From the editors

Despite editing this issue from different cities, and often while on the move, the two of us kept returning to the same ideas and were consistently drawn to stories and spaces imbued with a sense of weight and permanence. We found ourselves gravitating towards concrete, cement or steel, materials typically associated with safety and security, sometimes even fortification or isolation. And yet it was the materials’ honesty and tactility that appealed: grounded homes, furniture with heft and buildings that anchor their surroundings.

You’ll see it in homes in Singapore, Tokyo, Perth and Hong Kong, and in Tadao Ando’s new Naoshima museum, its vast volumes chiselled into the hillside. In Seoul, Niceworkshop’s industrial forms carry a lightness despite their construction site origins. Perhaps, though, it’s not just the materials, but how they’re handled: with intention, restraint and even with tenderness in the hands of thoughtful designers.

We’ve been thinking a lot about why we’re drawn to these things. Perhaps it’s uncertainty in a rapidly changing world that pushes us towards materials that feel immovable. Or maybe it’s that many designers are showing us that tactility and warmth need not be limited to a gentle palette. This tension — between permanence and softness, coldness and care — feels especially resonant at this particular moment.

Which brings us to Indonesia, and its moment. Rather than producing an annual country special as we’ve done in years past, for the first time we’ve created a special integrated section dedicated to one country — this time celebrating this richly layered nation. From architecture and interiors to art and contemporary craft, what emerges is a country redefining its creative identity while honouring its heritage and traditions.

Elsewhere in this issue, we profile those who are similarly bridging past, present and future, like Shinichiro Ogata, whose work translates Japanese customs into a modern design language, and Vietnamese fashion label Kaarem, whose garments are their own quiet act of care. In Melbourne, Other Matter is pioneering a bio-based plastic, while the Himachal Pradesh resort Amaya blends gently into its mountain surrounds. And across Asia Pacific, a new generation of art spaces is redefining the cultural landscape, engaging not just with artworks, but with place, architecture and material. We close the issue with a visit to Hobart, a city that’s scaled for humans and surprisingly rich with wildlife; proof that cities, too, can and should feel solid and sensitive at once.

Simone Schultz & Jeremy Smart
Editors-in-Chief

Inside the issue

Dossier

The List
A round-up of things to see, places to go and books to read

Studio, Seoul
Hyunseog Oh of Niceworkshop speaks about his approach to design and the studio’s recent work

Profile
Shinichiro Ogata’s vision translates traditional Japanese culture into contemporary spaces that nurture community through design

Studio, Melbourne
Other Matter has pioneered a natural material that may replace petrochemically derived plastics

Style

Studio, Vietnam
Vietnamese brand Kaarem highlights the intersection of slow fashion, food and community

The Wardrobe
Vacation essentials from editor-approved brands

Wanderlust

Resort, Himachal Pradesh
Designed by Studio Mumbai and Viewport Studio, Amaya is an eco-sensitive resort woven into its mountain surroundings

Openings
From Bali to the Himalayas, we round up some of the best new design-led properties from around the world

The City, George Town
A design-led tour of one destination, selected by our global contributors and team. In this edition, we visit Penang’s UNESCO World Heritage site of George Town

Vernissage

Profile
Rahee Yoon reinterprets industrial materials through a craft ethos to create geometric yet emotive forms

Art Institutions
Across Asia, new art spaces are redefining the landscape, creating places where art and architecture engage in a dialogue, blurring the line between creation and setting

Home

Perth
Swathes of natural materials and soaring volumes characterise Karijini House, designed by Gritt Studio

Singapore
This singular home acts as a canvas for its owners’ artistic work and existential views

Tokyo
A concrete dwelling, designed by the late Japanese architect Yasuhisa Ota and now home to a photographer and a designer, is almost entirely hidden by nature

Hong Kong
Nelson Chow breathes wonder into a family home inspired by ecclesiastical architecture

Architectonics

Studio, Shanghai
From Bund renovations to park pavilions, Shisuo Design Office crafts contemporary spaces that honour genius loci through material storytelling

Art Museum, Naoshima
On Naoshima island, Tadao Ando’s latest museum emerges from the hillside like a modernist temple

The Flâneur

Hobart
A flâneur is an urban explorer, and in our rotating column, our writers share their musings, observations and critiques of the urban environment in cities around the world. In this issue, Asia-based Australian writer Kee Foong discovers his home country’s smallest and most southerly state capital is both human in scale and a haven for native wildlife

Special Edition

Indonesia
The people, places and projects shaping contemporary Indonesia through the lens of design, craft and culture