5 Modern Residences That Preserve and Showcase Artisanship

HONG KONG: K11 ARTUS

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Mr. Adrian Cheng, Founder of K11, Executive Vice-Chairman and General Manager of New World Development with Ms. Joyce Wang, internationally acclaimed interior designer for the K11 ARTUS penthouse.

Following the launch of the hotly anticipated Rosewood Hong Kong in the
art and design district Victoria Dockside, entrepreneur Adrian Cheng
will unveil K11 ARTUS in the third quarter of this year, marking his
fledging K11 group’s first luxury residence for rental, one with a
social agenda to preserve fast-disappearing traditional craftsmanship.
In the communal spaces is where the artisanal-living concept is truly
apparent, filled as they are with pieces that have been produced in
collaboration with K11 Craft & Guild Foundation, the latest of Cheng’s
cultural initiatives, which seeks to protect craftsmanship techniques
from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Rare Chinese artisanal objects created
exclusively for K11 ARTUS are on display and available for sale with the
proceeds going back to the charity to support Chinese craftsmen, from
wooden furniture made using the age-old baibaoqian technique of
inlaying engraved objects with precious stones, to porcelains with guangcai,
vibrant hand-painted porcelain that combines elements of east and west.
K11 ARTUS will also host year-round salons featuring leading cultural
figures, adding an unexpected intellectual component to the facilities,
while an experiential space will be carved out to showcase the best of
Chinese craft heritage. From an architecture perspective, the bulk of
the 287 short- and long-stay residences have been designed by Andre Fu,
with a jaw-dropping harbour view from its sinuous balconies. There are
also three penthouses created by Joyce Wang, Fiona Barratt and
nemaworkshop.

MUMBAI: SOHO HOUSE MUMBAI

Though it is the 23rd member of the Soho House family, Soho House
Mumbai, which opened earlier this year, is already a firm favourite of
members and Mumbai’s glitterati alike. Colourful as the city in which it
is situated, the hybrid member’s club/hotel is decorated in a riot of
patterns and fabrics, with many of the furnishings and objects sourced
from craftspeople discovered during the Soho House design team’s
journeys through New Delhi, Jaipur and, of course, Mumbai. Custom
commissions include cane seating, block-printed curtains and stunning
lampshades made from vintage saris that become the focal point of each
room. In a screening room, armchairs utilise mohair, while hand-printed
fabrics from Rajasthan aid in sound-proofing. Of course, you can expect
everything else you’d find in the typical Soho House, whether it’s a
branch of Cecconi’s or the impressive art collection, which features
pieces by the likes of Bharti Kher and Subodh Gupta.

CHIANG MAI: RAYA HERITAGE

A boutique hotel property in Chiang Mai, Raya Heritage takes its design
cues from the 13th century Lanna kingdom, with artisanal furnishings
that range from teak mirrors and ceramic tiles to fabrics sourced from
local weaving co-ops and dyed with pigments made from indigenous trees.
With fabrics and furniture conceived by the one and only Bill Bensley,
the suites-only property itself is the brainchild of Bangkok architect
Boonlert Hemvijitraphan, and features just 38 rooms, which overlook the
Ping River. While the facilities are state of the art, both the
structure and the finishing touches feature handcrafted elements – the
signature restaurant, for example, is named Khu Khao, after the
threshing baskets once used by northern Thai rice farmers, and these
handwoven baskets are incorporated into the venue’s decor as
chandeliers. In the rooms, baskets, wood carvings and pottery are made
by artisans from surrounding local villages.

LONDON: THE CONDUIT

The Conduit may be a members’ club, but it’s one with a purpose beyond
hobnobbing with like-minded and equally affluent and connected
individuals – it hopes to raise social consciousness and allow its
members to participate actively in philanthropy and responsible living
(founding members, after all, include Christiane Amanpour and Amnesty
International’s Salil Shetty). Its design ethos is an interesting one,
subscribing to a Scandinavian aesthetic but incorporating African
artisanal crafts, under the deft hands of Russell Sage Studio and
Cavendish Studio, and no doubt with the guidance of co-founder Paul Van
Zyl, a human-rights lawyer whose entrepreneurial efforts include the
artisan-designed luxury clothier Maiyet. With The Conduit’s conscious
agenda in mind, all the furniture and objects were sourced from NGOs and
craft collectives in Africa that create wares as a means of social
upliftment, from angora tapestries woven by a Swazi women’s group to
ceramics that hail from Mamelodi in Pretoria, South Africa.

FUDING: SPRINGING STREAM

This restoration project-cum-guesthouse certainly isn’t for the luxury
set, and it’s got hardly any gratuitous furnishings to speak of, but its
construction certainly prizes practical, transferable artisanal skills.
Springing Stream is situated in a poverty-stricken Chi Xi, and was a
showcase project by Beijing firm WEI Architects, which refurbished a
derelict house, transforming it into a bed and breakfast as an example
of how villages can use revitalised properties as an income source.
Local materials and local builders were engaged to use primitive
traditional construction methods to erect the structure, employing
techniques such as mortise-and-tenon wood structures and utilising
special transformational window-door framing, with much of the original
discarded building reclaimed for use in the new project. The result is a
curvaceous and architecturally breathtaking home for guests that is
entirely replicable in other villages.

Writer: Christina Ko

Hong Kong-based writer and editor Christina has covered the luxury
scene for over a decade. She writes on topics ranging from beauty and
wellness to arts and culture. Formerly the editorial director of
Prestige Hong Kong, she now contributes to various publications
including Hong Kong Tatler, SCMP, Discovery and Silverkris, as well as
working with clients such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Estee Lauder and Lane
Crawford.

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