Welcome to the 10th Wallpaper* Design Awards, where we reveal our honours list for the people, places, pieces and phenomena that have raised our pulses over the past year. Eleven major awards have been selected from the shortlist by our judging panel of six high-altitude achievers - Victoria Beckham, Michael Chow, Ron Gilad, Spike Jonze, Thom Mayne and Thaddaeus Ropac. The other 33 awards were fought over by the Wallpaper* team, together with our international network of contributors.
Fashion mogul, former pop icon and one half of the world-beating brand Beckham
Restaurateur, interior designer, art collector, actor and now artist, Mr Chow always wows
Design’s master of elegance, and wit, Wallpaper’s 2013 Designer of the Year turns judge
Multitalented screenwriter, director producer, actor, editor, skateboard entrepreneur...
With galleries in Salzburg and Paris, one of the world’s A-list art dealers
Pritzker Prize-winning architect and founder of multidisciplinary practice Morphosis
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Judges and winners' film
Each year, we invite a panel of high-ranking creatives to form a supreme court and sit in judgement over 11 special award categories, shortlisted by us. To introduce this year's judges - and the winners they championed - in a suitably eye-popping fashion, we turned to art director, illustrator and filmmaker Christian Borstlap.
San Francisco
Best City Joint Winner
Less daunting than New York and more compact than LA, San Francisco is relatively straightforward to navigate, a quality buoyed by the 2013 launch of the Bay Area Bike Share scheme. A lively food scene is led by some of the country’s most creative chefs, including Danny Bowien at Mission Chinese Food and Saison’s Joshua Skenes. Museums by Renzo Piano and Daniel Libeskind will soon be joined by Snøhetta’s SFMOMA expansion, with Pier 15’s new Exploratorium keeping things ticking along nicely in the meantime.
Photography: Henrik Kam
Marseille
Best City Joint Winner
Misconceptions about Marseille being all salt and no style should be fully dispelled by now. As the city emerges from a year as Capital of European Culture, the Vieux Port has been overhauled by new architecture, including Foster + Partners’ mirrored pavilion, L’Ombrière, while new art venues include Ora-ïto’s arts centre, MAMO, atop Le Corbusier’s iconic Cité Radieuse. The hotel scene, meanwhile, has received a jolt with the opening of a five-star InterContinental and the Philippe Starck-designed Mama Shelter.
Photography: Camille Moirenc
Neri & Hu
Designer of the Year Joint Winner
Architects Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu founded Neri & Hu in 2004, and have since won plaudits for their interior and product design, as well as their architecture. Last year, the pair opened the Design Commune in Shanghai, which houses fashion retailers, a design gallery, a restaurant and a loft apartment, as well as their retail venture, Design Republic, which aims to bring international design to the Chinese market. This year, they also designed a furniture collection for De La Espada and Stellar Works and Camper’s flagship in Shanghai.
Philippe Nigro
Designer of the Year Joint Winner
This year, French-born, Milan-based designer Philippe Nigro was enlisted by Hermès to create an eight-piece capsule collection of furniture, Les Nécessaires d’Hermès, which blended French luxury with Oriental sensibility. The designer’s first full collection, it comprised simple, versatile objects, including stackable side tables, low benches, puffy stools and decorative screens. Other recent work includes two designs for Baccarat: the retro-looking, modular hanging light ‘Clochette’; and ‘Céleste’, which is inspired by an Oriental lantern.
Photography: Simon Thiselton
Centro Roberto Garza Sada for Art, Architecture and Design, by Tadao Ando
Best new public building
Part of the University of Monterrey, Mexico, the Tadao Ando-designed Centro Roberto Garza Sada for Art, Architecture and Design was inaugurated last spring. Aiming to create a building that would hold a dialogue with the surrounding mountains, Ando designed a towering concrete structure spanning six floors that reads as a giant arch, or gate, inspiring him to nickname it the ‘Gate of Creation’. Looking up, the building’s fierce 100m concrete span, ribbed with immaculate precision, hints at its engineering challenges.
Photography: Laura Wilson
Monsieur Bleu, Paris
Best new restaurant
This impressive restaurant in Paris’ Palais de Tokyo is a dramatic space designed by prolific local designer Joseph Dirand. Huge suspended geometric lights, originally designed for the French Embassy in Brazil, make the most of the room’s soaring ceilings, while four Lalique glass panels from the original 1930s interior punctuate a side wall. Chef Benjamin Masso (formerly of Pétrus) serves French brasserie-style dishes, such as suckling pig with a spice glaze and mashed potato. A decadent caviar list is also on offer.
Geneses House, by Isay Weinfeld
Best new private house
In the São Paulo neighbourhood of Morumbi, this family home effortlessly blends indoors and outdoors in characteristic Brazilian style. Designed by Isay Weinfeld, it is spread across three floors. Staff quarters and a car park are on the lower ground; the family’s sleeping areas and guest bedrooms are on the first; and the main living areas, gym and relaxation room are on the top floor. The interior is clad in reclaimed wood, and large glass openings create a glimmering light and open the main living spaces onto a garden and pool.
Céline, by Phoebe Philo
Best women's fashion collection (A/W 2013)
If there is a case for wearing felted wool, it has been made most convincingly by Phoebe Philo. Razor sharp in its focus though not in its contour, her superb collection embraced softness. She achieved this with luxuriously spun reams of wool – bumpy, textured or totally flat – with her silhouettes defined by cut. Slim-hipped, flared skirts were paired with boxy, buttonless tops. In coordinated materials, the sets gave the neat, polished feel of tailoring, while the palette of buttery creams and greys was balanced by tartans.
Photography: Hart+Lëshkina
Prada, by Miuccia Prada
Best men's fashion collection (A/W 2013)
Miuccia Prada questioned the notion of classic tailoring, sidestepping the standard grey suit for Teddy boy-inspired separates. Keeping with the theme, there wasn’t a single necktie on the runway. Instead, Prada man was outfitted in checked, frilled, collared shirts, boxy jackets and slouchy, tailored trousers – finished with a contemporary crop. For outerwear, artfully aged jackets in buttery leather accentuated the leisure slant. In a celebration of muted colour, mustard, blue and red sweaters were casually layered beneath sports jackets.
Photography: Devin Blair
Chineasy Illustrated Dictionary, by ShaoLan Hsueh with illustrations by Noma Bar
Life-enhancer of the year
The brainchild of tech entrepreneur and self-confessed geek ShaoLan Hsueh, the Chineasy Illustrated Dictionary is an attempt to bridge the linguistic gap between the West and China. Her system turns notoriously inscrutable Chinese characters into simple illustrations by Wallpaper* regular Noma Bar, with art direction by Crispin Jameson of Brave New World. A funding campaign launched in July reaped nearly £200,000 in pledges, and a 192-page book (above) will be published by Thames & Hudson in 2014.
Perfume tools, by Jody Kocken
Best new grooming product
Looking to overcome her perfume allergy, Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Jody Kocken developed a set of jewellery as an alternative to applying fragrance straight onto the body. Each piece can be affixed to a dispensing bottle and filled with scent. You then wear the jewellery, and the metal warms up and releases the fragrance through tiny holes. Smart in its invention, the collection of prototypes, including a cuff, earrings and necklace, is also beautifully refined and minimalist in its design.
Photography: Rene van der Hulst
‘Terra.Cotto’ pots, by Stefania Vasquez, for Sambonet
Best domestic design
Founded in 1856, Sambonet has been at the forefront of kitchenware innovation and design for decades. This year, the brand collaborated with Sicilian designer Stefania Vasquez to produce a set of contemporary terracotta pots in a bold palette of colours and minimal shapes. Vasquez hopes the pots will revive interest in terracotta cooking. The material allows for gradual heat diffusion which enhances flavours, and Vasquez has compiled a book of her grandmother’s recipes to be included with each pot.
Photography: Sam Hofman
The Naka Phuket, Phuket
Best new hotel
Set against a backdrop of dense tropical forest, The Naka Phuket comprises 94 glass-walled villas that cantilever strikingly towards the Andaman Sea. Each has its own pool with modern furnishings and wood and stone interiors. Designed by Bangkok architect Duangrit Bunnag, the discreet hideout is set over 1,740 acres and comes with its own beach. The three dining options are The Nava restaurant, the beachside Wiwa, and The Meka café set in the mountainside with stunning 360-degree views.
Louvre-Lens, by SANAA
Best new public building
Japanese agency SANAA beat more than 120 firms for the commission to design the Louvre’s new outpost on the former site of a mine pit in Lens. The new gallery is a low-slung structure with a shimmering façade that alternates glass and anodised aluminium. Transparency is a major theme, with the glass-enclosed entrance hall offering a view of the park and city, while clear glass tubes house the bookshop and café. A spiral staircase leads to an underground area where the public can observe the storage and restoration of artworks.
Centro Roberto Garza Sada for Art, Architecture and Design, by Tadao Ando
Best new public building
Part of the University of Monterrey, Mexico, the Tadao Ando-designed Centro Roberto Garza Sada for Art, Architecture and Design was inaugurated last spring. Aiming to create something that would hold a dialogue with the surrounding mountains, Ando designed a towering concrete structure spanning six floors that reads as a giant arch, or gate, inspiring him to nickname it the Gate of Creation. Looking up, the building’s fierce 100m concrete span, ribbed with immaculate precision, hints at its engineering challenges.
Photography: Laura Wilson
Kyushu Geibunkan Community Centre, by Kengo Kuma
Best new public building
A group of three low-slung structures, Kengo Kuma’s art and cultural centre features a series of distinctive slanting roofs in galvanised steel plate, stainless-steel mesh and granite stone that reflect his trademark geometric style. A gallery and a café flank the 12m-wide gateway that creates a dynamic flow inwards through flexible exhibition areas and offices to a central courtyard. Adjacent to the main building is an art workshop by architects Hirokazu Suemitsu + Yoko Suemitsu/SUEP and a ceramics workshop by Kuma.
Photography: Masataka Nakano
Ghent Market Hall, by Robbrecht & Daem and Marie-José Van Hee Architecten
Best new public building
Under its dramatic roof, this new structure by Belgian practices Robbrecht & Daem and Marie-José Van Hee Architecten houses a new market hall for Ghent. Anchored by four concrete ‘feet’, the canopy is topped by a dual-gabled timber structure, featuring hundreds of small slits that filter light into the sheltered plaza’s centre. Spanning 40m in length, the hall sits on the site of a former car park, which was paved and transformed by the architects and now contains a small park, bicycle parking space, a bar and restaurant, and tram stops.
MOCA Cleveland, by Farshid Moussavi
Best new public building
The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland is Iranian architect Farshid Moussavi’s first museum and first building in the US. Unfolding over four storeys and covering some 34,000 sq ft, the building envelope has six faceted sides, one a triangle of transparent glass, the others clad in panels of black stainless steel. Inside, floors alternate between public and non-public spaces, affording glimpses into the wood workshop or loading dock, while the fire stairs, locked in a helical embrace with the main staircase, double as a sound gallery.
‘Terra.Cotto’ pots, by Stefania Vasquez, for Sambonet
Best domestic design
Founded in 1856, Italian manufacturer Sambonet has been at the forefront of kitchenware innovation and design for decades. This year, the brand collaborated with Sicilian designer Stefania Vasquez to produce a set of contemporary terracotta pots in a bold palette of colours and minimal shapes. Vasquez hopes the pots will revive interest in terracotta cooking. The material allows for gradual heat diffusion which enhances flavours, and Vasquez has compiled a book of her grandmother’s recipes to be included with each pot.
‘August Smart Lock’, by Yves Béhar and Jason Johnson
Best domestic design
Yves Béhar and Jason Johnson’s innovative new way of unlocking doors abandons traditional keys, entry codes and sci-fi scanning in favour of a smartphone app, a standard deadbolt and old-fashioned maths. The lock is essentially an app-controlled virtual key, personally tailored to those who need access. The brains are stored in a sleek, metal cylinder controlled from a smartphone to lock or unlock the door remotely, grant access to callers without having to see them in, and sense the owner’s (phone’s) arrival, unlocking the door remotely.
‘Sail’ TV stand, by Caronni + Bonanomi, for Desalto
Best domestic design
Italian furniture company Desalto has reconfigured its 2004 ‘Sail’ television stand into a collection of six pieces in varying heights and sizes to hold screens and hide cables. Designed by Flavio Caronni and Donato Bonanomi, the sleek, black stand attaches to the back of the screen, discreetly disappearing behind it and concealing electrical cords. The stand can be fitted to most screen sizes and is available in different heights, with additional components such as shelves and storage units with folding doors to hide TV accessories.
‘Shoe Stool’, by Koichi Futatsumata
Best domestic design
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of Japanese fashion label Fujito, designer Koichi Futatsumata has created a stool dedicated to the art of shoe-shining. Each element of its minimal design has a function: a small, round seat and a footrest allow for easy polishing and tying of laces; under the seat a smaller round tray holds essential tools such as brushes and creams; and the legs are slanted for increased stability. Made entirely of sturdy industrial steel, the stool is a pleasing, no-fuss combination of curves and corners.
‘eUnit Kitchen’, by Dornbracht
Best domestic design
The ‘eUnit Kitchen’ by Dornbracht is a revolutionary approach to smart kitchen appliances. The system’s electronically controlled taps are activated with a foot switch, a trick borrowed from professional kitchens, while another control panel regulates the volume, flow and temperature of the water. There are three styles, with one integrated sink option, all available in chrome and platinum matt finishes with controls that sit flush with the kitchen worktop. The absence of a control lever allows for an even more streamlined profile.
Lievore Altherr Molina
Designer of the year
Founded in 1991, the Spanish design studio has led the creative direction of Italian company Arper since 1999 – for which it designs packaging, brochures, stands and furniture – and collaborated with big-name clients including Poltrona Frau, Thonet and Bernhardt. Recurring elements of its products, brand identities and packaging are pure lines and organic shapes, with streamlined silhouettes and smooth angles. This year’s highlights include lighting solutions for Foscarini and Vibia, a desk for Martex and the ‘Saya’ chair for Arper.
Muller Van Severen
Designer of the year
Belgium-based practice Muller Van Severen has been turning heads since its inception in 2011. Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen’s ‘furniture project’ focuses on blending everyday pieces into new shapes and uses. Steel, leather and polyethylene are favourite materials, which the pair shape into fluid designs in bold colours. Their signature pieces include leather seats in the shape of deckchairs, multi-coloured shelves and geometric steel lighting fixtures, all of which are often combined with each other as furniture landscaping experiments.
Neri & Hu
Designer of the year
Architects Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu founded Neri & Hu in 2004, and have since won plaudits for their interior and product design, as well as architecture. Last year, the pair opened the Design Commune in Shanghai, which houses design and fashion retailers, a design gallery, a restaurant and a loft apartment, as well as their retail venture, Design Republic, which aims to bring international design to the Chinese market. This year, they’ve also designed a furniture collection for De La Espada and Camper’s flagship store in Shanghai.
Michael Anastassiades
Designer of the year
For years, Michael Anastassiades produced work in very limited quantities, until 2007, when the London-based Cypriot set up a company to increase the availability of his designs. This year he wowed Milan Salone-goers with his marble ‘Miracle Chips’ created for Wallpaper* Handmade. He also designed a lighting concept for Flos in which the hanging lights’ black electrical cords worked as a decorative element, and produced a furniture collection for Svenskt Tenn in playful homage to Josef Frank.
Philippe Nigro
Designer of the year
This year, French-born, Milan-based designer Philippe Nigro was enlisted by Hermès to create a capsule collection of furniture pieces called Les Nécessaires d’Hermès, blending French luxury with Oriental sensibility. The designer’s first full collection, it is comprised of simple, versatile objects such as stackable side tables and decorative screens. Other recent work includes two designs for Baccarat: the retro-looking, modular hanging light ‘Clochette’; and ‘Céleste’, which is inspired by an Oriental lantern. It was Ligne Roset who first brought him to the design world's attention, however, putting into production his furniture and lighting designs.
Photography: Tommaso Sartori
Amass, Copenhagen
Best new restaurant
One of the most eagerly awaited restaurant openings of the year, Amass is the new home to former Noma head chef Matthew Orlando, with interiors by Danish design outfit Gubi. Set in an old shipyard building, the 62-seat restaurant’s fluid layout merges the dining room and kitchen into one informal space. The menu offers contemporary cuisine, with dishes such as salted mackerel, grilled skin and young onion; squid, beans, white currants and marigold; and squash, lamb breast, baby corn and sunflower seeds.
Duddell’s, Hong Kong
Best new restaurant
This new Hong Kong venue is creating a stir with Ilse Crawford’s stylish interiors showcasing contemporary art. Founded by hospitality entrepreneurs Alan Lo, Paulo Pong and Yenn Wong, Duddell’s combines fine dining with a programme of art shows, talks, screenings and performances. Spread over two floors above the Shanghai Tang flagship, the 10,000 sq ft space was designed by London-based Studioilse, while Michelin-starred chef Siu Hin-Chi (previously of The Langham) oversees the traditional Cantonese menu.
Photography: Nathaniel McMahon
Volkshaus Brasserie, Basel
Best new restaurant
Housed in a medieval manor dating back to the 1300s, Volkshaus Basel has always been a centre for cultural and recreational activities. The latest version, built in 1925, included a concert hall, a library, a restaurant and a hotel. Narrowly avoiding demolition in the 1970s, it has been restored by property duo Adrian Hagenbach and Leopold Weinberg, and local architects Herzog & de Meuron. Chef Gilles Hoffer serves up a modern French and Swiss menu, including comfort dishes such as venison stew with Spätzle.
Kiga, Mexico City
Best new restaurant
The latest offering from Mexican hospitality group Cinbersol is a sleek new eaterie located in the Paseo Interlomas shopping mall. Designed by local outfit Cherem Arquitectos and Braverman Arquitectos, the interior is a contrasting mix of warm wood and stone, with furnishings by local workshop Paul Roco. Chef Rodrigo Paniagua serves up a pan-Asian menu with dishes such as soft-shell crab tempura with avocado and wasabi; spicy shrimp with dried red peppers and edamame purée; and short ribs topped with a fresh mango and tamarind sauce.
Monsieur Bleu, Paris
Best new restaurant
This impressive restaurant in Paris’ Palais de Tokyo is a dramatic space designed by prolific Parisian designer Joseph Dirand. Huge suspended geometric lights, originally designed for the French embassy in Brazil, make the most of the room’s soaring ceilings, while four Lalique glass panels from the original 1930s interior punctuate a side wall. Chef Benjamin Masson (formerly of Pétrus) serves French brasserie-style dishes such as suckling pig with a spice glaze and mashed potato. A decadent caviar list is also on offer.
Photography: Sylvie Becquet
Hotel Click Clack, Bogotá
Best new hotel
The hotel debut of entrepreneurs Juan Felipe Cruz and Tomas Beltran, Hotel Click Clack is Bogotá’s first shot at an urban resort. Architect Felipe Mesa of Plan B Arquitectos, along with ten other design houses, has created the city’s most playful place to sleep (or not), mixing Scandinavian interiors with vertical gardens, two 6m displays for art installations, and bedrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows. On the roof is an LA-style burger joint, while chef Juan Felipe Camacho has developed a Basque-inspired menu for the restaurant.
Photography: Diego Amaral
Mercer Hotel, Barcelona
Best new hotel
Hidden down a medieval side street, the Mercer Hotel is housed in an impressive building that comprises part of the defensive wall of a first-century Roman town. Furnishings are by Madrid-based Gastón y Daniela, while architect Rafael Moneo has created a luminous space, preserving original elements and adding modern touches such as floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a central courtyard. Public spaces include the Mercer Restaurant run by chef Jean Luc Figueras, a cocktail bar and a rooftop terrace which also has a lap pool.
Pedras Salgadas, Bornes de Aguiar
Best new hotel
Sited among the ancient pines of Pedras Salgadas park, an hour’s drive from Porto, these snake-like tree houses are an extension to the eco-houses (W*170) designed by Lisbon-based architect Luís Rebelo de Andrade for Portuguese drinks company Unicer, which owns the park. Each sleeping two, they sit in the branches, forming a bridge-like construction between the trees. Unicer also invested some €80m into the restoration of the park’s Vidago Palace hotel, with the century-old Pedras Salgadas spa brought back to life by Álvaro Siza.
Photography: Ricardo Oliveira Alves
Sense Hotel Sofia, Sofia
Best new hotel
Surrounded by some of Sofia’s most historic buildings, including the National Art Gallery, Sense Hotel Sofia cuts a striking figure. The first upscale design hotel in the city, the glass structure by Lazzarini Pickering Architetti is innovative, yet sits sympathetically within its grand surroundings. Brass panels are hidden behind the building’s exterior to screen off the bedrooms and, when combined with Lutron mood lighting, make the façade shimmer. Amenities include a 15m stainless-steel pool, a wood-clad spa and a panoramic rooftop bar.
The Naka Phuket, Phuket
Best new hotel
Tucked away down a sandy lane, set against a backdrop of dense tropical forest, The Naka Phuket comprises 94 glass-walled villas that cantilever strikingly towards the Andaman Sea. Each has its own pool with modern furnishings and wood and stone interiors. Designed by Bangkok architect Duangrit Bunnag, the discreet hideout is set over 1,740 acres and comes with its own private beach. The three dining options are The Nava restaurant, the beachside Wiwa, and The Meka café set in the mountainside with stunning 360-degree views.
Binh Thanh House, by Vo Trong Nghia Architects and Sanuki + Nishizawa Architects
Best new private house
Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia together with Japanese firm Sanuki + Nishizawa Architects designed Binh Thanh House for two families – an older couple and their son’s young family. The spaces catering to the young family are enveloped in walls of concrete pattern blocks, providing privacy. Between them are open areas that secure natural light for the interiors and allow the residents to experience the elements. The architects have created a home rooted in tradition but responsive to the needs of a young family.
Karri Loop House, by MORQ
Best new private house
Karri Loop House was designed by Rome- and Perth-based architecture firm MORQ and is its first finished single-family residence. Two existing trees on the site played a key role in the design, determining the house’s unusual floor plan of two irregularly-shaped courtyards. During construction, a matrix of steel tripod footings was used for the house’s structural grid in order to protect the trees’ shallow root system, raising the house a step up from ground level. Mainly constructed out of timber, the house features interiors lined with plywood.
Tower House, by Gluck+
Best new private house
‘This vacation house is designed as a stairway to the treetops,’ says architecture firm Gluck+ of its Tower House in upstate New York. Aiming to keep the structure’s ground footprint to a minimum, the house stands on a single narrow ‘leg’, while its raised living area extends horizontally from the slender base. The latter spans three levels and includes a small bedroom and en-suite bathroom on each floor. The considerably wider fourth floor contains the living areas, all offering uninterrupted views of the Catskill Mountains.
Solo Pezo, by Pezo von Ellrichshausen
Best new private house
Inspired by Arts & Architecture magazine’s midcentury experimental programme, Case Study Houses, French developer Christian Bourdais launched Solo Houses in 2010. The first completed residence on the 40-hectare site in Matarrana, south of Barcelona, is Solo Pezo, by Chilean firm Pezo von Ellrichschasen. A monolithic square platform, the concrete house seems to float above the treetops, its base hidden among the greenery, while a deep pool in the roofless central space acts as a symbolic tether between sky and earth.
Geneses House, by Isay Weinfeld
Best new private house
Set in the São Paulo neighbourhood of Morumbi, this family home effortlessly blends indoors and outdoors in characteristic Brazilian style. Designed by Isay Weinfeld, it is spread across three floors. Staff quarters and a car park are on the lower ground; the family’s sleeping areas, guest bedrooms and a spa are on the first; and the main living areas, a gym and a relaxation room are on the top floor. The interior is clad in reclaimed wood, and large glass openings create a glimmering light and open the main living spaces onto a garden and pool.
Amsterdam
Best city
Ever wise to the winds of change, Amsterdam has picked up on the success of Marcel Wanders, Hella Jongerius and the progeny of Droog by producing a string of new hotels, restaurants and bars, with existing venues facing competition from new openings like the Waldorf Astoria. And to accommodate the city’s swelling numbers, a brave new world of developments has emerged in Amsterdam-Noord, while in the red-light district coffee shops and neon-framed windows are disappearing as design shops and studios move in.
Doha
Best city
The relentless drive of the Qatar Museums Authority towards cementing Doha’s status as the Gulf’s leading art hub has also produced a handful of impressive projects. Its Jean Nouvel-designed National Museum is due to be completed in late 2014, while the IM Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art continues to pull in crowds. Then there are the city’s spectacular plans for the World Cup: a 45,000-seat stadium by Zaha Hadid and Albert Speer & Partner’s Doha Port Stadium are just two new structures that promise to dazzle.
Photography: Daniel Stier
San Francisco
Best city
Less daunting than New York and more compact than LA, San Francisco is relatively straightforward to navigate, a quality no doubt buoyed by the 2013 launch of the Bay Area Bike Share scheme. A lively food scene is led by some of the country’s most adventurous chefs, including Danny Bowien at Mission Chinese Food and Saison’s Joshua Skenes. Museums by Renzo Piano and Daniel Libeskind will soon be joined by Snøhetta’s SFMOMA expansion, with Pier 15’s new Exploratorium keeping things ticking along nicely in the meantime.
Marseille
Best city
Misconceptions about Marseille being all salt and no style should be well and truly dispelled by now. As the city emerges from a year as Capital of European Culture, the Vieux Port has been overhauled by new architecture, including Foster + Partners’ mirrored pavilion, L’Ombrière; new art venues include Ora-ïto’s arts centre, MAMO, atop Le Corbusier’s iconic Cité Radieuse; and the hotel scene has received a jolt, too, with the opening of a five-star InterContinental and the Philippe Starck-designed Mama Shelter.
Lima
Best city
The post-millennium boom in mining, agriculture and fishing exports has turned Peru into the success story of Latin America. In Lima, a forest of banking towers, many of architectural note, has risen, as have condos lining the cliffs above the Pacific. A culinary reinvention led by chef Gastón Acurio means the city now has some of the world’s most revered restaurants. And in emerging arts district Barranco, century-old mansions are being converted into galleries such as Mario Testino’s MATE.
Photography: Cristobal Palma
Hermès, by Christophe Lemaire
Best women’s fashion collection (A/W 2013)
A strong showing by Christophe Lemaire at Hermès defined contemporary Parisian luxury. Lemaire’s look is rooted in pared-down, ultra-luxe ‘separates’. His simple silhouettes freed the eye to dwell on the impeccably crafted materials – from paper-thin calfskin wrap skirts to clean suede trenches layered over white goatskin coats. Even the earthy wool felt was elevated to unearthly levels of high quality – particularly in a double-faced jacket whose single-seam construction gave it the insouciant ease of a felt hat.
Photography: Jean François José
Proenza Schouler, by Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez
Best women’s fashion collection (A/W 2013)
Design duo Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez again proved why Proenza Schouler rules New York’s fashion scene. Their exceptionally wearable collection united uptown polish with a raw, downtown verve, using graphic, monochrome patterns in chic, tailored combinations. A sharp, ostrich-skin skirt suit, in white or dove grey, was cut in a boxy, slightly asymmetrical way, while ponyskin jackets were paired with A-line skirts. The stencil-cut dresses, in perforated fabrics or chainmail, were welcome plays on surface decoration.
Givenchy, by Riccardo Tisci
Best women’s fashion collection (A/W 2013)
Hauntingly beautiful, caught somewhere between fragility and strength, Riccardo Tisci’s collection for Givenchy was a tour de force. Influences ranged from punk and streetwear (leather bikers played a major role) to couture (padded dress constructions had zip-off corsets, resembling giant belts, over tiered peasant skirts). Tisci also mined tartan and fashioned baroque patterns of fiery orange and yellow for flounce-edged pencil skirts. Even his basic blacks were customised with a showering of crystal embroidery.
Sacai, by Chitose Abe
Best women’s fashion collection (A/W 2013)
Japanese designer Chitose Abe continuously proves herself one of the most engaging players of the Paris catwalk scene. Abe is known for her fabric collages – a technique, now very much in vogue, she has spent her career fine-tuning – and fuses high-end mink seamlessly within her sportier pieces. For this collection, she was light-handed with her signature plaids, adding rich astrakhans, shearlings and glossy velvets into the mix. The effect was dramatically elegant, and at the same time truly original.
Photography: Maria Valentino MCV Photo
Céline, by Phoebe Philo
Best women’s fashion collection (A/W 2013)
If there is a case for wearing felted wool, it has been made most convincingly by Phoebe Philo. Razor sharp in its focus though not in its contour, her superb collection embraced softness. She achieved this with luxuriously spun reams of wool – bumpy, textured or totally flat – with her silhouettes defined by cut. Slim-hipped, flared skirts were paired with boxy, buttonless tops. In coordinated materials, the sets gave the neat, polished feel of tailoring, while the palette of buttery creams and greys was balanced by tartans.
Prada, by Miuccia Prada
Best men’s fashion collection (A/W 2013)
Miuccia Prada questioned the notion of classic tailoring, sidestepping the standard grey suit for Teddy boy-inspired separates. Keeping with the theme, there wasn’t a single necktie on the runway. Instead, Prada man was outfitted in checked, collared shirts, boxy jackets and slouchy, tailored trousers – finished with a contemporary crop. For outerwear, artfully aged jackets in buttery leather accentuated the leisure slant. In a celebration of muted colour, mustard, blue and red sweaters were casually layered beneath sports jackets.
Valentino, by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccoli
Best men’s fashion collection (A/W 2013)
Designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccoli have a masterful way with pattern and texture and with this collection they took classic men’s motifs to graphic new heights. Presenting sharp tailoring, predominately in navy, the pair also played with the house’s signature camo print, houndstooth and Prince of Wales check, splashed across sleek capes, two-button jackets and 1960s-inspired coats. The cutting-edge Thermoform tailoring kept silhouettes looking graceful and polished, while fur and ponyskin accents kept out the cold.
Dries Van Noten, by Dries Van Noten
Best men’s fashion collection (A/W 2013)
Models swathed in rich brocades, silks and embroidered fabrics could only be described as louche, with Dries Van Noten alluding to pyjama dressing and the need for a speedy morning exit. The Belgian eschewed black for midnight blues, golds and khaki tweeds – worn loose, with round-shouldered jackets, untucked shirts, casual bombers and smoking jackets. Patterns that should have clashed instead seemed to harmonise, while many-layered looks, topped with oversized jumpers, made for voluminous silhouettes.
Photography: Patrick Stables
Cerruti 1881 Paris, by Aldo Maria Camillo
Best men’s fashion collection (A/W 2013)
Aldo Maria Camillo’s debut for Cerruti 1881 Paris marked the arrival of a new contemporary cool, while being elegant in the extreme. Camillo has a lock on relaxed tailoring that translated into round-shouldered coats that fitted perfectly over loose cashmere pullovers. He cut a long, lean figure, with looks that blurred the line between tailoring and sportswear. Leather bombers and sharp, roll-collared blazers had a refined, bespoke quality, echoed by immaculate overcoats, just on the slouchy side.
Berluti, by Alessandro Sartori
Best men’s fashion collection (A/W 2013)
The state-of-the-art fabrics at Berluti had to be felt to be believed. Alessandro Sartori made liberal use of pre-washed, treated leather with the texture and appearance of waxed cotton. His cashmere felt was ‘punched’ with angora and alpaca, which gave it a revolutionary new consistency. Berluti’s solid foundation stone of grey suits, dark coats and spiffy tuxes moved beautifully with the models. They possessed that perfect blend of the sporty and the luxe, built with a level of complexity never achieved before.
Perfume tools, by Jody Kocken
Best new grooming product
Looking to overcome her perfume allergy, Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Jody Kocken developed a set of jewellery as an alternative to applying fragrance straight onto the body. Each piece can be affixed to a dispensing bottle and filled with your favourite scent. You then wear the jewellery, and the metal warms up and releases the fragrance through tiny holes. Smart in its invention, the collection of prototypes, including a cuff, earrings, a necklace, and the dispensing bottle, is also beautifully refined and minimalist in its design.
Skincare, by Verso
Best new grooming product
Named Verso, the Latin word for ‘reverse’, this Swedish skincare brand is out to defy both traditional thinking about, and the signs of, ageing. Its five-step regime includes the patent-pending substance Retinol 8, a new cosmetic ingredient said to exceed the potency of Retinol by eight times while significantly decreasing its irritant side effects. Verso’s founder Lars Fredriksson enlisted the help of scientists, doctors and design agency Today Creative in the creation of this forward-thinking and sleekly packaged brand.
Velvet Rope, by Lipstick Queen
Best new grooming product
Lipstick Queen’s Velvet Rope sets a new benchmark for luxury lipsticks. The collection takes inspiration from Hollywood’s golden years, featuring intensely rich pigments, supreme application and weighty gold casing. The weightlessness of the colour itself comes courtesy of silicone elastamer, an innovation in lipstick formulation. Combined with natural waxes candelilla, carnauba and beeswax, apricot oil, vitamin E and peppermint oil, it makes for a thoroughly modern lipstick, balancing comfort, nourishment and impact.
Masterclass brush collection, by MAC
Best new grooming product
The three brushes in MAC Cosmetics’ Masterclass collection are devised to make putting on make-up a whole lot easier. Instead of pointing straight on, the wide-headed brushes are used parallel to the face, with rubberised, flat handles for a comfortable grip. A new synthetic bristle called Cosmofibre delivers the same quality results as a luxury natural bristle. The Oval 6 brush is ideal for applying powder and contouring; the Oval 3 for precise blending or shading; the Linear 1 for executing sharp lines around the eyes, lips and brows.
Young Again haircare, by Kevin Murphy
Best new grooming product
Kevin Murphy specialises in professional products using natural ingredients from renewable resources. A complete anti-ageing hair treatment, this set of three products, Wash, Rinse and Masque, is carefully studied to improve the look and feel of hair, and protect from daily damage. Ingredients include asteraceae (a flower also known as immortelle for its anti-ageing properties), and baobab seed oil for increased elasticity, as well as Australian fruit and flower extracts. The packaging is designed by Australian agency Container.
Glass, by Google
Life-enhancer of the year
Not yet on general sale but already the world’s most talked-about personal tech item, Google’s Glass puts a screen right in front of your face. Activated by voice and subtle(ish) touch, the applications for this kind of always-on information, and instant electronic documentation, are endless. We expect to get to grips with the gadget in the months to come, but right now it’s a glorified navigation device and camera, bound up in a pair of futuristic-looking glasses. Once it gets into the wild, apps and implications are anyone’s guess.
First and business class seats, by Singapore Airlines
Life-enhancer of the year
In the war of fully-flat beds, this year’s frontrunner is Singapore Airlines. By JPA Design Consultants, its new business class seat is the widest, fully reclinable seat money can buy. First-class travellers enjoy an extended side panel for added privacy. A new concept by BMW Group’s DesignworksUS, the warm-hued upholstery contrasts with metallic grey exteriors. Better ambient lighting, more storage and a switch to allow cabin crew to turn off the LCD monitor without disturbing the passenger complement the two inches of extra legroom.
Chineasy Illustrated Dictionary, by ShaoLan Hsueh with illustrations by Noma Bar
Life-enhancer of the year
The brainchild of tech entrepreneur and self-confessed geek ShaoLan Hsueh, the Chineasy Illustrated Dictionary is an attempt to bridge the linguistic gap between the West and China. Her system turns notoriously inscrutable Chinese characters into simple illustrations by Wallpaper* regular Noma Bar, with art direction by Crispin Jameson. A funding campaign launched in July reaped nearly £200,000 in pledges. A website is up-and-running and Brave New World Publishing plans to produce a 192-page book in 2014.
‘Neorest AC Washlet’, by Toto
Life-enhancer of the year
Life’s luxuries surely include a toilet that requires no cleaning. Bathroom specialist Toto’s new and improved ‘Washlet’ has a cleansing spray dispenser, a heated seat and a built-in deodoriser. Its ewater+ technology means the bowl is sprayed with water each time the seat is lifted, preventing dirt from sticking, and antibacterial, electrolysed water is sprayed on surfaces after the flush. Once the lid is closed, Actilight technology activates a UV light, which, through photocatalysis, speeds up the decomposition of any nasties left behind.