Yesterday the first edition of Maison&Objet Asia came to an end. The fair known internationally and for the first time held in Asia, Singapore, exceeded expectations and was a real success.
The event took place in the magnificent Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore. Maison&Objet Asia was part of the Singapore Design Week 2014. This was a week-long celebration of the best design and attended by approximately 270 exhibitors from around the world, of which 70% in Europe
The first edition of the Maison&Objet began on March 10 with a successful keynote speech delivered by Tom Dixon, Maison&Objet Paris designer of the year. On stage, Tom Dixon shared the limelight with colorful armchairs and tables from the collection and the Trame by Kenneth Cobonpue Matilda sofa, first Maison&Objet Asia designer of the year, of whom I have spoken on the blog.
Much like its Parisian counterpart, Maison&Objet Asia brings together emerging players in design and decor from around the Asian continent.
Offering an exclusive trade event where exhibitors can develop lasting business relationships, the show opens new doors and opportunities for designers and manufacturers to leverage on Maison&Objets’s well-established international business platform and reputation.
Besides marking the start of the inaugural Singapore Design Week, the show, also serves as a platform for rising Asian talents to showcase their design prowess. The six pioneering rising talents come from all over Asia and have served the design industry greatly.
Take a look at these six talents and find out more about them:
Denny Rasyid Priyatna – Indonesia
Graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Product Design from the Bandung Institute of Technology, the young designer currently works as a product designer at the renown Lumina group.
Ever the entrepreneur, Denny also produces several furniture and lighting products under his name and has exhibited at several design fairs including the Palapa Network in London and Polygon Bike Design Exhibition in Bandung.
Lilianna Manahan – Philippines
Having worked with Maison&Objet Asia’s Designer of the Year, Kenneth Cobonpue, Lilianna Manahan has come a long way since her graduate days at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London.
In 2011, Lilianna established her Manila-based design office, Studio Magee and now heads her team as the creative director and principal designer.
Lo Yu-fen – Taiwan
An established designer, Yu-fen’s creations have received several accolades since 1996.
The assistant professor of design at the Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology is also the executive designer of Pinyen Creative. Her influence has helped catapult the brand to becoming a household name in the cultural and creative industry in Taiwan.
Melvin Ong – Singapore
Graduating with First-Class Honours from the Central St Martin’s College of Art & Design with a degree in Product Design, Melvin Ong had opportunities to work with established designers such as Chris Lefteri and Reiko Kaneko.
The Singaporean designer has worked on projects from CNN, Johnnie Walker and Mailonline while working with London design agency, Brand42 and has even exhibited his personal work at Tent London 2010 and Milan Salone Satellite in 2011. With such experiences under his belt, Melvin set up his own studio, Desinere, that has most recently seen its first collection launched at Tokyo’s DesignTide Exhibition last November.
Mike Mak – Hong Kong
Well-known for his design pieces such as Eyeclock, Moon Reach Ladder, Dear Van Gogh and The BIG BIG PIXEL series, Mike Mak has participated in several award-winning furniture designs before starting his own website.
In 2010, Mike was selected as one of the 36 young designers in Asia by Korea Design Net magazine. The following year, the designer was one of the representatives of Hong Kong Design in the 1st Beijing International Design Triennial.
Sittichai Ngamhongtong – Thailand
An industrial designer at the +SENSE design firm in Thailand, Sittichai graduated from the King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkra-bang in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, majoring in Industrial Design.
In 2010, the Thai designer won the 2nd prize for the Modern Form Design Award for his Young Executive Desk.
To view the artworks of these young designers, Robinsons Orchard has set up several displays in store for the whole month of March. Their designs are available for viewing at the fifth floor.
Via LifestyleAsia Singapore
