Welcome to our annual Design Awards, a celebration the people, places and things that have rocked our world over the last year. First, meet our six-strong panel of creative high-achievers and the marvels that most tickled their fancies in our extra-special Judges' Awards. Then browse through our hotly contested honour roll of true design excellence...
The man who would be Hawking takes a turn as a transgender pioneer in The Danish Girl
No other designer matches innovation and livewithability like Urquiola
The Munich-based master of high-concept industrial design
The art world’s architect of choice, Adjaye is now building big from Beirut to Washington
Legendary ad man and designer behind US Esquire’s decade-long run of iconic covers
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec
Designer of the year
The Breton brothers’ diverse output last year was elegant and modern. They created modular pavilions for the Tuileries Garden, commissioned by Galerie Kreo and Emerige, while outdoor pieces for Kettal and Hay and tables and chairs for Vitra (pictured, above) all married archetypal shapes with a contemporary aesthetic. Most impressive were their ‘Kaari’ tables and shelves for Artek, focusing on a triangular element, and their handsome ‘Serif’ TV for Samsung, pictured here with Design Awards judge Eddie Redmayne. With a mix of vintage looks, contemporary sleekness and technology, the duo has shown a deeper versatility than ever. Photography: Jan Lehner
‘Serif’ TV, by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, for Samsung
Best Domestic Design
When Samsung asked the Bouroullecs to come up with a completely new concept for a TV, the electronics giant was making a well-informed bet that design-savvy consumers were looking for something different from ever-larger flat screens. The result is the ‘Serif’, which looks like a rather old-fashioned free-standing TV, with its 1950s legs and rectangular format. We love the fact that the Bouroullecs went back to first principles and really thought hard about how we use TVs these days. Rather than trying to make it disappear, they’ve designed a quite individual piece of furniture, which happens to show moving images. Photography: Jean-Noël Le Blanc-Bontemps
Fondazione Prada, Italy, by OMA
Best new public building
Last May, Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli opened the doors to their long-awaited Fondazione Prada, designed by the Rotterdam-based architecture firm OMA. In the works for more than a decade, the art complex, located on a former industrial site in Milan, lives up to the hype that has swirled around it. This ambitious project – ten different buildings, housing a selection of modern and contemporary art, sprawled like a labyrinth across 19,000 sq m – features an intriguing assortment of different styles, spatial sizes, creative themes and time periods, not to mention a cinema, and a café designed by film director Wes Anderson.
Misoka·ISM toothbrush, by Misoka
Best new grooming product
This toothbrush may look fairly conventional, but it cleans your teeth without the need for toothpaste, thanks to nanoparticles coating the bristles, which are activated when they’re dipped in water. The original concept was developed by Yumeshokunin, and the sleek transparent design is the work of TIDS, The Industrial Design Studio. Each of the bristles – which at 0.178mm are fine enough to reach into the gaps between the teeth – is coated with microscopic mineral ions. These stay active for around a month, after which it’s time to use a new brush (‘misoka’ means ‘last day of the month’ in Japanese). Photography: Anthony Cotsifas. Producer: Michael Reynolds
Ermenegildo Zegna Couture
Best men's fashion collection (A/W 2015)
Ermenegildo Zegna's Creative director Stefano Pilati envisaged a natural dreamscape populated by sleek eco-warriors who were ready to jump into the urban jungle. In fact, there were more trees inside the show venue than there are in most Milan parks. The runway, though, was devoted to protective, in-the-field gear with a high-end luxury bent; the best of which was Harris tweed-inspired, mud-coloured wool coats that sprouted reptilian scales and were slickened with a glossy finish. Also hot property were the sweaters that came with their own cable-knit, baseball cap hoods. Photography: Ash Kingston. Fashion: Jason Hughes
Céline
Best women's fashion collection (A/W 2015)
Calculated, ‘undone’ clothing was at the heart of Phoebe Philo’s winter collection for Céline, where dresses were left incomplete on the backside and skirts swooshed along in unfinished, asymmetrical layers. The clothing was painstakingly put together with eccentric touches such as fancy bell-sleeve cuffs or patch fronts on dresses, but the no-nonsense footwear allowed the models to whiz by at the speed of modern-day life. Raw-seamed, leather bucket-totes in contrasting colours or flashes of zebra skin completed the collection. Photography: Ash Kingston. Fashion: Jason Hughes
Apple Watch Hermès, by Apple and Hermès
Life enhancer of the year
High style and tech smarts have never been more in sync than in this year’s surprise pairing: the Apple Watch Hermès. The initial Apple Watch launch, in April last year, came close to breaking the internet (or at least the pavement outside Apple stores globally), and this latest amalgamation of craftsmanship and technology hit a luxury high when it was announced in September. So now, in addition to heart-monitoring, step-counting and waving for contactless payment, serious fashion cred is well within arm’s reach. Pictured here on Design Awards judge George Lois' arm. Photography: Jason Schmidt
Copenhagen
Best City
The Danish capital is growing increasingly extrovert and adventurous. In Vesterbro, the meatpacking district of Kødbyen is now an art hub; in Nørrebro, gourmet destinations share the same streets as alehouses; and in Christianshavn, Papirøen is a fertile enclave of creativity. Cradling one of Europe’s most distinguished design traditions has been a mixed blessing. The influence of the midcentury greats had previously eclipsed contemporary talent. But the latest wave of creatives, architects and chefs has fuelled a renaissance, and New Nordic is the cuisine and design movement of the moment. The new edition of the Wallpaper* City Guide to Copenhagen is published by Phaidon, £6.95
Juana La Loca, Bogotá
Best new restaurant
Located on the third floor of a mixed-use complex, between two of the Colombian capital’s most buzzing districts, Zona T and Parque 93, Juana La Loca was designed by Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld. It boasts an intimate wood-clad bar – featuring marble detailing and a Lindsey Adelman chandelier – which gracefully unfolds into a stainless-steel kitchen, two dining rooms and an outdoor terrace. The venue’s clean, modern lines are articulated in rich, natural materials, forming a subtle juxtaposition with the collection of midcentury furniture. Food is modern tapas; expect fancy versions of typical dishes such as pan con tomate y jamon iberico and gambas al ajillo. Photography: Monica Barreneche
Aman, Tokyo
Best new hotel
Located in the capital’s business district, occupying six floors of the newly built Otemachi Tower, Aman’s Tokyo property marked the brand’s entry into Japan and is also its sole city hotel. The interiors, designed by international firm Kerry Hill Architects, pay homage to the local setting with the use of a serene, natural palette of camphor wood, washi paper and stone, complemented by contemporary Japanese textiles. Highlights include the hotel’s signature sake, a library specialising in Japanese art and culture, authentic ofuro baths, the basalt-lined, 34th-floor swimming pool and the Aman spa, offering treatments based on traditional Kampo medicine. Photography: Takumi Ota
Lattice House, India, by Sameep Padora & Associates
Best new private house
Resembling a stack of wooden boxes, Lattice House is located in a rapidly expanding suburb on the outskirts of the city of Jammu in north India. Designed by Mumbai-based architects Sameep Padora & Associates, the structure features a permeable skin made up of timber lattice screens, which are used to create balconies and storage, as well as offering shade and privacy for its residents. The house’s distinctive facade is offset by its clean, white interiors. The internal arrangement allows for the bedrooms and bathrooms to be located at the rear of the house, while the front’s more open-plan configuration incorporates the living and dining areas, as well as the kitchen, flanked by a courtyard garden. Photography: Edmund Sumner
‘Axor One’ control panel, by Barber & Osgerby, for Axor
Best domestic design
This is a sophisticated solution to a technically challenging problem: combining multiple bath and shower control elements in one single panel. The goal was to take the clutter out of the bathroom and reduce it to an intuitive object, streamlining all water-related operations. Four years in the making, the ‘Axor One’ offers an all-in-one shower control. The central dial can be turned to regulate temperature, while, to activate flow, one can simply tap the paddles, with symbols indicating the water outlet that each one controls. www.barberosgerby.com; www.one.axor-design.com
Key features: A streamlined, intuitive design including all shower controls in one single unit
Materials: Available in 15 finishes, including gold, chrome, nickel, brass and stainlesss steel
Price: From £1,182
‘Serif’ TV, by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, for Samsung
Best domestic design
When Samsung asked Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec to come up with a completely new concept for a TV, the result was the ‘Serif’ TV, which in some ways looks like a rather old-fashioned freestanding TV, with its 1950s legs and rectangular format. What we love about it is the fact that the Bouroullecs really thought hard about how we use TVs these days, and also how they integrate into domestic spaces. Rather than trying to make it disappear, they’ve designed a quite individual piece of furniture, which happens to show moving images. www.bouroullec.com; www.samsung.com/global/seriftv
Key features: A typography-inspired design with an ‘i’-shaped profile, available in three sizes and three colours
Materials: Injection-moulded, coated plastic frame; fabric back panel
Price: From £499
Kettle and toaster, by Naoto Fukasawa, for Muji
Best domestic design
Featuring a simple curved design in off-white plastic, this electric kettle and toaster are the latest products to become available in the UK and US from the prolific collaboration between Naoto Fukasawa and minimalist homeware brand Muji. The kettle resembles a porcelain pitcher and comes with a clever base in which the electrical lead can be neatly wound up, while the toaster has totally flat sides so it can sit next to a wall. A rice cooker, designed by Fukasawa for Muji in 2002, is now also available to buy in the US. www.naotofukasawa.com; www.muji.com
Key features: Minimal design, rounded edges and intuitive controls
Materials: Plastic
Price: From ¥4,900 ($40)
‘Pan 999’ pots and pans, by Tobia Scarpa, for San Lorenzo
Best domestic design
Italian silverware specialist San Lorenzo’s patented Pure Silver is not only bactericidal, virucidal and fungicidal, but is also a champion heat conductor, so you can use it to cook quickly and at low temperatures, preserving the nutrients and antioxidants of many ingredients. In 1999, it launched the Cooking with Pure Silver collection, designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa. Now it has updated the collection, electroforming Pure Silver onto Pure Iron to create pots and pans that are silver on the inside but iron on the outside. www.pan999.it
Key features: Pots and pans that cook food quickly, and at low temperature, thanks to their silver surface, which is also bactericidal and fungicidal
Materials: Pure Silver electroformed on Pure Iron
Price: From €80
Based: Italy
BeoSound Moment, by Bang & Olufsen
Best domestic design
The BeoSound Moment wireless music system manages to meld touch-sensitive capabilities beneath a tactile slither of wood. The sensor-laden slab – bare except for a suitably understated logo and an embossed volume groove – plays host to new algorithms that learn your preferences, and it can serve up old favourites or new discoveries, depending on how you use the Deezer-enabled MoodWheel system. Designed by Frackenpohl Poulheim, this is the ultimate in elegant, fingertip control for a wireless music system. www.bang-olufsen.com
Photography courtesy of Hansgrohe
Key features: A wireless music system with a touch-sensitive wood panel
Materials: Wood, aluminium, glass and plastic
Price: £1,795
Nendo
Designer of the year
A previous Design Awards winner and a previous judge, this year Nendo staged a retrospective of a year’s worth of work during Salone del Mobile. The exhibition included Glas Italia pieces in a variety of colours, and whimsical doors for Japanese manufacturer Abe Kogyo. Nendo has also collaborated with Tod’s on an architect’s bag and Kenzo on a perfume bottle, released a series of tables shaped like geometric snakes for Tokyo gallery Eye of Gyre, and designed the Japan Pavilion at the Milan Expo. www.nendo.jp
Established: 2002
Based: Tokyo/Milan
Key projects: ‘Border’ tables, for Eye of Gyre; Soft, Slide and Pair collections (pictured), for Glas Italia; ‘Seven Doors’, for Abe Kogyo; ‘Colourful Shadows’ at the Japan Pavilion at Milan Expo
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec
Designer of the year
This year the Bouroullecs’ work ranged from outdoor furniture for Kettal and Hay to porcelain tiles for Italian brand Mutina. However, two projects in particular caught our attention. For Artek, the duo designed Kaari, a collection of tables and shelves that introduced the company’s Scandinavian aesthetic to new forms. And for Samsung, they unveiled the ‘Serif’ TV. With a mix of vintage styling, contemporary sleekness and technology, the brothers are proving ever more versatile. www.bouroullec.com
Established: 1999
Based: Paris
Key projects: Modular pavilions, for Galerie Kreo and Emerige; Belleville collection, for Vitra; ‘Stampa’ chair, for Kettal; ‘Palanco’ mirror, for Glas Italia; Kaari collection (pictured), for Artek; ‘Serif’ TV, for Samsung
Max Lamb
Designer of the year
Earlier this year, Lamb exhibited a collection of 41 chairs in a warehouse during the Milan furniture fair. The designs, dating from 2006 to 2015, were presented in a circle, and the mix of the raw, the sculptural and the sleek made clear Lamb’s creative reach. He also revisited recent projects, including giving a black makeover to his ‘Marmoreal’ material, which he used to fashion bathroom furniture at Design Miami/Basel. His latest work proposes a new design direction, where humour, poetry and savoir-faire merge. www.maxlamb.org
Established: 2007
Based: London
Key projects: ‘Metalware’ chair; ‘Exercises in Seating’ exhibition (pictured, right); Planks collection, for Benchmark; ‘Marmoreal Black’ bathroom furniture (pictured, left), for Dzek
Aldo Bakker
Designer of the year
Bakker is a master of soft, delicate forms, carefully rendered in ceramic, wood or metal in a marvellous blend of sculpture and craftsmanship. This was in evidence with ‘Swing’, a slender seat carved out of maple wood. Presented by Gallery Vivid in Rotterdam late last year, ‘Swing’ also formed part of Karakter’s launch at this year’s Salone del Mobile, alongside Bakker’s ‘Urushi’ lacquered table and stool. Organically shaped, both table and stool have a monolithic bearing but with a wonderful sense of lightness. www.aldobakker.com
Established: 1994
Based: Amsterdam
Key projects: ‘Urushi’ table and stool (pictured), for Karakter; ‘Containing Content’ exhibition; ‘Swing’ seat; cups and saucers for Lyngby; ‘Figueras’ exhibition, Vienna
Barber & Osgerby
Designer of the year
This year’s output from Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby is perfectly poised between dramatic industrial design and human-centric craft. Seating came in the graphic yet inviting shape of their ‘Pilot’ chair for Knoll, while a collection of tableware for Royal Doulton played on the contrast between matt exteriors and glazed interiors. They also collaborated with Glas Italia on a set of glass cabinets with mirrored details called ‘Collector’, and designed bamboo and mulberry bark paper lanterns for traditional Japanese brand Ozeki. www.barberosgerby.com
Established: 1996
Based: London
Key projects: ‘Pilot’ chair, for Knoll; ‘Olio’ tableware (left), for Royal Doulton; ‘Collector’ cabinets, for Glas Italia; ‘Hotaru’ lights, for Ozeki; One by One book
Usine, Stockholm
Best new restaurant
Housed in a former sausage factory stripped bare to leave a framework of iron beams, Usine combines three gastronomic concepts over 2,000 sq m under one strikingly high roof. Stark concrete floors are juxtaposed with an eclectic mix of interior accents, such as oyster baskets from France, lighting from China and custom carpentry from Lithuania.Meanwhile, a spacious corridor connecting the various dining areas houses a photography gallery curated by Dennis Blomberg of local agency Noll Images. www.usine.se
Address: Södermalmsallén 36-38
Key features: Former sausage factory featuring concrete floors and custom carpentry
Chef: Nicola Perrelli
Interiors: Richard Lindvall
Photography: Johan Annerfelt
Juana La Loca, Bogotá
Best new restaurant
Designed by Isay Weinfeld, Juana La Loca boasts an intimate wood-clad bar – featuring marble detailing and a Lindsey Adelman chandelier – which gracefully unfolds into a stainless-steel kitchen, two dining rooms and a leafy outdoor terrace. The venue’s clean, modern lines form a subtle juxtaposition with the collection of midcentury floor lamps and furniture. Food, by Italian Mauro Farris and Colombian David Rodriguez, is modern tapas; expect fancy versions of dishes such as pan con tomate y jamon iberico and gambas al ajillo. www.juanayluzia.com
Address: 11-13 Calle 90, Piso 3
Key features: Clean, modern lines articulated in rich, natural materials
Chefs: Mauro Farris and David Rodriguez
Interiors: Isay Weinfeld
Spring, London
Best new restaurant
Skye Gyngell, the Australian chef who put glasshouse restaurant Petersham Nurseries on the map, has returned to the London dining scene. Spring, her new three-level perch in the refurbished 19th-century west wing of Somerset House, is a calm space, awash with light oak flooring and classic furnishings from Mario Bellini’s ‘412 Cab’ chair to Arne Jacobsen’s ‘Mayor’ sofa. In the kitchen, Gyngell harnesses her trademark love for uncomplicated cooking to gently treated seasonal produce. www.springrestaurant.co.uk
Address: Somerset House, New Wing, Lancaster Place
Key features: Calm space with large windows and high ceilings, oak flooring and classic furnishings
Chef: Skye Gyngell
Interiors: Stuart Forbes and Briony Fitzgerald
Raw, Taipei
Best new restaurant
Having made his name in Paris and Singapore, chef Andre Chiang has returned to his native Taiwan for his latest venture. Located in the Dazhi area of Taipei, Chiang gives traditional Taiwanese fare an elevated twist, using lesser-known ingredients to create dishes such as cobia fish with daikon, citrus and sago. His approach is perfectly matched by the restaurant’s avant-garde interior. Dominated by undulating wood-hewn sculptures, custom-made furniture and delicate lighting, Raw is a modern portrait of Taiwanese dining. www.raw.com.tw
Address: 301 Le Qun 3rd Road
Key features: Avant-garde interior dominated by undulating wood-hewn sculptures, custom-made furniture and delicate lighting
Chef: Andre Chiang
Interiors: Weijenberg
Alancha, Istanbul
Best new restaurant
Former Turkish windsurfing champion Kemal Demirasal opened his first restaurant in 2007 in Çeşme, on the Aegean coast, and has now brought his culinary vision to Istanbul with Alancha, a two-floor dining room designed by Cacti. Tactile woods, leathers and greenery bring life to a largely concrete space, while low-hanging pendants soften the effects of the lofty ceiling. Using fresh ingredients from Demirasal’s farm, the menu celebrates the origins of Anatolian cuisine with a nod to Istanbul’s street food traditions. www.alancha.com
Address: Hüsrev Gerede Caddese, Şehit Mehmet Sokak 9
Key features: Lofty ceilings and concrete punctuated by leather, wood and greenery
Chef: Kemal Demirasal
Interiors: Cacti Photography: Robert Holden
Aman, Tokyo
Best new hotel
Located in the capital’s business district, Aman’s Tokyo property marks the brand’s entry into Japan and also its lone city hotel. Interiors, by Kerry Hill Architects, pay homage to the local setting with a natural palette of camphor wood, washi paper and stone, complemented by contemporary Japanese textiles. Highlights include the hotel’s signature sake, a library specialising in Japanese art and culture, authentic ofuro baths, and the Aman spa, offering treatments based on traditional Kampo medicine. www.amantokyo.com
Address: Otemachi Tower, 1-5-6 Otemachi
Design: Kerry Hill Architects
Number of rooms: 84
Room rates: From $758
Photography: Takumi Ota
Chicago Athletic Association, Chicago
Best new hotel
Designed by architect Henry Ives Cobb in 1893, the Chicago Athletic Association was once the hub for Chicago’s sporting elite and has now been transformed into a 241-room hotel by Roman and Williams. Much of the original Venetian Gothic detailing has been retained, including the stained-glass windows and grand marble staircase. There’s also a rooftop restaurant with an open-air terrace, a Shake Shack burger joint, a prohibition-style whisky bar, an interactive games room, and 24-hour fitness facilities. www.chicagoathletichotel.com
Address: 12 South Michigan Avenue
Design: Roman and Williams
Number of rooms: 241
Room rates: From $339
Blossom Hill Inn, Hangzhou
Best new hotel
A collection of low-slung villas in the Xixi Wetland area, Blossom Hill Inn was designed by Marcelo Joulia, of international practice Naço, with extraordinary sensitivity to the region’s lush landscape. Joulia paired bamboo and antique brick with local woods and contemporary concrete to create an air of serene simplicity. The guest rooms, featuring cavernous tubs and soft lighting, each face the misty marshes, while equally peaceful is the pool, obscured by reeds, and a sunken library surrounded by louvred bamboo shutters. www.blossomhillinn.com
Address: Xixi Wetland, Wuchang Avenue, Tianmushan road
Design: Marcelo Joulia Naço
Number of rooms: 66
Room rates: From $140
Les Bains, Paris
Best new hotel
Originally established as thermal baths in 1885, Paris’ Bains Douches were patronised by everyone from Marcel Proust to the fruit sellers of Les Halles. In the 1970s, the venue became a club where the likes of Andy Warhol, David Bowie and Yves Saint Laurent partied the night away. After a few years in the doldrums, Les Bains has been reborn as a hotel, with interiors by RDAI and Tristan Auer, and a restaurant headed up by Philippe Labbé and Michaël Riss. The famous baths have been turned into a pool and spa for hotel guests. www.lesbains-paris.com
Address: 7 rue du Bourg-L’Abbé
Design: Vincent Bastier, RDAI and Tristan Auer
Number of rooms: 39
Room rates: From €291
Photography: Paul Raeside
Edition, Miami Beach
Best new hotel
Like its London and Istanbul siblings, Ian Schrager’s Miami Beach Edition pulls together the best of what its home town has to offer. It occupies the former Seville Hotel, a landmark 1950s building adapted by interiors outfit Yabu Pushelberg to house 323 rooms, suites and bungalows, two pools with bars and cabanas, a nightclub, a bowling alley, a year-round ice skating rink, and a new restaurant by French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The hotel also boasts 70,000 sq ft of beachfront and an open-air cinema. www.editionhotels.com
Address: 2901 Collins Avenue
Design: John Pawson, Yabu Pushelberg
Number of rooms: 323
Room rates: From $429
Photography: Takumi Ota, Paul Raeside
Villa Moelven, Sweden, by Widjedal Racki
Best new private house
Located on the beach on the outskirts of the Swedish capital, Villa Moelven was commissioned as a collaboration between its clients – a family of four – and Scandinavian wood manufacturer Moelven. It was conceived as a private home, but also acts as a showcase for the sponsors involved in its construction. The result is a playful Scandinavian villa that incorporates three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a couple of bathrooms, as well as an element of humour and a few surprises that are sure to leave guests with a smile. www.wrark.se
Key features: Timber construction
Location: Stockholm outskirts, Sweden
Architects’ previous work: H-House, Trosa; Surfers House, southwest coast of Sweden
Photography: Ake E:son Lindman
Grigio, Japan, by Apollo Architects & Associates
Best new private house
This ode to concrete, in Setagaya, Tokyo, was created as a simple box with parts carved out to create the entrance and garage, windows and terraces. The commission came from a couple that enjoys cars and collects contemporary art, so special attention was paid to windows and light. Wrapping around an internal courtyard are two levels above ground and a sunken basement floor. Decorative elements were kept to a minimum, and the colour palette features a simple grey scheme, creating a sophisticated, gallery-like feel. www.kurosakisatoshi.com
Key features: Concrete, internal courtyard, introverted design
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Architects’ previous work: Wave House, Kanagawa; Frame House, Tokyo
Photography: Masao Nishikawa
Lattice House, India, by Sameep Padora & Associates
Best new private house
Resembling a stack of wooden boxes, the Lattice House, on the outskirts of Jammu in north India, features horizontal bands of vertical timber lattice screens, which are used to create balconies and storage, as well as offering shade and privacy. The distinctive facade is offset by its clean, white interiors. The more private functions, such as bedrooms and bathrooms, are located at the rear of the house, while the front is open-plan, incorporating the living, dining and kitchen areas, flanked by a courtyard garden. www.sp-arc.net
Key features: Timber lattice facade
Location: Jammu, India
Architects’ previous work: Shiv Temple, Maharashtra; Fort House, Hyderabad
Photography: Edmund Sumner
Concrete House, Australia, by Matt Gibson
Best new private house
Aiming to create a strong relationship between indoor and outdoor living, the Concrete House, in Melbourne, is laid out as a sequence of spaces that balance efficiency and comfort. The client wanted a home, built from concrete and stone, that could act both as a place to entertain and a sanctuary; architect Matt Gibson responded by drawing inspiration from Brazilian modernism, keeping communal areas clean, and using rich woods and concrete. The structure spans three levels, with a car park on the basement level. www.mattgibson.com.au
Key features: Concrete and timber, inside/outside relationship
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Architects’ previous work: Kooyong House, Melbourne; Oscar & Wild store, Melbourne
Photography: Derek Swalwell
Berkshire Residence, US, by Tom Kundig/Olson Kundig
Best new private house
Nestled in the Massachusetts landscape, this house by Tom Kundig, of Olson Kundig, is intended to be a bolthole for a Boston-based family. It was designed to act as both a look-out and as a refuge. The main level stands about 10ft above ground. In the living room, a 24ft-wide window wall can be slid open and suspended on cantilevered beams by cranking a metal wheel. The same mechanism also appears in the master bedroom at the other end, which means both flanks of the house can be opened almost completely to the environment. www.olsonkundig.com
Key features: Metal, wood and concrete, openable facades, raised level
Location: Massachusetts, US
Architects’ previous work: Chicken Point Cabin, Idaho; Delta Shelter, Washington
Photography: Benjamin Bensheneider
Whitney Museum, US, by Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Best new public building
The new Whitney is a worthy replacement of the museum’s iconic Marcel Breuer-designed former home on Madison Avenue. The new space spans 220,000 sq ft and nine storeys that include the city’s largest column-free art gallery spaces, an education centre, theatre, a conservation lab, and a library and reading rooms. Two floors are dedicated to the Whitney’s permanent collection, and the entire structure stands out for its strong, asymmetrical form and wealth of terraces, as well as its welcoming, glass-enclosed ground level. www.whitney.org; www.rpbw.com
Key features: Column-free gallery spaces, glass-enclosed ground floor, open air terraces
Location: New York, US
Architects’ previous work: Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé, Paris; Shard, London
Photography: Karin Jobst
The Broad, US, by Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Best new public building
The newly opened Broad, a 120,000 sq ft art museum in downtown LA, contains almost 2,000 pieces from philanthropist Eli Broad’s collection. The Vault forms the heart of the museum and contains art storage and conservation facilities, while The Veil is a 3D structure made up of hundreds of honeycomb-shaped openings that cover the roof and flow over the glass facade to the pavement. The 35,000 sq ft third floor galleries feature no columns, with the roof instead held up by five 190ft-long steel girders, invisible to the viewer. www.thebroad.org; www.dsrny.com
Key features: Perforated facade, curvaceous interior, column-free galleries
Location: Los Angeles, US
Architects’ previous work: The High Line, New York; McMurtry Building at Stanford University, Stanford
Photography: Benny Chan
Fondazione Prada, Italy, by OMA
Best new public building
The long-awaited Fondazione Prada, located on a former industrial site in Milan, has been in the works for more than a decade. OMA’s intention was to make old and new work seamlessly, and the ambitious project is an intriguing assortment of different styles, spatial sizes, creative themes and time periods. Shiny mirrored surfaces battle against raw concrete interiors, while tiny, intimate rooms contrast with warehouse-sized hangars. There is also a cinema, and a café designed by film director Wes Anderson. www.fondazioneprada.org; www.oma.eu
Key features: Integration of old and new
Location: Milan, Italy
Architects’ previous work: Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow; CCTV, Beijing
Photography: Bas Princen
Learning Hub, Singapore, by Heatherwick Studio
Best new public building
Part of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, this cluster of 12 towers – an audacious deconstruction of the traditional lecture room – has been three years in the making. The brief was to create a new learning experience for students, so Heatherwick devised a series of circular, glass-fronted modular pods that open into a naturally-ventilated atrium. There are virtually no straight edges, whether in the undulating concrete walls, cast with Aztec-like designs, the slanted, load-bearing pillars, or the garden spaces on the upper floors. www.heatherwick.com
Key features: Tower clusters, concrete, innovative learning spaces
Location: Singapore
Architects’ previous work: UK Pavilion, Shanghai Expo; Bombay Sapphire Distillery, Hampshire
Photography: Hufton + Crow
Folk Art Museum for China Academy of Arts, China, by Kengo Kuma
Best new public building
Located on the site of an old tea plantation, this museum, conceived as a space that would propose new relationships between visitors, art and their environment, features a set of unique exhibition spaces. The structure’s distinct low outline, created by a series of ramps and pitched roofs, cascades down the sloped site, and features local materials, such as cedar and reclaimed roof tiles. A stainless steel wire mesh holds the tiles together and creates a screen that filters light, casts patterns and controls views. www.kkaa.co.jp
Key features: Cascading roof, reclaimed materials, local vernacular
Location: Hangzhou, China
Architects’ previous work: FRAC Marseille; Rolex Tower, Dallas
Photography: Ellchi Kano
Beirut
Best city
Beirut invented the art of navigating contradictions. This is where the Middle East tries on new things, from the most recent fashions to the latest political ideas. The annual Beirut Design Week launched in 2012 and is validating the city’s claim to be the design capital of the Middle East. It has been on the global fashion radar for more than a decade, thanks to Elie Saab and Rabih Kayrouz, and now it is revelling in art as a spate of private museums open, including the Aïshti Foundation, Beit Beirut and the expanded Sursock.
New architecture: Aïshti Foundation (pictured), by David Adjaye (2015); Zaitunay Bay, by Steven Holl (2014)
Under construction: 3 Beirut, by Foster + Partners; Beirut Terraces, by Herzog & de Meuron
Hotels and restaurants: Le Gray hotel; Liza Beirut; Stereo Kitchen; Urbanista; Burgundy; Marinella
Cultural draws: National Museum; Sursock Museum; Beirut Art Center; Saifi Village; Carwan Gallery
Photography: Joel Tettamanti
Miami
Best city
Today, Miami is a halfway house for wealthy Latinos, Russians and Europeans fleeing troubled economies, who have helped revive the property market. This cash, coupled with the Art Basel effect, which has injected some gravitas and self-worth, has led to a raft of cultural additions, from high-profile museums to edgy galleries. It has also turned Miami into an emerging architectural wonderland, tempting Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Frank Gehry, Bjarke Ingels and Richard Meier to spend time in the sun.
New architecture: Pérez Art Museum, by Herzog & de Meuron; Brickell City Centre (ongoing), by Arquitectonica
Under construction: Grove at Grand Bay, by BIG; Frost Museum of Science, by Grimshaw
Hotels and restaurants: Edition; Metropolitan by COMO; The Royal Palm; Vagabond Hotel; Cypress Tavern; Seagrape Cultural draws: De La Cruz Collection; Gallery Diet; Design District expansion
Photography: Claudia Uribe
Copenhagen
Best city
Copenhagen is growing increasingly extrovert and adventurous. In Vesterbro, the meatpacking district of Kødbyen is now an art hub; in Nørrebro, gourmet destinations share the same streets as alehouses; and in Christianshavn, Papirøen is a fertile enclave of creativity. The influence of the midcentury greats had previously eclipsed contemporary talent, but the latest wave of creatives, architects and chefs has fuelled a renaissance, and New Nordic is the cuisine and design movement of the moment.
New architecture: UN City and the Blue Planet (pictured), both by 3XN; VM Mountain, by BIG and JDS; Koncerthuset, by Jean Nouvel; Kalvebod Waves by JDS and KLAR
Under construction: BLOX by OMA, incorporating the Design and Architecture Centres
Hotels and restaurants: Hotel SP34; Hotel d’Angleterre; Noma; Kul; Amass; Øl & Brød; Radio
Cultural draws: Arken Museum of Modern Art; Designmuseum Danmark; &Tradition; Galleri Nicolai Wallner; SuperObjekt
Photography: Sarah Coghill
Los Angeles
Best city
Los Angeles’ recent refound confidence is visible in the design-led eateries, bars and hotels that are springing up all over the city. Silver Lake is now a hot residential and retail address, Culver City draws upmarket restaurants and galleries, and the nightlife in Downtown and Koreatown is flourishing. No area is changing faster than the Arts District, which, with its industrial buildings and converted warehouses, feels more Brooklyn than LA, no doubt in part due to the flood of creative New Yorkers relocating here.
New architecture: The Broad Museum, by Diller Scofidio and Renfro; Emerson College (pictured), by Morphosis
Under construction: US Courthouse, by SOM
Hotels and restaurants: The Line; Ace Hotel Downtown; Redbird; Freds; Jon & Vinny’s; Petit Trois; Simbal
Cultural draws: Regen Projects; David Kordansky Gallery; LACMA; Maccaron
Photography: Iwan Baan
Taipei
Best city
Construction in Taipei has intensified in recent years – the Shongshan Cultural and Creative Park, home to Toyo Ito’s New Horizon, is one of the most ambitious urban-renewal programmes of the last decade, while OMA’s Performing Arts Centre is nearing completion. Meanwhile, fine-dining restaurants serving light-touch cooking have revolutionised the cuisine. Taipei’s title of World Design Capital 2016 might be a little premature, but what is happening creatively here right now is more exciting than at any other time in history.
New architecture: Taoyuan Airport extension, by Norihiko Dan; Koo Chen-Fu Library, by Toyo Ito; Water Moon Monastery (pictured), by Kris Yao Artech
Under construction: Taipei Performing Arts Centre, by OMA; Taipei Pop Music Center, by Reiser + Umemoto; MRT airport extension
Hotels and restaurants: Humble House; Amba Zhongshan; Hotel Proverbs; Raw; Host Shabu
Cultural draws: MOCA; Cloud Gate Theater; Tina Keng Gallery
Photography: Bobby Ho
Gucci
Best women’s fashion collection (A/W 2015)
Alessandro Michele’s debut at Gucci brought a romantic about-face for the Florentine brand. Sexpot ploys were replaced by poetic clothes, twisted with hints of hippie intellectualism. Though Michele’s woman veered in and out of dishevelled street style and hyper luxury, best in show were the lady-like dresses and skirts featuring knife-sharp pleats in printed silk or papery leather. Michele also delivered a sense of wide-eyed wonder to winter’s extras, with the most striking footwear being his fur-lined slippers and mules. www.gucci.com
Key features: Poetic clothes twisted with hints of luxe, hippie intellectualism
Creative director: Alessandro Michele
Brand based: Florence, Italy
Photography: courtesy of Gucci
Céline
Best women’s fashion collection (A/W 2015)
Calculated, ‘undone’ clothing was at the heart of Phoebe Philo’s stellar winter collection, where dresses were left incomplete on the backside and skirts swooshed along in unfinished, asymmetrical layers. The clothing was painstakingly put together with eccentric touches such as fancy bell-sleeve cuffs or patch fronts, while raw-seamed, leather bucket-totes in contrasting colours or flashes of zebra skin completed the look. Philo is heralded as a minimalist, but her best work of late deals with more complex, intricate workmanship. www.celine.com
Key features: Asymmetrical layers, calculated ‘undone’ looks, bell-sleeve cuffs
Creative director: Phoebe Philo
Brand based: Paris, France
Photography: courtesy of Céline
Marni
Best women’s fashion collection (A/W 2015)
Lengths dropped, waists were cinched and fabrics advanced as Consuelo Castiglioni cut tunic-like sheaths over flared skirts and wide trousers to create a warrior-like silhouette. Weighty, cloak-like coats were superbly drawn, but the hit of the collection was a grey wool version that featured laser-cut holes trimmed with glistening black crystals. Fur arms, python bags and huge disc earrings all gave a tribal feel to this collection, while the new python boot of the season featured a sole that extended beyond the edge of the foot like a puddle. www.marni.com
Key features: Tunic-like sheaths over flared skirts and wide trousers achieved a warrior-like strength
Creative director: Consuelo Castiglioni
Brand based: Milan, Italy
Photography: courtesy of Marni
Comme des Garçons
Best women’s fashion collection (A/W 2015)
Separation was the theme that Rei Kawakubo mined with her hauntingly beautiful collection. Using strips of black leather, lace, white cotton or rich gold brocade, the designer wrapped her models in wearable ‘cages’, protecting them from the outside world. The looks became progressively more impactful, culminating in a giant, wearable igloo-like structure crafted from black strips of lace and bows that held the model like a prisoner. There was also a collection of hats that covered both heads and faces like gauzy, wet cobwebs. www.comme-des-garcons.com
Key features: Models were wrapped in wearable fabric ‘cages’, as if to protect them from the outside world
Creative director: Rei Kawakubo
Brand based: Tokyo, Japan
Photography: courtesy of Comme des Garçons
Louis Vuitton
Best women’s fashion collection (A/W 2015)
Ghesquière’s silhouettes continued to look sharp and swift, while the clothes themselves were down-to-earth in a resolutely cool way, as shown by the polar-bear-sized white sheepskins, 19th-century puff-sleeved shirts, and peplum tank-top skirt suits. A sense of the artificial permeated, with Vuitton’s Damier canvas reproduced in mohair chequerboard suiting, and fake leopard prints appearing on fuzzy coats. Handbags morphed into silver trunks, as kitten-heeled, pointed shoes came covered with gold rivets. www.dior.com
Key features: Sharp A-line silhouettes were dressed in a down-to-earth, resolutely cool way
Creative director: Nicolas Ghesquière
Brand based: Paris, France
Photography: courtesy of Louis Vuitton
Ermenegildo Zegna Couture
Best men’s fashion collection (A/W 2015)
This autumn Stefano Pilati envisaged a natural dreamscape populated by sleek eco-warriors ready to jump into the urban jungle. In fact, there were more trees inside the show venue than there are in most of Milan’s parks. The runway, however, was devoted to protective, in-the-field gear that had a high-end luxury bent, the best of which were Harris tweed-inspired, mud-coloured wool coats with reptilian scales and a glossy finish. Also hot property were the sweaters that came with their own cable-knit, baseball cap hoods. www.zegna.com
Key features: Protective, in-the-field gear with a high-end luxury bent
Creative director: Stefano Pilati
Brand based: Milan, Italy
Photography: courtesy of Ermenegildo Zegna Couture
Comme des Garçons
Best men’s fashion collection (A/W 2015)
Hidden beneath hood-like black felt chapeaux, Rei Kawakubo’s characters arrived in extraordinary blazers, asymmetrically buttoned and cut in strips of cool wool that spiralled on the bias. Ultra-slim suiting clung like tiny cardigans puckering at the chest, and a zebra-printed pony skin lightened the chilling message made by a menacing face mask and harness-sleeves. Meanwhile, a sombre series of charcoal drawings, by South African photographer Roger Ballen, hung across the back of white leather coats. www.comme-des-garcons.com
Key features: Extraordinary asymmetric blazers and felt chapeaux
Creative director: Rei Kawakubo
Brand based: Tokyo, Japan
Photography: courtesy of Comme des Garçons
Caruso
Best men’s fashion collection (A/W 2015)
Renowned among Italy’s tailoring cognoscenti for its signature suiting for the likes of Lanvin and Ralph Lauren, Caruso only shot back onto the international menswear stage in 2012 when former Brioni CEO Umberto Angeloni bought into the family brand and set about its global relaunch, with Sergio Colantuoni at the helm. Using only the finest tweeds, pinstripe wools and jacquards, the collection offered the modern gentleman the definitive globetrotting wardrobe, from three-piece flannel suits to fine wool safari jackets. www.carusomenswear.com
Key features: The finest tweeds, jacquards and pinstripe wools for the perfect globetrotting wardrobe
Creative director: Sergio Colantuoni
Brand based: Soragna, Italy
Prada
Best men’s fashion collection (A/W 2015)
Prada’s show invitation was cut from a crisp sheet of black taffeta, and much of this collection came from the same inky-hued fabric – perhaps a nod to the sheen of the Milanese house’s infamous black ‘Nylon’ bag. The material brought a touch of feminine glam to highly masculine tailored pieces, including cropped peacoats, short-sleeved shirts and pressed jackets. Mrs Prada took her fascination with clunky, orthopedic footwear to new heights, presenting lace-up shoes that were clamped into plastic vices with jaw-like soles. www.prada.com
Key features: Black taffeta silk brought a touch of glamour to the masculine tailored pieces
Creative director: Miuccia Prada
Brand based: Milan, Italy
Photography: courtesy of Prada
Junya Watanabe
Best men’s fashion collection (A/W 2015)
A return to dandyism was the order of the day at Junya Watanabe with a collection of tuxedos and top hats in his signature textile patchwork. Watanabe rolled out the red carpet to transform the cold concrete of the Palais de Tokyo into a classy cabaret, opening the show with the shadow play of a slow-spinning disco ball. Casting was key: Watanabe enlisted the Sapeurs (the Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People) that began in the Congo, while a handful of genuine Parisian dandies were also called in to help.
Key features: A formal collection offering silk and velvet tuxedos for the modern-day dandy
Creative director: Junya Watanabe
Brand based: Tokyo, Japan
Photography: courtesy of Junya Watanabe by Yannis Vlamos
Natural pigment nail polish, by Buly 1803
Best new grooming product
We make no apology for including Buly 1803 on our shortlist for the second year running, as this French brand continues to innovate. Its chemical-free, non-toxic nail polish, made from crushed sea shells and natural pigments, comes in a range of 15 colours. Husband-and-wife dream team Ramdane Touhami (previously co-owner of Cire Trudon) and Victoire de Taillac (one-time PR director for Colette) will soon be bringing Buly 1803 to London, but in the meantime it’s worth a trip to the Paris store to pick up a few of these. www.buly1803.com
Key features: A range of 15 chemical-free nail polishes, made from crushed sea shells and natural pigments
Misoka•ISM toothbrush, by Misoka
Best new grooming product
This toothbrush may look fairly conventional, but it cleans your teeth without the need for toothpaste, thanks to nanoparticles coating the bristles, which are activated when they’re dipped in water. Developed by Yumeshokunin and designed by TIDS (The Industrial Design Studio), each of the bristles – which at 0.178mm are fine enough to reach into the gaps between the teeth – is coated with microscopic mineral ions. These stay active for around a month, after which it’s time to use a new brush (‘misoka’ means ‘last day of the month’ in Japanese). www.misoka.jp
Key features: A toothbrush that uses microscopic mineral ions, activated when dipped in water, as an alternative to toothpaste
Haircare range, by Susanne Kaufmann
Best new grooming product
We’ve long been fans of this Austrian holistic skincare specialist, who started marrying organic alpine ingredients with scientific clout long before others who now shout about these kinds of things. Its products come in the sort of white, utilitarian packaging that makes us feel healthy simply by seeing it on our shelves. Developed in collaboration with hair stylist Christoph Tomann, this new haircare line is free from synthetic mineral oils and silicones, and includes shampoos and conditioners, an intensive mask and a serum. www.susannekaufmann.com
Key features: Clean, simple haircare that’s free from synthetic ingredients
Misia, by Chanel
Best new grooming product
Chanel’s Les Exclusifs perfumes sets the standard for quality, and its latest release, Misia, is a brilliant case in point. Named after Coco Chanel’s great friend, the art patron Misia Sert, it combines two old-fashioned scents – violet and rose – to create an evocative perfume with a character all of its own. Perfumer Olivier Polge explains: ‘I wanted to convey the atmosphere of the Ballets Russes and the smell of make-up from that time.’ It smells a bit like the inside of a rich lady’s handbag in the 1920s, but in a good way. www.chanel.com
Key features: Chanel’s latest fragrance evokes the 1920s with the use of violet and rose
Y-S.C.1 beard oil, by Ya-sin Chahimi
Best new grooming product
Taking inspiration from his Moroccan heritage, Stockholm-based Ya-sin Chahimi’s highly dense, nutrient-rich beard oil harnesses the moisturising properties of pure Moroccan argan oil, fragranced cedarwood, sandalwood, jasmine and patchouli. Farmed in the Arganeraie forest in Morocco – where argan oil is harvested in a Unesco Biosphere Reserve – and cold pressed, the oil is both organic and environmentally responsible, and is specially prepared with no additives and a respect for craftsmanship. www.ya-sinchahimi.com
Photography: Pål Allan
Key features: A dense beard oil, nutrient-rich with cold-pressed Moroccan argan oil
Apple Watch Hermès, by Apple and Hermès
Life enhancer
High style and tech smarts have never been more in sync than in this year’s surprise pairing: the Apple Watch Hermès. The initial Apple Watch launch, back in April, came close to breaking the internet (or at least the pavement outside Apple stores globally), and this latest amalgamation of craftsmanship and technology hit a luxury high when it was announced in September. So now, in addition to sleep tracking, step counting and waving for contactless payment, serious fashion cred is well within arm’s reach. www.apple.com
Key features: A smartwatch pairing Apple’s pioneering innovation with Hermès’ uncompromising craftsmanship
Drinkable perfumes, by Kille Enna
Life enhancer
Kille Enna, a Danish chef and cookbook author, has spent seven years developing Taste of a Scent, a line of four drinkable perfumes designed to be sprayed into a glass of water, like a fragrant cordial. Enna uses handcrafted extracts from raw plant materials to concoct the perfumes at her studio in Sweden, while the final aromas are extracted and filtered in a small factory in Denmark. The elegant aromas are then bottled in handsome flacons and packaged by Jack Dahl of Copenhagen-based studio Homework. www.killeenna.com
Key features: Aromas that can be sprayed into a glass before water is added, offering the taste and scent of a perfume at the same time
MP 01 mobile phone, by Jasper Morrison and Punkt
Life enhancer
In this era of information overload, Swiss manufacturer Punkt and its artistic director Jasper Morrison conspired to deliberately dumb down the mobile phone, putting technology back where it belongs – in our pockets and out of sight, out of mind. The MP 01 is modest, modern and minimal. There’s a nod to German product design of the 1960s and 1970s, but it’s dovetailed with detailing that makes the most of modern technology, including a crisp monochrome TFT screen and an utterly intuitive interface. www.punkt.ch
Key features: Simple and deliberately ‘unsmart’. Offers the bare essentials – calls, SMS, answer phone, calendar and clock – in clean, modern design
Jean Prouvé’s 6x6 Demountable House, by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Patrick Seguin
Life enhancer
Seeking to ensure a classic design lives on, gallerist Patrick Seguin commissioned RSHP to adapt a Jean Prouvé masterpiece – a 6x6m demountable house, conceived in 1944 as emergency housing – into an autonomous retreat. Two new cylindrical capsules host kitchen and bathroom, powered by two service trolleys that slide discreetly underneath the house – created with the help of engineers ChapmanBDSP and Arup. The redesign is sure to inspire exchanges about future demountable disaster relief housing. www.rsh-p.com; www.patrickseguin.com; www.stageone.co.uk/projects
Key features: Demountable retreat with add-on kitchen and bathroom pods; solar panels; service trolleys for electricity and rainwater recycling beneath the frame; fold-up sundeck/shutter
Enjoy online gadget store, by Ron Johnson
Life enhancer
Enjoy is essentially a personal delivery service for tech goodies. Its USP, though, is that Enjoy’s team are all tech-savvy and will guide you through the initial set-up of their deliveries. It was set up by Ron Johnson, seen as the brains behind Apple Store, and takes his Genius Bar concept on the road. Deliveries can be made anywhere, sometimes within as little as four hours and within an hour-slot. Delivery and set-up are free, but at the moment the service is only available in New York and the Bay Area. However, a roll-out seems inevitable. www.enjoy.com
Key features: A technology expert will deliver your product – free and in as little as four hours – and give you an hour of set-up and instruction time. You’ll also receive free ongoing support