffee or black-stained oak. ‘It is based on the power of the curved lines of Antoni Gaudí, constantly varied in terms of direction,’ says designer Matteo Nunziati of his piece for Italian manufacturer Flou. An enveloping, padded headboard, available in fabric, leather or eco-leather, promises comfortable lie-ins and lounging. Complementing the bed’s curved aesthetic are Stephen Burks’ lacquered bedside tables for Living Divani, with pirouetting slats that open and close their volumes, and a pair of tubular ‘T’ lamps, by Regular Company for Frama, that tilt for reading or mood lighting. Close at hand for bedside refreshments is Aldo Bakker’s beautifully formed silver pitcher for Wiener Silber Manufactur, and Ghulam Sekhi’s handblown…

When Lagos-based designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello asked local medical professionals to identify the challenges of fighting Covid-19, they told him that effective handwashing can be difficult at overburdened healthcare facilities. Moving from one patient to the next quickly leaves little time to dash to the sink. Marcus-Bello’s solution was to create a portable, modular handwashing station, using a grant he’d received from Samuel Ross of A-Cold-Wall* and artist Daniel Arsham. The station’s frame of tubular steel, the same material used for local hospital beds, can be replicated by any welder. A sink, bin, and the casing for the pump and touch-free sensor are created by local ceramicists, though Marcus-Bello hopes to partner with a local recyclable plastic firm on future iterations. Caster wheels and 25-litre water kegs (one for clean water,…

Despite 2020’s challenges, last year’s Wallpaper* Award winner, Rotterdam-based Marcelis went on to complete residential interventions featuring her signature candy-coloured resin elements, lights for Established & Sons, a rug for CC-Tapis, and a workstation in collaboration with AHEC shown at London’s Design Museum (W*258). She recently refashioned the Research Centre at Rotterdam’s Het Nieuwe Instituut, the city’s architectural archive, and updated its existing USM furniture, while for a Shanghai mall, she is creating a permanent, oversized kinetic fountain. After a year in semi-isolation, judging the Wallpaper* Design Awards felt like a window on what happened in 2020. ‘What was really nice is that the projects nominated have a focus on smart materials and sustainability,’ she says, addressing design’s problemsolving potential. A favourite are Marazzi’s antibacterial tiles (page 100) and she…

A founding partner of Snøhetta, Thorsen has had a hand in some of the finest contemporary cultural buildings. From Oslo Opera House, which rises from the fjord like a glacier, to the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Saudi Arabia, which glistens under the desert sun like giant pebbles (W*212), his works take on imaginative forms, are sensitive to their settings and conducive to human interaction. His passion for public space, understanding of architecture’s social function, and commitment to sustainability have made Snøhetta one of the most influential practices today and the recipient of the Cooper Hewitt’s 2020 National Design Award for architecture. They also make Thorsen well qualified to judge our Wallpaper* Design Awards. Impressing him architecturally was Bat Trang House, by Vietnam’s Vo Trong Nghia, which he…

Swedish design studio Note and Spanish furniture brand Sancal have taken their decade-long partnership to the next level with the Void Matters collection. ‘What defines an object?’ wondered Note founders Cristiano Pigazzini and Johannes Carlstrom. The matter itself or the empty space around it? In response, they developed a series of furniture pieces and objects. ‘We wanted to put the emphasis on the negative space surrounding physical objects,’ says Pigazzini. ‘While positive shapes are often associated with strong and active qualities, negative space is calm and peaceful, and leaves room for interpretation. Our thesis was that the juxtaposition of these two would bring something new and thoughtprovoking to a room.’ This concept is developed over four furniture families, or ‘meditations on emptiness’. These comprise two seating series, ‘Core’ and ‘Remnant’,…

The work of Thai architect Boonserm Premthada walks the tightrope between a sharp, contemporary aesthetic and an intensely site-specific outlook rooted in tradition. One of his newest projects, a home for both people and elephants in the Surin province of lower north-eastern Thailand, demonstrates how. Elephant World was created to support the Kui, the region’s ethnic people, and their beloved pachyderms. The Kui have been elephant keepers for centuries, considering the noble animals family members, and living with them side by side. However, in recent years, Thailand’s economic boom and urbanisation have threatened their way of life. Many have been displaced, their 400-year-old village falling into poverty and disrepair, endangering people and animals. The local government looked at ways to arrest that decline and create suitable and sustainable living conditions…

It didn’t take long for WeTransfer to become a cornerstone of modern creative business. The online file-sharing firm was founded in Amsterdam in 2009, just as big tranches of digital data were becoming way too unwieldy for emails and the ‘couriered hard drive’ was already as archaic as the stagecoach. From the outset, the start-up prioritised ease of use and wasn’t afraid to put its primary revenue – ads – bold and centre stage. WeTransfer rapidly became essential, and the big visual hit of its full-screen campaigns transcended the banality of the pop-up and the banner ad. By 2014, the company was ramping up support of its creative ecosystem, with side projects including a bursary scheme for Central Saint Martins students. These days, WeTransfer’s free ethos remains, albeit bolstered by…

In a year when racial injustices reached a tipping point, Julien saw some of his works take on a new urgency. Rediscovered images from his very first film, Who Killed Colin Roach? (1983), showed at London’s Royal Academy of Arts and reflect on the death of a Black man shot at the entrance to a London police station. Lessons of the Hour – Frederick Douglass, a 2019 video installation about the African American abolitionist and writer, is now showing in San Francisco. We invited Julien to join our judging panel out of admiration for his art, and the ways in which he has shown the importance of representation, but also because of his abiding love of architecture and design. ‘My artist studio in London was designed by David Adjaye and…

Since forming her department in 2016, Ross has led her team to launch and establish Google’s family of award-winning consumer hardware products, from Google Pixel smartphones to Nest smart speakers, all distinctive in their bold, tactile and intuitive design. The pandemic has seen Google staff working remotely and, like so many others, having to rethink the way they finesse and deliver designs for products that will launch in 2021. ‘Design is about solving problems, and our team has figured out how to solve the problem of not being together,’ she says. Ross feels the pandemic has put the notion of wellbeing front and centre, as we reconsider ‘what makes us feel alive, happy, what’s essential, what’s life-reinforcing’, as well as what our behaviours mean for the planet. Voting for NMBello…

Events of the past year have highlighted the need for a more inclusive and more sustainable approach across many industries, and beauty and grooming is no exception. RadSwan is answering both calls, as the first brand to offer Black women wigs made from 100 per cent recyclable fibres. The ‘Radshape’ wigs come in three different styles – from large, bouncy ringlets to tight corkscrew curls – in two shades, complete with a list of instructions explaining how to adjust, measure and cut each wig for unique styling. Says RadSwan founder Freddie Harrel, ‘Hair is one of the ways we’ve always expressed ourselves, forever reintroducing our various angles to a constrained and biased world’. The wigs’ fibres are soft, lightweight, flame-retardant and heat-resistant, and mimic the texture of natural hair. By…

Rogers’ searing colour combinations and upbeat designs have been beaming optimism into our lives just when we need it most. Awarded the 2019 Fashion Fund prize by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vogue, he has continued to inject delight into the New York fashion scene. In October 2020, he unveiled his S/S21 collection, a jubilant fiesta of neon red, cerise, teal and lemon in chequerboard prints, stripes and colourblocked separates. While exaggerated proportions made for larger-than-life personalities are his métier, the collection was notably wearable. ‘Lots of designers enjoy the fantasy the most,’ he says, ‘but for me, fashion is not just about the “fabulosity”.’ Turning to our Wallpaper* Design Awards, Rogers’ appreciation of usefulness extends to his pick for Life-Enhancer of the Year, NMBello Studio’s portable…

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