Design Awards Preview 2012
Best domestic design
‘Matières à Chaud' radiator', by 5.5 Designers, for Saazs
It's not often a design can be said to be truly revolutionary. Usually, save for a few quirky flourishes, the design in question retains the same recognisable shape. Not so this radiator by paris-based 5.5 Designers. The object looks, at first glance, like an abstract sculpture of trees made from colourful shafts of wood and metal sprouting from wood or marble bases. But these are encased in patented Quantum Glass, whose thin metal coating conducts and radiates heat with a very even spread, creating a heat source that is unobtrusive both visually and spatially. And because the ‘trees' can be rearranged at random, the heating becomes a constantly evolving work of art
Materials: Quantum Glass, wood, marble
Previous projects by designers: ‘Fire kit' for skitsch; ‘Currenkey' flash drive
www.cinqcinqdesigners.com
www.saazs.com
Best domestic design
‘Matières à Chaud' radiator', by 5.5 Designers, for Saazs
Best domestic design
‘Piani' table lamp, by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, for Flos
This bijou table lamp is one of the most enigmatic pieces by the prolific Bouroullec brothers. its asymmetrical hood and base create a squat profile that brings to mind a futuristic street lamp. But when lit, ‘piani' acquires a monolithic, architectural quality and appears to float like a minimalist spaceship. It might even tempt you to linger a little longer at your desk – even if it's to keep poring over that dull office paperwork. Conveniently, ‘Piani' comes in three different versions: a petite plastic model in red or green with a base that doubles as a valet tray for keys, coins and other pocket detritus; a larger desktop model available in oak or basalt; and a shelf version, available in either wood or stone
Materials: Plastic, oak, basalt
Previous projects by designers: ‘ploum' sofa for Ligne roset; ‘Baguettes' chair for Magis; ‘vegetal' chair for vitra
www.bouroullec.com
www.flos.com
Best domestic design
‘Piani' table lamp, by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, for Flos
Best domestic design
Laundry system, by Valcucine
Laundry rooms tend to be dim and poorly designed. Valcucine's goal is to redress the aesthetics, if not the functionality, of the spaces. The key component here is a system of flexible modules that can be adapted according to your floorplan and needs - vibration-dampening washing machines and dryers that disappear behind roller doors when not in use; shelves that pull out to hold laundry baskets; ironing boards that slide away neatly; and customised drawers for everything else, including airing racks for shoes. And it's all constructed from a harmonious blend of painted steel, glass, wood, aluminium and hard-wearing acrylic resin. it's as if Jane Jetson just stepped out of the room
Materials: steel, glass, wood, aluminium, acrylic resin
Previous projects by manufacturer:'Hability' kitchen; 'Artematica' kitchen
www.valcucine.it/laundry
Best domestic design
Laundry system, by Valcucine
Best domestic design
‘Set' oven hood, by Rodolfo Dordoni, for Dada
Italian architect Rodolfo Dordoni, well known for his rigorous sense of function and form, is also an accomplished cook. This explains why the modular shelves and work spaces of his new ‘set' kitchen for Dada flow so organically and logically. Essential tools are always near to hand and the sequence of movements between stations is rhythmic. Central to ‘set' is the cooking hood, a totem-like pillar that flares out in brushed-steel glory, its shape cleverly concealing all the electrical components, lights and a powerful extraction fan. Dordoni's design works equally well flush against the wall or hovering sleekly over an island stove
Materials: stainless-steel, aluminium, American walnut
Previous projects by manufacturer: ‘Where' tables for Molteni & C; ‘sled' sofa for Cassina; ‘Tau' lamp for Flos
www.dadaweb.it
www.rodolfodordoni.it
Best domestic design
‘Set' oven hood, by Rodolfo Dordoni, for Dada
Best domestic design
‘Scope' mobile video call station, by Siedle
Ever noticed the doorbell tends to ring at the most inopportune times, and that it's inevitably someone you wished you hadn't opened the door for? This handsome unit, by German electronics manufacturer Siedle, not only controls all the technology in your home, it's also a cordless telephone and monitor, allowing you to screen who's at the door on a big, high-definition colour screen and, with the click of a button, let the person in... or not. Every task, from opening the garage door and switching on the garden lighting to lifting the blinds in the upstairs bedroom, can be managed and controlled. it doesn't hurt that the ‘scope' is perfectly weighted in the palm, its severe, angular heft sheathed in a choice of chrome, aluminium or stainless steel
Materials: Chrome, aluminium, stainless steel
Previous projects by manufacturer: LED light module
www.siedle.com
Best domestic design
‘Scope' mobile video call station, by Siedle
Designer of the year
Aldo Bakker
We realised the brilliance of this Dutch designer, the son of droog founder Gijs Bakker, when we first gripped the door handle he designed for hardware specialists izé. The angled lines of the lever make it almost mercurial in the way it flows out of the door before flaring into an ergonomic shape that folds naturally into the contours of your palm. The same minimalist discipline evident in that door handle runs strongly through Bakker's work. Carved out of a single block of oak, the ‘Tonus' stool is extraordinary for its organic form, while the alphabetically challenged ‘3dwn1up' stool comprises five pieces of elm, one of which functions as a backrest
Previous projects by designer: ‘Watering Can' for Thomas Eyck; salt cellar for Thomas EyckBased: Amsterdam
www.siedle.com
Photograph: Erik and Petra Hesmerg
Designer of the year
Aldo Bakker
Photograph: Erik and Petra Hesmerg
Designer of the year
Aldo Bakker
Photograph: Rob Wyatt
Designer of the year
Aldo Bakker
Photograph: Erik and Petra Hesmerg
Designer of the year
Rodolfo Dordoni
For someone with such sterling professional credentials, Rodolfo Dordoni is surprisingly self-effacing, describing his work as ‘not important'. We're not buying it. This is a man who's worked for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Artemide, Flos, Minotti and Roda (where he is currently art director). This past year, Dordoni has kept his team of 20-odd architects and designers busy, at his airy warehouse office, producing a new, streamlined range of furniture swathed in textured linens and embroidered canvas for Minotti; a covetable set of cookware and kitchen accessories finished in bronze, glass and polished steel for knindustrie; and a new outdoor furniture collection for Kettal
Previous projects by designer: ‘Where' tables for Molteni & C; ‘Sled' sofa for Cassina; ‘Tau' lamp for Flos. Architectural projects have included the concept for dolce & Gabbana boutiques worldwide; the second floor of La Rinascente Duomo in Milan; as well as private houses, restaurants and yachts
Based: Milan
www.rodolfodordoni.it
Photograph: Ramak Fazel
Designer of the year
Rodolfo Dordoni
Designer of the year
Rodolfo Dordoni
Designer of the year
Rodolfo Dordoni
Designer of the year
Rodolfo Dordoni
Designer of the year
Rodolfo Dordoni
Designer of the year
Rodolfo Dordoni
Designer of the year
Jaime Hayón
A distinct subversiveness lurks beneath the whimsy of the work of spanish designer Jaime Hayón, not surprising when you learn about his passion for skateboard culture and graffiti art. These predilections help to explain Hayón's fondness for bold contours, primary colours and distorted proportions. A highlight of the year's output – prolific even by his standards – was his bathroom collection for Bisazza, a triumph of art nouveau influences and unexpected silhouettes. His ceramic plates, cups and vases, featuring scandinavian and Japanese motifs in a palette of Ming blue, for Kutani Choemon, and his ‘Candy Light' table lamps for Baccarat were equally notable
Previous projects by designer: ‘Crystal Candy set' for Baccarat; ‘showtime Collection' for BD Ediciones de Diseño; Camper store interiors around the world; ‘Tudor' chair and cabinet for Established & Sons
Based: London, Barcelona, Treviso
www.hayonstudio.com
Nienke Klunder
Designer of the year
Jaime Hayón
Courtesy of Hayonstudio
Designer of the year
Jaime Hayón
Courtesy of Hayonstudio
Designer of the year
Jaime Hayón
Courtesy of Hayonstudio
Designer of the year
Jaime Hayón
Photograph by Nienke Klunder
Designer of the year
Jaime Hayón
Courtesy of Hayonstudio
Designer of the year
Patrick Jouin
A Patrick Jouin project provides that rare combination of tactile utility and simple aesthetic elegance. In the hands of the former protégé of Philippe Starck, nothing is overwrought. Alain Ducasse, with whom Jouin has worked over the years on several high-profile restaurants, describes the Nantes-born designer as someone who ‘makes a statement without shouting'. In 2011, there have been plenty of statements. A string of new and varied commissions included tableware and furniture for restaurants at the Mandarin Oriental in Paris; a series of two- toned chairs for Ligne Roset; a desk lamp for Artemide; and kitchenware for La Cornue
Previous projects by designer: Bike docking stations, Paris; Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée restaurant, Paris (designed with Sanjit Manku); ‘Solid' furniture collection; ‘OneShot' folding stool; ‘Lebeau' table for Cassina
Based: Paris
www.patrickjouin.com
Photograph by Ugo Richard
Designer of the year
Patrick Jouin
Courtesy of Ligne Roset
Designer of the year
Patrick Jouin
Photograph by Helen Hilaire
Designer of the year
Patrick Jouin
Photograph by Helen Hilaire
Designer of the year
Patrick Jouin
Photograph by Patrick Burban
Designer of the year
Nendo
When Canadian-born Oki Sato set up design company Nendo in 2002, few could have predicted its spectacular success. Sato's philosophy is to reimagine quotidian objects and needs in a way that provides what he epigrammatically calls a small ‘!' moment. In 2011, there have been plenty of those moments at nendo: a USB flash drive that doubles as a paperclip; a fruit bowl that changes its shape through a simple magnetic lining; a pendant lampshade made from two rolls of metal sheets; and even a transparent chair made of polyurethane film. The ingenuity of the designs is matched only by Sato's almost childlike joy in deconstruction, in reshaping the mundane into something fresh without letting it lose any of its original function
Previous projects by designer: ‘Island' table for Cappellini; ‘Data Clip' USB flash drive for Elecom; 24 Issey Miyake store interiors, Tokyo; Asobio Channel One store interiors, Shanghai; ‘Think Black Lines' solo exhibition by Phillips de Pury & Company at Saatchi Gallery, London
Based: Tokyo
www.nendo.jp
Designer of the year
Nendo
Designer of the year
Nendo
Designer of the year
Nendo
Photograph by Musayuki Hayashi
Designer of the year
Nendo
Photograph by Daici Ano
Best new restaurant
Sur Mesure, Paris, by Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku
Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku provide the perfect backdrop to the experimental cuisine on offer at the Mandarin Oriental's new Sur Mesure. Bar tables are like glass-framed bronze mushrooms, and a Kubrickian glass door leads guests into the main hall where the futuristic, all-white décor is like a haute-couture cave. There's a UFO-shaped light installation at the centre of a winter garden and a unisex bathroom wrapped entirely in rose-coloured scales. Thierry Marx's imaginative yet healthy menu is inspired by new culinary techniques from Japan. Highlights include a poached hen's egg in a roll of scrambled egg white; and risotto with beansprouts and truffles in soya-milk foam
Address: 251 rue Saint-Honoré, Paris, 1e
Key features: A futuristic, minimalist cave offering innovative dishes influenced by the molecular movement
Cuisine: The menu explores the culinary link between the technical and the emotional, focusing equally on sight, sound and taste
Chef: Thierry Marx
www.mandarinoriental.com/paris
Photograph by Helen Hilaire
Best new restaurant
Sur Mesure, Paris, by Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku
Photograph by Fabrice Fouillet
Best new restaurant
Sur Mesure, Paris, by Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku
Photograph by Fabrice Fouillet
Best new restaurant
Nopi, London, by Alex Meitlis
Yotam Ottolenghi, one of the founders of popular London chain Ottolenghi, is thinking bigger with his new Soho restaurant. He hired Israeli-born architect Alex Meitlis to fashion the space with a light, natural palette, from the creamy marble floors to the bleached-wood furniture and white metro-tile walls. A metallic teardrop serving station, brass upside-down lamps and massive citrus canvases by Argentinean artist Diana Aisenberg add character throughout. The lower floor, adjacent to the open kitchen, features two large communal tables surrounded by dry-store shelves stocked with gorgeous olive oils, vinegars and the like, and most dishes can be shared
Address: 21-22 Warwick Street, London W1
Key features: Yotam Ottolenghi's first restaurant in Soho, with cream marble floors and warm brass accents
Cuisine: Colourful dishes for sharing seduce with sunny aromas from the Middle east, the Mediterranean and Asia
Chef: Ramael Scully and Sarit Packer
Photograph by Jamie McGregor Smith
Best new restaurant
Nopi, London, by Alex Meitlis
Photograph by Jamie McGregor Smith
Best new restaurant
Nopi, London, by Alex Meitlis
Photograph by Jamie McGregor Smith
Best new restaurant
Burgundy, Beirut, by Riad Kamel
Architect Riad Kamel's brutal yet beautiful interior – one part Zeppelin, one part submarine – is a remarkable mix of polished concrete and glass. Its sleek, blonde-wood bar and vaulted mesh-clad ceiling are lit to perfection by dynamic chandeliers from PSLAB, Beirut's lighting luminaries. The idiosyncratic wine cellar is packed with exceptional vintages, mostly French, while the menu takes classics like foie gras and slipper lobster and gives them an occasional tweak. Artfully conceived and plated by Brody White, a protégé of Joël Robuchon, and his talented sous-chef, Youssef Akiki, portions are rich enough to satisfy but never so large that they overwhelm the wine
Address: 752 Gouraud Street, Beirut
Key features: A sophisticated wine bar with architectural surprises in every nook
Cuisine: Contemporary seasonal French and Mediterranean tapas with international hints. The list of recherché wines concentrates, aptly, on Burgundies
Chef: Brody White
Photograph by Joe Kesrouani
Best new restaurant
Burgundy, Beirut, by Riad Kamel
Best new restaurant
Burgundy, Beirut, by Riad Kamel
Best new restaurant
Ozone, Hong Kong, by Masamichi Katayama
Designed by Wonderwall's Masamichi Katayama, Ozone, in The Ritz-Carlton, is so far above the city's streets it takes not one but two lifts to reach it. Tokyoite Masamichi – best known for his A Bathing Ape retail spaces – oversaw every aspect of the interior: from the unusually angular bar (the world's highest) and out-of-this-world lounge areas to the bespoke egg-shaped dining chairs and fig leaf-veined marble floor and ceiling. He also selected works by Nagano photographer Cozue Takagi to display on the walls. Bryan Chin's sushi, tempura and Asian-fusion dishes tempt guests temporarily from the outdoor terrace, with its spectacular views of Hong Kong far, far below
Address: International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon
Key features: The upper floors of the world's fourth tallest building (book a window seat), with a contemporary rock garden and superlative views
Cuisine: Asian tapas
Chef: Bryan Chin
Photograph by Nacasa & Partners
Best new restaurant
Ozone, Hong Kong, by Masamichi Katayama
Photograph by Nacasa & Partners
Best new restaurant
Ozone, Hong Kong, by Masamichi Katayama
Photograph by Nacasa & Partners
Best new restaurant
Cecconi's, Miami, by Martin Brudnizki with Nick Jones
Designer Martin Brudnizki and Soho House owner Nick Jones perfectly blended the brand's unpretentious take on European glamour with design inspiration from the great hotels of 1940s Havana. They've outfitted the open-air club with antique nile-green tile floors and silver buttonwood trees enmeshed in fairy lights. Menus offer favourite dishes from Soho House's far-flung locations – such as veal ossobuco with gremolata – but Sergio Sigala has added a steak and seafood programme. After dinner, members and their guests migrate to the upstairs bar, rooftop lounge or one of the sitting areas overlooking the Atlantic to partake of the menu of handcrafted cocktails, which includes deliciously authentic caipirinhas and mojitos – a must in Miami
Address: 4385 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
Key features: A recreation of an elegant midcentury Cuban dining room with a fantastical indoor-outdoor bar at soho Beach House
Cuisine: Venetian-influenced Italian
Chef: Sergio Sigala
Best new restaurant
Cecconi's, Miami, by Martin Brudnizki with Nick Jones
Best new or renovated hotel
Devi Ratn, Jaipur, by Prabhakar B Bhagwat and Urban Studio
Devised by the owners of the Devi Art Foundation, Devi Ratn was built by Prabhakar B Bhagwat, an Ahmedabad-based architect whose minimalist lines were inspired by the Jantar Mantar, an 18th-century observatory nearby. Each of the 63 suites, designed by Mumbai's Urban Studio, is decorated in a palette of ruby reds, emerald greens or sapphires, incorporating mirrored surfaces, dramatic terrazzo floors and private rooftop terraces or gardens. There's a L'Occitane spa that offers Indian treatments and a locally influenced, all-white, vaulted-ceiling restaurant. You can also eat on the rooftop terrace, or have a drink at our favourite spot, the dramatic circular slate Chakra bar
Address: Jamdoli, Agra Road, Tehsil Ballupura, Rajasthan
Key features: A design hotel with views to the Aravali mountains, and Rajasthan's new jewel in the crown. The Raj-inspired architecture sets it above your average modern, luxury hotel
Number of rooms: 63 suites
www.deviresorts.in
urbanstudioindia.com
Photograph by Philip Sinden
Best new or renovated hotel
Devi Ratn, Jaipur, by Prabhakar B Bhagwat and Urban Studio
Photograph by Philip Sinden
Best new or renovated hotel
Devi Ratn, Jaipur, by Prabhakar B Bhagwat and Urban Studio
Photograph by Philip Sinden
Best new or renovated hotel
Devi Ratn, Jaipur, by Prabhakar B Bhagwat and Urban Studio
Photograph by Philip Sinden
Best new or renovated hotel
Playa Vik José Ignacio, Uruguay, by Carlos Ott
Overlooking the dramatic South Atlantic coastline, Playa Vik José Ignacio is a contemporary marvel by Uruguayan Carlos Ott. Ott's key concern was integrating the building into the surrounding landscape, but he also kept it eco-friendly by minimising the use of energy, recycling water and employing innovative solar technologies. There are four guest suites, and six private casas, each with two or three bedrooms and an impressive collection of contemporary art. Indeed, the casas are like works of art themselves, with macassar-ebony ceilings, hand-painted floors, wooden baths carved by local artisans and retractable glass doors that open onto private gardens or terraces facing the sea
Address: Calle Los Cisnes y Los Horneros, Faro José Ignacio
Key features: A new beach resort cutting a fine figure on the South Atlantic coast. outside, a black-granite infinity pool features a fibre-optic celestial map of the southern hemisphere
Number of rooms: 4 suites, 6 casas
www.vikretreats.com
www.carlosott.com
Photograph by Cristobal Palma
Best new or renovated hotel
Playa Vik José Ignacio, Uruguay, by Carlos Ott
Photograph by Cristobal Palma
Best new or renovated hotel
Playa Vik José Ignacio, Uruguay, by Carlos Ott
Photograph by Cristobal Palma
Best new or renovated hotel
Viceroy, Anguilla, by Kelly Wearstler
The only resort on Anguilla boasting two beaches to itself, the Viceroy is an excellent place to be stranded. Its 166 rooms and suites are all perched at the nexus of Barnes and Meads Bays. The flair of American designer Kelly Wearstler is present throughout the resort, in the bold local art and sculpture and the modern contours of the furnishings. she mixes driftwood lamps, petrified-wood tables and travertine marble floors with hand- carved wood from Asia, hammered metalwork from india, and beaded artwork from Africa. The lounge bar serves up sublime views and fine rum, and you can get your seafood fix at the Bamboo Bar & Grill, with its locally caught crayfish and lobster
Address: West End, Anguilla, British West Indies
Key features: Interiors by designer Kelly Wearstler, thousands of feet of private beach, and one of the finest sunsets (and sundowner lounges) in the Caribbean
Number of rooms: 166
www.viceroyanguilla.com
www.kellywearstler.com
Best new or renovated hotel
Viceroy, Anguilla, by Kelly Wearstler
Best new or renovated hotel
Viceroy, Anguilla, by Kelly Wearstler
Best new or renovated hotel
Le Royal Monceau-Raffles, Paris, by Philippe Starck
A veritable chateau just steps from the Champs-Elysées has become one of the world's most progressive and innovative hotels, thanks to an engaging revamp by Philippe Starck. The grand salon sits at the heart of the building, acting as a kind of village square, from which guests can peel off to Le Bar Long, with its floor-to-ceiling drinks cabinet. The cinema serves raspberry-flavoured popcorn by celebrated patissier pierre Hermé, while the bookstore is lined with some 700 art and architecture tomes. Upstairs, 85 guest rooms, 61 suites and four apartments are designed with an art deco aesthetic and outfitted with oversized beds
Address: 37 Avenue Hoche, Paris, 8e
Key features: A Parisian grande dame opened in 1928 and now revamped by Philippe Starck. It features Paris' first hotel cinema, a contemporary art bookshop, a concept store run by L'Eclaireur, and the largest hotel pool in Paris
Number of rooms: 149
www.leroyalmonceau.com
www.philippestarck.com
Photograph by Philippe Garcia
Best new or renovated hotel
Le Royal Monceau-Raffles, Paris, by Philippe Starck
Photograph by Philippe Garcia
Best new or renovated hotel
Le Royal Monceau-Raffles, Paris, by Philippe Starck
Photograph by Philippe Garcia
Best new or renovated hotel
Square Nine, Belgrade, by Isay Weinfeld
Isay Weinfeld gave this drab office block, located in Belgrade's historic centre, a $40-million transformation and succeeded in putting the city on the global design map. Inside, it's decorated in warm, inviting materials: stone pillars, bronze mirrors and wood floors. The collection of midcentury Danish furniture took three years to amass and included tracking down the manufacturers of a single Arne Vodder bar stool from the 1930s, then convincing the company to reproduce 12 more for the bar. The 45 sleek guest rooms have Brazilian imbuia-wood desks, original Hans Wegner club chairs and Hermès toiletries. In the minimalist wellness centre, guests get a sun-splashed lap pool, steam room and Japanese cedar-lined ofuro tub
Address: Studentski Trg 9, Belgrade
Key features: A harbinger of Belgrade's post-war design boom furnished with vintage Danish furniture. The architect – Brazilian Isay Weinfield – says it all
Number of rooms: 45
www.squarenine.rs
www.isayweinfeld.com
Photograph by Matthieu Salvaing
Best new or renovated hotel
Square Nine, Belgrade, by Isay Weinfeld
Photograph by Matthieu Salvaing
Best new or renovated hotel
Square Nine, Belgrade, by Isay Weinfeld
Photograph by Matthieu Salvaing
Best new private house
Haus am Berg Isel, Austria, by Elmar Ludescher Architects
Boldly going forward from the classic Mitteleuropean box, Elmar Ludescher's Bregenz house is an instant-classic slice of wooden-clad Austrian architecture. Clean lines and seamless carpentry kit out the slender concrete frame to perfection. A top-hung slatted façade can be slid back like a giant pocket door to expose the road-side elevation, or put back in place to restore the private enclosed terrace. Similarly, where the sheltered balcony cantilevers over the wooded hilltop surroundings, Ludescher has fitted curtains that can be drawn across the front elevation. The circular, open rooflight and outdoor stove make the balcony a favourite place for a spot of private stargazing
Architect's previous work: Haus K, Lauterach; Haus T, Feldkirch; Glas Marte headquarters, Bregenz; eurospar supermarket, Hohenems, all in Austria
Based: Bregenz, Austria
www.elmar-ludescher.at
Photograph byRobert Fessler
Best new private house
Haus am Berg Isel, Austria, by Elmar Ludescher Architects
Courtesy of Elmar Ludescher
Best new private house
Haus am Berg Isel, Austria, by Elmar Ludescher Architects
Photograph by Robert Fessler
Best new private house
Haus am Berg Isel, Austria, by Elmar Ludescher Architects
Photograph by Robert Fessler
Best new private house
Haus am Berg Isel, Austria, by Elmar Ludescher Architects
Photograph by Robert Fessler
Best new private house
Pringiers House, Sri Lanka, by Tadao Ando
Tadao Ando has judged these awards before, as well as featured in them. Yet he's never been nominated for a residential building. His latest offering, Pringiers House on Mirissa beach, was commissioned before the 2004 tsunami and completed in collaboration with local architects PWA. Working the design around the site's best orientation (it offers some breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean), Ando arranged the house over three sections connected by a raised courtyard. The generous bedroom wing, living wing and art studio are clean, minimal and geometric in the architect's signature exposed concrete. A rooftop pool and cantilevered terrace complete the picture
Architect's previous work: Church of the Light, Osaka; Fabrica, Treviso, Italy; Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, US; Langen Foundation, Neuss, Germany; Sky Tree, Tokyo
Based: Osaka
www.tadao-ando.com
Photograph by Edmund Sumner
Best new private house
Pringiers House, Sri Lanka, by Tadao Ando
Photograph by Edmund Sumner
Best new private house
Pringiers House, Sri Lanka, by Tadao Ando
Photograph by Edmund Sumner
Best new private house
77E77, US, by Adjaye Associates
David Adjaye made his name with a series of minimal houses Adjaye Associates in London's east end, tapping into the architectural sensibilities of an emerging generation of young artists that have since gone on to shape the nation's modern art scene. For this, Adjaye's first American residential project, the architect switched allegiance to collectors, creating a starkly modern private museum that's as visually eccentric as the artworks contained within. Designed for a New York art-world power couple on the Upper East Side, the house's rough concrete carapace and edgy scattering of windows wrap around an even more eclectic interior – the unifying masterpiece in the owners' flamboyant collection
Architect's previous work: Dirty House, London; Lost House, London; Idea Stores, London; Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver; School of Management, Moscow
Based: London/Berlin
www.adjaye.com
Photograph by Lyndon Douglas
Best new private house
77E77, US, by Adjaye Associates
Photograph by Lyndon Douglas
Best new private house
77E77, US, by Adjaye Associates
Photograph by Lyndon Douglas
Best new private house
W Houses, Peru, by Barclay & Crousse
The Parisian/Peruvian studio Barclay & Crousse is responsible for a slew of properties overlooking the dramatic pacific coastline at La Escondida Beach in Cañete, near Lima. Completing the composition are these new structures, a pair of weathered-concrete clifftop terraces that create a new landscape of pools and porches looking out across the sea. Concealed within crevasses and canyons on the border of a desert, and warmed year-round by the Humboldt Current, the houses bask in their own microclimate. Their poured-concrete render keeps things cool in every sense of the word – as do the slender lap pools, one for each family, mounted on the very edges of the site
Architect's previous work: Racecourse in Rambouillet, France; AS apartments and art showroom, Lima; housing development at Bottière Chenaie, Nantes, France; F House, Lima
Based: Paris/Lima
www.barclaycrousse.com
Photograph by Cristobal Palma
Best new private house
W Houses, Peru, by Barclay & Crousse
Photograph by Cristobal Palma
Best new private house
W Houses, Peru, by Barclay & Crousse
Photograph by Cristobal Palma
Best new private house
W Houses, Peru, by Barclay & Crousse
Photograph by Cristobal Palma
Best new private house
Paddington House, Australia, by Anthony Gill Architects
Anthony Gill's Paddington House is a prosaic but highly effective refurbishment, combining two existing houses in a conservation area to create one generously proportioned private residence arranged around a central void. The dining space is the heart of the house, opening out to the north-facing garden, which is overlooked by the upper floors. Gill and his team kept only the front rooms of each house intact, demolishing the rear elevations and rebuilding them with an unfussy palette of materials – whitewashed brick and warm timber frames. By deliberately blurring the distinction between old and new, and keeping faithful to the house's original materials, Gill intended for Paddington to age gracefully
Architect's previous work: Surry Hills House; Potts Point Apartment; Berta restaurant; Vini restaurant, all in Sydney
Based: Sydney
www.gillarchitects.com.au
Photograph by Peter Bennetts
Best new private house
Paddington House, Australia, by Anthony Gill Architects
Photograph by Peter Bennetts
Best new private house
Paddington House, Australia, by Anthony Gill Architects
Photograph by Peter Bennetts
Best new private house
Paddington House, Australia, by Anthony Gill Architects
Photograph by Peter Bennetts
Best new public building
Hepworth Wakefield, UK, by David Chipperfield Architects
Comprising ten galleries and a unique collection of sculptures by Barbara Hepworth, the Hepworth Wakefield in West Yorkshire responds to the surrounding industrial landscape with a synthesis of ten trapezoidal concrete blocks. The gallery spaces, accompanied by an auditorium, café bar and shop, house more than 6,000 works. They're complemented by the Hepworth Family Gift (44 full-size working models), the Gott Collection (a selection of Yorkshire-inspired artwork) and selected loans that will supplement the permanent collection. This is one of Chipperfield's largest home-country commissions, as well as one of the UK's most important art spaces outside London
Architect's previous work: River and Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames, UK; Figge Art Museum, Davenport, US; Public Library, Des Moines, US; Neues Museum, Berlin; Turner Contemporary, Margate, UK
Based: London/Berlin/Milan/Shanghai
www.davidchipperfield.co.uk
Photograph by Iwan Baan
Best new public building
Hepworth Wakefield, UK, by David Chipperfield Architects
Photograph by Iwan Baan
Best new public building
Teshima Art Museum, Japan, by Ryue Nishizawa
One half of Pritzker prize-winning Tokyo practice SANAA, Ryue Nishizawa went it alone on the Teshima Art Museum project. Her graceful result resembles a drop of water fallen on the lush Teshima Island landscape. Blurring the boundary between the manmade and natural worlds, the gallery is as unobtrusive as it is unconventional. Curvaceous and blindingly white, its vast, column-free concrete interior was planned to accommodate large-scale art and a variety of temporary exhibitions. Featuring two large, elliptical walkways that connect the main galleries to the surrounding rolling hills, Teshima is a perfect host for art – and is, indeed, an artwork in its own right
Architect's previous work (with SANAA): dior store, Tokyo; Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion, US; Zollverein School of Design, Essen, Germany; Serpentine Pavilion, London; Rolex Learning Centre, Lausanne, switzerland
Based: Tokyo
www.ryuenishizawa.com
Photograph by Iwan Baan
Best new public building
Teshima Art Museum, Japan, by Ryue Nishizawa
Best new public building
Teshima Art Museum, Japan, by Ryue Nishizawa
Photograph by Iwan Baan
Best new public building
Musashino Art University Library, Japan, by Sou Fujimoto
Taking the idea of stacks to the next level, the new Musashino Art University Library in Tokyo, by homegrown architect Sou Fujimoto, is a building that is stunning in its simplicity, yet born of a powerful concept. Elaborating on the library bookshelf motif, Fujimoto clad the vaulted two-storey structure in warm timber shelves (on the façade they're protected by glass). The corridors, entrances and foyers are carved out of the continuous shelving like archways, and floating walkways connect the stacks. The project's second phase, the transformation of a nearby college building into an art gallery, will complete a new, unified art and library section on the campus
Architect's previous work: Final Wooden House, Kumamoto, Japan; N House, Oita, Japan; In the Cloud Bar, Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition, Milan
Based: Tokyo
www.sou-fujimoto.net
Photograph by Iwan Baan
Best new public building
Musashino Art University Library, Japan, by Sou Fujimoto
Photograph by Iwan Baan
Best new public building
Musashino Art University Library, Japan, by Sou Fujimoto
Photograph by Iwan Baan
Best new public building
Metropol Parasol, Spain, by J Mayer H
A mushroom-shaped expressionist canopy at the centre of Seville's Plaza de la Encarnación, Jürgen Mayer's Metropol Parasol was awarded Best Building site in our 2010 design Awards. So we're pleased to see that its recently completed form is every bit as startling as we'd expected. Mayer has used clever maths and smart engineering to fashion this curvy, fluid structure, mainly out of wood. The sweeping forms lend extra surface area to the square, creating space for an archaeological museum, a farmers' market, cafés and a panoramic terrace. More than a mere trophy building, Mayer's giant ‘umbrella' is a progressive, not to mention potent, piece of urban architecture
Architect's previous work: Mensa, Karlsruhe, Germany; Home.Haus, Hamburg; Dupli.Casa, Ludwigsburg, Germany; Mestia Airport, Georgia
Based: Berlin
www.jmayerh.de
Photograph by Fernando Alda
Best new public building
Metropol Parasol, Spain, by J Mayer H
Photograph by Fernando Alda
Best new public building
Metropol Parasol, Spain, by J Mayer H
Photograph by Fernando Alda
Best new public building
Metropol Parasol, Spain, by J Mayer H
Photograph by Fernando Alda
Best new public building
Metropol Parasol, Spain, by J Mayer H
Photograph by Fernando Alda
Best new public building
Giant Group Campus, Shanghai, by Morphosis
A project for leading Chinese online-game developer Giant, this complex houses the group's corporate headquarters outside Shanghai. The design, by LA-based Morphosis architects, headed by Pritzker Prize-winner Thom Mayne, incorporates not only the company's digital technology and design divisions, but also a gym, pool, hotel rooms, conference rooms, a library, auditoriums, an exhibition space, a café and a car park. The campus is anything but conventional. The low, animal-like complex lunges across the three-hectare site, with an expansive green roof, landscaping and architecture indistinguishable. its dynamic form wraps around outdoor plazas and private ponds, connecting back to itself via glass-encased bridges
Architect's previous work: Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center, Los Angeles; Caltrans District 7 Headquarters, Los Angeles; san Francisco Federal Building; Cooper Union academic building, New York
Based: Los Angeles
www.morphosis.com
Photograph by Iwan Baan
Best new public building
Giant Group Campus, Shanghai, by Morphosis
Best city
London
It's been a bumpy few years, but London's star is back on the rise. A frenetic sprucing up of public infrastructure has prepped the city for its Olympic Games close-up. When completed in May 2012, Renzo Piano's 310m Shard will be Western Europe's tallest building, and the first phase in Herzog & de Meuron's £215m Tate Modern extension is to open later in the year. There has been an infusion of new and refurbished hotels (45 Park Lane, Belgraves and Bulgari, to name a few that have opened or will do so soon), and foodie mouths are watering for the latest restaurant boom, led by both stalwarts (Heston Blumenthal, Jason Atherton, Marcus Wareing) and Young Turks (Nuno Mendes, José Pizarro)
New architecture: 45 Park Lane; White Cube Bermondsey; Olympic Stadium and Velopark (pictured); ArcelorMittal Orbit
Under construction: The Shard; Tate Modern extension
Restaurants: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal; Da Polpo; Nopi
Cultural draws: Frieze Art Fair
Photograph by Richard Davies
Best city
London
The Shard by Renzo Piano
Photograph by Daniel Stier
Best city
London
The AcelorMittal Orbit observation tower
Best city
Guangzhou
China's third largest city has always had lofty ambitions, and these days it's on a high-stakes roll, evidenced by gleaming, new skyscrapers, such as the 600m Canton Tower (now the world's tallest TV tower) and SOM's Pearl River Tower. Fuelled by a muscular economy and a robust construction industry, the city is booming. The Guangdong Museum by Rocco Design Architects (pictured) opened in May 2010, and Zaha Hadid's first permanent project in China, the Guangzhou Opera House, was inaugurated in spring this year. Meanwhile, stylish locals are flocking to the newly opened Dior, Gucci and Louis Vuitton locations, and the Hermès here is the first in Asia to stock the brand's interiors line
New architecture: Guangzhou Opera House; Canton Tower
Under construction: Pearl River Tower; W Hotel
Restaurants: Yumin
Cultural draws: Classical Chinese opera
Photograph by Almond Chu
Best city
Guangzhou
Guandong Aquatics Center
Best city
Mexico City
An easy mix of Aztec temples, Spanish colonial piles and modernist architecture makes Mexico City a dynamic metropolis. The one-time poster child for pollution, poverty and crime has, in the past decade, transformed itself into one of the most progressive cities in the Americas. Marriage and adoption for same-sex couples were recently legalised and aggressive traffic policies have reduced the infamous congestion and smog levels. On the architectural scene, Fernando Romero, Javier Sánchez and Tatiana Bilbao are building on the reputation of Luis Barragán to head a new generation of creative minds. By any yardstick, Mexico City has spruced up its act
New architecture: Soumaya Museum (pictured)
Restaurants: La Capital; Celeste Champagne Tea room
Cultural draws: Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli
Photograph by Adam Wiseman
Best city
Mexico City
MN Roy nightclub by Emmanuel Picault & Ludwig Godefroy
Photograph by Ramiro Chaves
Best city
Mexico City
St Regis Hotel
Best city
Berlin
Even during the darkest moments of Berlin's turbulent modern history, it never lost its electric creativity or its stylish brio. Whether you visit for the fashion, cuisine or Grade A sightseeing (the city boasts an enviable spread of museums, galleries and boutiques), Berlin comes up with big, distinctive offerings. The Berlin Biennale, the Art Berlin Contemporary and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week have all worked to place the city squarely on the culture map, and its architectural and design communities are thriving. The party circuit shifts around from clubs and bars in Mühlenstrasse to edgier neighbourhoods like Friedrichshain- Kreuzberg, but it's still red hot
New architecture: Nhow Hotel (pictured)
Under construction: Leonardo Boutique Hotel; redevelopment of Tempelhof Airport as city park
Restaurants: Buck and Breck
Cultural draws: Gestalten store and gallery; Berlin Biennale
Photograph courtesy of Nhow Berlin
Best city
Berlin
Buck & Breck restaurant
Photograph by Katja Hiendlmayer
Best city
Berlin
Gestalten store and gallery
Best city
Berlin
Soho House Berlin
Best city
Porto
Portugal's second city has always been defined by the harbour after which it is named. Indeed, much of its appeal – and its Unesco World Heritage site status – derives from the granite houses that cluster on this steeply sloping terrain. Downtown's cultural life has been re-energised by an active student and arts community. Meanwhile, the landscape is dotted with attractive modern architecture by the likes of Álvaro Siza Vieira (Portugal's best known living architect), Eduardo Souto de Moura (winner of the 2011 Pritzker Architecture Prize) and Agostinho Ricca. And the culinary scene has been bombarded by beautifully designed restaurants with stellar ocean and city views and an encouraging willingness by its chefs to riff on traditional flavours
New architecture: Museu do Côa (pictured); Teleférico de Gaia
Restaurants: Buhle; Café Candelabro; Era Uma Vez no Porto
Cultural draws: Fantasporto international film festival; Rua Miguel Bombarda gallery district; Foz do Douro fashion district
Photograph by Camilo Rebelo
Best city
Porto
Buhle restaurant
Photograph by Fernando Guerra
Best city
Porto
Teleférico de Gaia, Vila Nova de Gaia
Photograph by Alberto Placido
Best new women's fashion collection
Jil Sander A/W11, by Raf Simons
Raf Simons' autumn/winter après-ski collection for Jil Sander had us questioning many things. It even had us rethinking stirrup pants, an article of clothing we thought we'd long since seen the back of. But Simons vaulted over the stirrup's bad 1980s moment and turned it into something intriguing. He anchored the sleek pants into the voided heels of his thick-wedged boots, creating the first directive in his new treatise on winter wear. Bubble skirts, cocoon-shaped chemise dresses and round-shouldered jackets provided the perfect foil to clinging ski sweaters with abstract graphics and pop art colour blocking, or downhill-racing caps doubling as chic turbans
Creative director: Raf Simons
Joined brand: 2005
Brand based: Milan
Key features: Sleek ski sweaters, round-shouldered jackets, stirrup pants, and vibrant colours
Best new women's fashion collection
www.jilsander.com
Photograph by Jason Lloyd-Evans
Best new women's fashion collection
Jil Sander A/W11, by Raf Simons
Photographs by Giovanni Giannoni, copyright Jil Sander
Best new women's fashion collection
Jil Sander A/W11, by Raf Simons
Photographs by Giovanni Giannoni, copyright Jil Sander
Best new women's fashion collection
Jil Sander A/W11, by Raf Simons
Photographs by Giovanni Giannoni, copyright Jil Sander
Best new women's fashion collection
Louis Vuitton A/W11, by Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs is just as OTT with his fashion designs as he is with the accoutrements of his show extravaganzas. Per his reputation, there was a seismic shift in the fashion plates of the season, one that took us to the fast-moving, high-stakes land of the total sexpot. With mile-high heels, plenty of shiny black vinyl and more than a sprinkling of naughty-maid lace, this American designer paved the way for a new kind of hardcore kink. Take, for instance, the models' nether regions, veiled in sheer curtains, which made for an original sort of walking peepshow. The fetish fantasy was made complete with police caps, leather gloves and gold handcuffs that locked wrists to handbags
Creative director: Marc Jacobs
Joined brand: 1997
Brand based: Paris
Key features: Patent leather, peter pan collars, and police caps
www.louisvuitton.com
Photograph by Jason Lloyd-Evans
Best new women's fashion collection
Louis Vuitton A/W11, by Marc Jacobs
Best new women's fashion collection
Louis Vuitton A/W11, by Marc Jacobs
Best new women's fashion collection
Louis Vuitton A/W11, by Marc Jacobs
Best new women's fashion collection
Givenchy A/W11, by Riccardo Tisci
Riccardo Tisci's collection was one of the fiercest of the autumn shows. Wild black cats with glowing yellow eyes found their way onto foliage-printed clothes that showed originality and wit. A lot of Tisci's success is due to the seamless way he subverts hardcore sex appeal with innocent, familiar silhouettes. Tight black vinyl skirts, sheer black tulle veils and stilettos were folded in with high-school staples like satin varsity jackets, cheerleader kick pleats and nerdy glasses. Even the velvet baseball caps sprouted feline ears, one of many details that contributed to a super-cool, alternative jungle reality – one you'd never seen before but wish you could live with for longer than 15 minutes
Creative director: Riccardo Tisci
Joined brand: 2005
Brand based: Paris
Key features: Collarless jackets, intricate patterns, sheer panels, and satin and vinyl
www.givenchy.com
Photograph by Jason Lloyd-Evans
Best new women's fashion collection
Givenchy A/W11, by Riccardo Tisci
Photographs by Givenchy
Best new women's fashion collection
Givenchy A/W11, by Riccardo Tisci
Photographs by Givenchy
Best new women's fashion collection
Givenchy A/W11, by Riccardo Tisci
Photographs by Givenchy
Best new women's fashion collection
Haider Ackermann A/W11
Completely avoiding histrionics and big-personality star power, Colombian-born, Belgium-based Ackermann lets the clothes grab all the headlines. His trick is to pick a pin-sharp silhouette and work it to death. This season, he took his signature fabric- folding to new heights, constructing ever-more complicated towers of looped or draped fabric, complemented by obi-cinched waists and forearms covered in ruched gloves. If Ackermann uses buttons, we haven't caught a trace of one yet. His preference for wrapping and folding allows his thick silk or satin jackets to swaddle the wearer like a baby, while draped leather circles the torso and rises up to the neck in a regal way
Creative director: Haider Ackermann
Brand based: Antwerp
Key features: Floor-length, high-slit skirts, silk trousers, belted coats, and draping and wrapping
www.haiderackermann.be
Photograph by Jason Lloyd-Evans
Best new women's fashion collection
Haider Ackermann A/W11
Best new women's fashion collection
Haider Ackermann A/W11
Best new women's fashion collection
Haider Ackermann A/W11
Best new women's fashion collection
Bottega Veneta A/W11, by Tomas Maier
Tomas Maier has built a signature style on the alteration of very expensive fabrics to make them appear a great deal less pricey. It takes a lot of confidence to pull this off, but Maier does it with ease. This season's wreckage came in the form of purposefully pilled-wool suits, shredded hems on dresses and tea stains on sweaters. To hammer the point home, cream accessories were airbrushed with a hand-shaped overprinting that resembled a layer of dust. This kind of surface transformation intrigues Maier the most; he overlaid with lace and added rich embroideries to his finest pieces. As is Maier's wont, the whole collection was rendered in beautiful neutrals that were interspersed with flashes of hot, magnetic colour
Creative director: Tomas Maier
Joined brand: 2001
Brand based: Vicenza
Key features: Pilled-wool coats, tea-stained silk, faux fur, and lace
www.bottegaveneta.com
Photograph by Jason Lloyd-Evans
Best new women's fashion collection
Bottega Veneta A/W11, by Tomas Maier
Best new women's fashion collection
Bottega Veneta A/W11, by Tomas Maier
Best new women's fashion collection
Bottega Veneta A/W11, by Tomas Maier
Best new men's fashion collection
Lanvin A/W11, by Lucas Ossendrijver
The tag team of Alber Elbaz and Lucas Ossendrijver continues to deliver hot goods to the Lanvin men's collection. This season, the new silhouette was a wide-leg trouser paired with a tightly tailored jacket and the duo spun a tale of chicly covered-up men, wrapped in layers of turtlenecks, clamped-up starched shirts and small-lapel double-breasted jackets. Big puffer jackets worn over straight-laced suits took on new sculptural forms, while cloaks borrowed heavily from the clerics. The seamless marriage of formal and informal continued with buttonless coats, clodhopper boots, preacher-style fedoras and a flash of grey sock peeping out from under cropped, pin-leg trousers
Artistic director: Alber Elbaz
Head menswear designer: Lucas Ossendrijver
Joined brand: 2005
Brand based: Paris
Key features: Wide-leg trousers, velvet jackets, belted puffer coats, loafers and clodhoppers
www.lanvin.com
Photograph by Jason Lloyd-Evans
Best new men's fashion collection
Lanvin A/W11, by Lucas Ossendrijver
Best new men's fashion collection
Lanvin A/W11, by Lucas Ossendrijver
Best new men's fashion collection
Lanvin A/W11, by Lucas Ossendrijver
Best new men's fashion collection
Raf Simons A/W11
We've been trained to expect fashion bombs from Raf Simons and to revel in the reverberations. When Simons plays with voluminous vinyl trousers and pairs them with pieces that wouldn't look out of place at an Ivy League school, you know you're in for a preppy treat. This season, toggled anoraks, duffle coats and plaid scarves shared catwalk space with latex, two- tone tape closures, razor-sharp wool tops, mohair circus stripes and snowflake patterns. Simons has an extraordinary capacity for fusing diverse planets, and his enthusiastic embrace of both the sticky rave floor and the graceful halls of perfectly cut haute couture hit just the right note of cohesive cool
Creative director: Raf Simons
Brand launched: 1995
Brand based: Antwerp
Key features: Wool tees, duffle coats, camel jackets, and latex trousers
www.rafsimons.com
Photograph by Jason Lloyd-Evans
Best new men's fashion collection
Raf Simons A/W11
Best new men's fashion collection
Raf Simons A/W11
Best new men's fashion collection
Raf Simons A/W11
Best new men's fashion collection
Dior Homme A/W11, by Kris Van Assche
How to do flow without looking fou? Dior Homme's Kris Van Assche proved that the former can happily exist without a trace of the latter. Despite their sinuous layers and floating cloaks, Van Assche's men looked about as frilly as a pew filled with Amish practitioners (in other words, exceedingly sober). His unstructured coats with contrast-tone linings or lapels floated lightly, while fluid trousers bunched loosely about the legs without becoming balloons. The austerity was helped along by the severe-looking hats and patternless palette, but Van Assche has shown his mastery of the minimal. By exercising restraint, he has redefined simplicity in an exciting new way
Creative director: Kris Van Assche
Joined brand: 2007
Brand based: Paris
Key features: Grey wool, two-tone coats, and baggy trousers
www.diorhomme.com
Photograph by Jason Lloyd-Evans
Best new men's fashion collection
Dior Homme A/W11, by Kris Van Assche
Best new men's fashion collection
Dior Homme A/W11, by Kris Van Assche
Best new men's fashion collection
Dior Homme A/W11, by Kris Van Assche
Best new men's fashion collection
Walter Van Beirendonck A/W11
There are so few menswear designers who really push the envelope. Fewer still who can deliver a complete package of originality, not just on the body but also on the head. We're referring, of course, to the wacky but wonderful hair twisted into antennae protrusions and fang-like face paint that Walter van Beirendonck showed for autumn/winter. The traditionally rooted clothes were shot up with candy colours, hand pockets, pattern patches and playful layers of fluffy fringe that bounced off the models' dark skin in a fascinating way. despite the potential weirdness of it all, Van Beirendonck's enthusiasm for fun, light-hearted design got everyone's chins wagging
Creative director: Walter Van Beirendonck
Brand launched: 1983
Brand based: Antwerp
Key features: Close-cut suits, playful pockets, primary colours, and loopy knits
www.waltervanbeirendonck.com
Photograph by Jason Lloyd-Evans
Best new men's fashion collection
Walter Van Beirendonck A/W11
Best new men's fashion collection
Walter Van Beirendonck A/W11
Best new men's fashion collection
Walter Van Beirendonck A/W11
Best new men's fashion collection
Yves Saint Laurent A/W11, by Stefano Pilati
The headway Italian-born Stefano Pilati has achieved in both creating and refining a new look for men must not be underestimated. His collection, a tricky look for 90 per cent of the male population, relies heavily on a stick-thin frame. This year, nip-waist coats, shallow-lapel jackets and skinny trousers cropped just above the ankle all enhanced a silhouette that was slickly drawn towards the body. Happily, there was nothing outlandish or weird going on here. The collection's strength came from the clear power of Pilati's dual talents: his razor-sharp cutting and his impeccable eye for beautiful fabrications. The result was a subtle, but very effective, treatise on chic
Creative director: Stefano Pilati
Joined brand: 2000
Brand based: Paris
Key features: Round-shoulder coats, cropped trousers, and short lapels
www.ysl.com
Photograph by Jason Lloyd-Evans
Best new men's fashion collection
Yves Saint Laurent A/W11, by Stefano Pilati
Best new men's fashion collection
Yves Saint Laurent A/W11, by Stefano Pilati
Best new men's fashion collection
Yves Saint Laurent A/W11, by Stefano Pilati
Best new grooming product
Manicure set, by Czech & Speake
Czech & Speake has been kitting out luxurious kitchens and bathrooms, as well as furnishing sink sides with fine toiletries, accessories and fragrances, for 34 years. The British brand's gentleman's manicure set, launched earlier this year, is the ultimate in personal grooming. The eight-piece kit – which includes tweezers, trimming scissors, cuticle nippers and toenail clippers – has been expertly manufactured in Solingen, Germany, and treated with Teflon to ensure hygiene and longevity. As a final flourish, each instrument has been secured within its decadent leather case by discreet neodymium magnets
Company based: London
Key features: Nail scissors, tweezers, cuticle nippers and toenail clippers held in place by magnets in a leather-bound case
www.czechandspeake.com
Best new grooming product
Make-up, by Tom Ford
The latest jewel in Tom Ford's glittering fashion and beauty empire is a fully functioning make-up collection brimming with cool tools to help you achieve that sensual signature look of his. The extensive range includes ten Eye Colour Quads that each offer sheer, sparkle, satin and shimmer finishes; multiple eye enhancers, including a defining pencil, liquid gel eyeliner, brow sculptor and mascara; and an impeccable array of cheek, lip and nail colours. And they're all packaged in elegant brown cases. The stand-out of the range is undoubtedly the Traceless Foundation Stick, which offers buildable natural coverage. It's a staple of Ford's own beauty regime, so you know it works
Company based: New York
Key features: 132 pieces, including the Traceless Foundation Stick, illuminating Highlight Pen, gel eyeliner, nail varnish, plus brow pencils and lip glosses
www.tomford.com
Best new grooming product
Make-up, by Tom Ford
Best new grooming product
Make-up, by Tom Ford
Best new grooming product
Powder.Puf, by Kevin Murphy
Few haircare experts have managed to combine a directional sense of fashion with a high level of technical prowess quite like the Australian hairstylist Kevin Murphy. The veteran's eponymous range – highly seductive with its sexy, languid ethos and intuitive packaging design – contains sustainably farmed plant extracts, essential oils and natural antioxidants. Murphy's volumising hair powder, which transforms into an invisible paste on the hair, was born from multiple collaborations with the Australian National Ballet's wig master. The formula is packed with seaweed and citrus extracts and housed in a pint-sized shaker, ready to deliver the weightless texture and casual hold that are Murphy's forte
Company based: Sunshine West, Australia
Key features: Petite, portable bottle – a little goes a long way
www.kevinmurphy.com.au
Best new grooming product
Juno Body Lipid Serum, by Sunday Riley
In its mere three years of being, Sunday Riley Modern skincare has blazed the trail for high-performance, natural skincare. The boutique brand, run by skincare specialist Sunday Riley, specialises in blending native American botanicals with hard- hitting science. Like the rest of the line, the Juno body serum (a body-ready version of the brand's signature face serum) is built on a five-pronged anti-ageing complex that contains exotic extracts, such as prickly pear and night-blooming cactus, to detoxify and boost cellular renewal. it's also packed with the seed oils from coconut, blueberries, broccoli and Chardonnay grapes to nourish, firm and revitalise skin from head to toe
Company based: Houston, Texas
Key features: Preservative-free, supercharged botanicals with anti-ageing properties
www.sundayriley.com
Best new grooming product
Skincare, by Three
Japanese cosmetics and skincare line Three owes its pared- down aesthetic to the creative stylings of its fellow countrymen, the architects and designers from Tokyo practice Nendo. The design collective borrowed from Three's all-natural, no-nonsense production ethic to fashion its simple, utilitarian packaging. Born of a clever, architectural approach, the bottles – characterised by rounded edges and rubber accents – resemble blocks of stone. They can even be stacked into playful formations. And since artificial colours, scents and ingredients are absent from this line, the products are just as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside
Company based: Tokyo
Key features: Rubber-finished bottles resembling stone totems, containing all-natural formulas
www.threecosmetics.com
www.nendo.jpPhotograph by Masayuki Hayashi
Best new grooming product
Skincare, by Three
Life-enhancer of the year
‘Numi' toilet, by Kohler
Kohler's ‘Numi' is a sleek, streamlined toilet that packs a suite of hi-tech functions you never knew you needed. Motion sensors open and close the heated seat. A multi-tasking stainless steel bidet wand delivers jets of temperature-controlled water, then warm gusts to dry you off. Air is pulled up from the bowl and deodorised through a charcoal filter. For night-time tinkles, gently illuminated panels provide guidance, while floor-level vents keep your feet warm. Meanwhile, a wall-mounted docking station holds a touchscreen remote that controls everything from the type of flush you require to the music channels you can programme to stream out of the built-in speakers
Key features: integrated bidet and air-dryer, seat- and foot-warmer, and deodoriser
www.kohler.com/numi
Life-enhancer of the year
‘Numi' toilet, by Kohler
Life-enhancer of the year
Lookout point at Ruta del Peregrino, Mexico, by HHF Architects
Ever since the 17th century, people have been making the gruelling 117km trek across the Ruta del Peregrino (literally, the pilgrim's route) during Holy Week. Today's automobile- enhanced pilgrims will find the journey a little less taxing. This spiral lookout by HHF is one of eight stops that are meant to be both landmarks and spiritual enhancements on the pilgrimage. Supported by a series of looping archways and internal voids, its modest dimensions and raw-concrete surfaces provide a sober yet powerful reflection of the dun- hued landscape, as well as a realisation that even the simplest architecture can sometimes have a deeply spiritual dimension
Key features: intimate, brick-lined prayer room with a 360-degree outlook
Previous projects by architects: Tsai residence, Upstate New York; Dune House, Ordos, China
www.hhf.ch
Photograph by Iwan Baan
Life-enhancer of the year
Lookout point at Ruta del Peregrino, Mexico, by HHF Architects
Photograph by Iwan Baan
Life-enhancer of the year
‘Foldboat', by Max Frommeld and Arno Mathies
We first spotted the ‘Foldboat' at last year's Royal College of Art graduate show. The challenge of generating a 3D volume from two-dimensional sheet material is not new, but we were charmed by the boat's basic engineering and complete lack of artifice. Using a sheet of high-density polyethylene plastic, the designers crafted a vessel that can literally be folded away and packed into the boot of a car or simply slung over the shoulder. Components were kept to a minimum; the boat folds itself along grooves scored into the material. This makes assembly a doddle. The boat fits two relaxed, patient travellers: buoyancy is, for now at least, best suited for paddling on calm, flat waters
Key features: Foldaway construction on a single sheet
Material: Polyethylene
Previous projects by designers: ‘Money Tray'; ‘Show Case' stool; ‘Gruff-set' cardboard furniture; ‘Phasme' lamp
www.ma-fro.com
www.arnomathies.com
www.foldboat.info
Courtesy of Max Frommeld and Arno Mathies
Life-enhancer of the year
‘Foldboat', by Max Frommeld and Arno Mathies
Courtesy of Max Frommeld and Arno Mathies
Life-enhancer of the year
Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young and Maxime Bilet
Harold McGee's 'On Food and Cooking' has long been a reliable reference for experimental chefs, but for the real science of modern cooking, it's been a long wait for the arrival of this six-volume, 2,438-page opus by a trio of food scientists and accomplished chefs. The project's remit is breathtaking in its audacity: it covers everything from sous-vide cooking to hyperdecanting. This could easily have turned into a dull publishing folly. Instead, the technical nature of the subject matter is offset by the friendly prose and gorgeous photography, from hamburgers being cooked on a Weber grill to slow-motion shots of what happens when a bullet passes through six eggs
Key features: Extensive indices, cross-references, and a recipe-finder
www.modernistcuisine.comPhotograph by Ryan Matthew Smith / The Cooking Lab
Life-enhancer of the year
Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young and Maxime Bilet
Life-enhancer of the year
Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young and Maxime Bilet
Photograph by Ryan Matthew Smith / The Cooking Lab
Life-enhancer of the year
Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young and Maxime Bilet
Photograph by Ryan Matthew Smith / The Cooking Lab
Life-enhancer of the year
OfficePOD
With the advent of cloud computing and wireless networking, the push away from a traditional office space is inevitable, but a home office can have its drawbacks (cue ambient appliance noise, screaming children and other domestic distractions). Which explains why we're so smitten with the officepod. This compact, stand-alone structure incorporates a desk, built-in storage, lighting and window blinds. And because it's self-contained and weatherproof, it can be placed in the garden to provide that crucial separation of home and work. It may look a little tight space-wise, but it's roomier than your average office cubicle. perhaps this explains why the manufacturers have been peppered with requests from companies for indoor versions
Key features: Desk, built-in storage, lighting and window blinds in one weatherproof, mobile piece
Materials:GRP, aluminium, pressed plywood and a natural teak finish
www.officepod.co.ukCourtesy of TigerX.Studio
Life-enhancer of the year
OfficePOD
Life-enhancer of the year
OfficePOD
Best domestic design
‘Matières à Chaud' radiator', by 5.5 Designers, for Saazs
It's not often a design can be said to be truly revolutionary. Usually, save for a few quirky flourishes, the design in question retains the same recognisable shape. Not so this radiator by paris-based 5.5 Designers. The object looks, at first glance, like an abstract sculpture of trees made from colourful shafts of wood and metal sprouting from wood or marble bases. But these are encased in patented Quantum Glass, whose thin metal coating conducts and radiates heat with a very even spread, creating a heat source that is unobtrusive both visually and spatially. And because the ‘trees' can be rearranged at random, the heating becomes a constantly evolving work of art
Materials: Quantum Glass, wood, marble
Previous projects by designers: ‘Fire kit' for skitsch; ‘Currenkey' flash drive
www.cinqcinqdesigners.com
www.saazs.com
