Swire Hotels In House Magazine Summer 2014

IN side
IN HOUSE |
The Magazine for Swire Hotels
Editor-In-Chief:
Ann Tsang
Editor:
Coco Marett
Graphic Designer:
Carol Chan
Contributors:
Letter From The Editor
2
014 is the Year of The Horse, one of moving forward and upward, and this could not be truer for
Swire Hotels.
It is with great pride and pleasure that we present issue 10 of In House, in which we reveal a teaser of
what is to come in the very near future for the ever evolving and exciting group, from The Temple
House in Chengdu, the highly anticipated third property under Swire Hotels’ The House Collective
opening later this year, and a sneak peek into EAST, Miami designed by the beautifully eccentric
Clodagh, due to open in 2015.
2 |
Letter from The Editor
4 |
Taking On Miami
Now in its 25th year, New York-based Clodagh
Design remains one of the world’s most prominent
innovative design studios. The eccentric and
exceptionally talented Clodagh speaks with In House
about her design philosophy and gives us a sneak peek
into her plans for EAST, Miami.
10 |
In The Making
Make Architects continues to bring its expertise in
innovative and sustainable design to the world, quietly
reconstructing skylines across Europe and more
recently China. The award-winning agency offers a
view of its unorthodox approach to the industry and a
sneak peek into its plans for The Temple House,
Chengdu.
Carol Chan
Coco Marett
Tim Moldenhauer
Ann Tsang
16 |
City Dreams
Media Agents:
22 |
In Fine Form
OMJ Media
Suite B,
15/F, Casey Building
38 Lok Ku Road
Sheung Wan
Hong Kong
T: +(852) 2375 2311
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E: [email protected]
Herb Moskowitz
The Media Representative
Company
T: +(852) 9276 1011
F: +(852) 2572 5468
E: [email protected]
Swire Hotels also continues its movement towards a greener future through its collaborations with
like-minded and forward thinking partners. Dr. Simon Jackson, for example, travels to the far corners
of the earth on expeditions to revolutionise the natural skincare market, while the EcoChic Design
Award paves the way for a cleaner, more sustainable approach to the fashion industry.
There’s something special about Miami. It’s where the
city meets the sea and much of the urban side of things
is the work of renowned architectural firm,
Arquitectonica, founded in 1977, where else but in
Coconut Grove.
Designed to resonate with Hong Kong’s dense urban
conditions, acclaimed British sculptor Sir Antony
Gormley’s experiential exhibition ‘States and
Conditions’ transformed White Cube Gallery into a
physiological testing ground that confronted the
relationship between our inner state and the condition
of our external environment.
28 |
Waste Not
In Line with its commitment to sustainability, The
Upper House partnered with Hong Kong-based NGO
Redress to promote sustainability in Asia’s fashion
industry and support eco-conscious designers through
their EcoChic Design Award 2013.
36 |
A Certain Aesthetic
Following an intimate fireside event in honour of
Matthew Williamson at The Upper House’s Sky
Lounge, the British designer extraordinaire spoke
exclusively with In House Magazine about his Spring/
Summer 2014 collection, a bright and breezy range
which captures the spirit of where it all began –
Williamson’s first ever show in 1997.
38 |
An Upward Journey
As The Upper House celebrates its 5th Anniversary
this year, In House takes you on a fashion journey
through the highly acclaimed and accoladed hotel.
In House also speaks with internationally acclaimed Chef Gray Kunz, who discusses furthering Café
Gray Deluxe’s increasing involvement with local organic farms and the World Wildlife Fund’s
sustainable seafood programme.
50 |
Take It Outside
As we continue to champion those who dedicate themselves to making the world a better, more
beautiful place, we hope that your encounter with Swire Hotels, however brief, leaves you feeling
inspired.
The Upper House has perfected the art of bringing
music to the masses with its understatedly elegant
sessions on The Lawn. This spring, London rock band
The Darling Buds, led by ‘Twilight’ actor Jamie
Campbell Bower, serenaded the crowd to raise funds
for FilmAid Asia.
54 |
Blurring Borders
A DJ, producer and master of all instruments,
Bonobo’s ambient sounds take audiences to places both
strange and familiar, his brooding and seductive tracks
evoking feelings that flit from inspired to introspective
to enthralled. In House speaks with Bonobo about his
latest album, ‘The North Borders’, and how new
technology has changed the way we listen.
58 |
A Natural Approach
Dr. Jackson’s formulations are rapidly becoming cult
classics thanks to their exotic all natural ingredients
and the intense research behind them that goes jungle
deep…literally.
62 |
Back To Nature
Aurelia Probiotic Skincare recently hosted an
afternoon tea at Café Gray Deluxe at The Upper
House in Hong Kong, introducing its line of products
alongside a decadent menu of sweet and savoury treats,
using organic ingredients inspired by the brand’s
unique, all natural formulations. Aurelia founder
Claire Vero shares the details of her journey.
64 |
Beautifully Balanced
Nealy Fischer is a fitness and nutrition guru, mother
and Founder of MAYYA Movement, a tried and tested
transformation for women in Hong Kong and beyond
to reach their full potential in health and wellness.
66 |
Shades Of Gray
Good food has returned to the fold, with diners
growing hungrier for quality food that tugs at the
heartstrings rather than just at their wallets. Chef Gray
Kunz, with four stars under his belt and hailed as “one
of the world’s greatest chefs” by many, shares what’s on
the simple, sustainable and seasonal summer menu at
Café Gray Deluxe at The Upper House.
70 |
The Sky Has No Limits
This summer, Dragonair’s First and Business Class
menus take on a sophisticated Mediterranean twist
through the airline’s latest collaboration with Sureño
at The Opposite House in Beijing.
72 |
The Candy Craze
Tommy Palm is the Games Guru at King Digital
Entertainment, the company behind the game that had
everyone on the edge of their seats – and on their
phones – Candy Crush. He talks to In House about
the phenomenon that is the Candy Crush Saga, the
new hit game Farm Heroes Saga, and the future of
mobile gaming.
76 |
A Floral Affair
Roses, polka dots and pastels are what make designer
Cath Kidston so endearingly British. Here’s what’s in
bloom for the vintage-inspired label this season.
82 |
A Love For The Land
Getting back to nature is really about simplifying.
Removing all outside noise, distractions and stress and
stripping life down to its most simple form. At Big Sur’s
Post Ranch Inn, you’ll find that less is certainly more…
88 |
A Final Detail
2
Issue 10
IN HOUSE
Live
5
Taking On Miami
Now in its 25th year, New York-based Clodagh Design remains one
of the world’s most prominent innovative design studios. The
eccentric and exceptionally talented Clodagh speaks with In House
about her design philosophy and gives us a sneak peek into her
plans for EAST, Miami.
Location: Miraval Spa
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Taking On Miami
Location: Landmarc Restaurant, New York City
N othing arouses an epiphany like a near-death experience.
Realising that life is too short after a year on her back following a bad
horse riding accident, 17 year-old Clodagh left high school, dropped
her last name and borrowed £400 from her mother to set up her own
company.
“What would you tell your 17 year-old self now?” I ask the multi-faceted
designer.
“Why didn’t you start earlier? What took you so long?” was her
response.
Clodagh likes to call herself a “generalist” designer, using a multitude
of disciplines, including interiors, graphics, product and landscape
design. She has an instinct that is untainted by societal norms and
textbook theories, which she channels to create spaces that manage
to both surprise but at the same time leave a warm sense of comfort
and familiarity.
“You are who you are wherever you are is my principal,” says Clodagh.
“For both hotels and homes, I address all the senses, including the
sixth sense, as there is a universality of desire for happiness, playfulness,
harmony, vitality, a sense of place, romance, and a feeling of community
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and connection. There is a musicality in design which can be interpreted
as chamber music for the guestrooms, cool jazz for bars, and a flourish
of grand opera for the public spaces.”
Clodagh’s designs focus on the creation of experiences and making
practicality, functionality and the flow of good energy a firm priority.
“Your first home is your body, which tends to override your brain on
arrival when travelling,” states the designer. “To make a hotel feel
personal, intimate and welcoming, I walk through the space in my
mind without plans or elevations or materials. I put on the shoes of a
traveller and then the support staff. By doing this I tap into what I feel
will be the desires of the guests, the wellbeing of the staff, the brand
of the hotel, or the demographic we are trying to capture.”
Clodagh’s unconventional approach to design has given character and
charisma to homes, hotels, spas and commercial spaces around the
world. She uses alternative methods to alter and enhance one's mood,
cognitive function and overall health and wellbeing, including
biophilia, the instinctive bond between human beings and other living
systems; Chromotherapy, otherwise known as colour therapy;
aromatherapy, which uses essential oils and other aromatic compounds;
and light therapy. She also incorporates subtle elements of feng shui
that are just enough to lift spirits and cultivate a sense of calm.
To me there’s no such thing as
an inanimate thing or place. All
matter is alive. It has a past a
present and a future.
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Taking On Miami
“Feng Shui informs our design. In itself, is not design. I often say that
if I were a doctor I would be in integrative medicine. The mission is
to create spaces that either throb with vitality such as the nightclub
‘Whiskey Blue’, or by contrast are as tranquil as a Zen garden in ‘Kyoto
Prosperity’ is a very important element in feng shui, so we are careful
to enhance the areas that relate to money. Not all our clients understand
it at first, but they always do by the end, often when it has proven itself
with the success of the project,” explains Clodagh, who believes that
growing up in Ireland – where her family lived in an old Victorian
home built by Oscar Wilde’s father, no less – a country rife with
superstitions and ghosts stories, and later listening to village lore in
Spain has made her a “magnet for anything paranormal”.
“I’m like a tuning fork. Good energy in a space will have me dancing
on the tables and the bad energy will have me running out of the door.
Over the years, in tandem with space healers, I’ve learned to cleanse
a space of all its accumulated bad energy. To me there’s no such thing
as an inanimate thing or place. All matter is alive. It has a past a present
and a future.”
Clodagh’s extensive list of projects has taken her to over 90 countries,
and travel and cultural experiences clearly have a heavy influence on
her design.“I often feel that my studio could be an annex of the United
Nations. We have architects and designers from a dozen countries,
and all of that shared experience enriches the ‘broth’ of our design.
When we reference another culture it has to feel totally authentic,”
she states. “Travel also enriches me both as a person and as a designer.
When I need a jolt of inspiration, travel is the best cure. I hop on a
plane like a dry sponge, and return like a wet one. The search for
authenticity always means delving deeply into indigenous symbolism,
architecture, lifestyle, language and local customs.”
Travel has also inspired Clodagh’s philanthropic projects, including
the Thorntree Project in northern Kenya. “Twelve years ago we started
to work to educate the children of the pastoral nomads - the Samburu
tribe whose families are mostly illiterate and coined the word
‘philanthropimania’ to describe our work there and in other countries.
The simplicity of their lives and the vivid colours of their jewellery
and robes have deeply inspired me.”
Amongst a profusion of fascinating and exciting projects, including
resort and restaurant projects from Brazil to Portugal, Clodagh is the
designer behind Swire Hotels’ latest venture, EAST, Miami. Due to
open its doors in 2015, the designer believes that the hotel will “redefine
the Miami Skyline and the city’s hospitality scene.”
“We share Swire Hotels’ passion for creating an exceptional experience.
The company’s empirical knowledge of the industry drives us to set
the bar high to exceed expectations.”
Believing that one can’t make a first impression twice, Clodagh pulls
out all the stops in EAST, Miami’s lobby. Suspended from the ceiling
is a great cluster of suspended burnished copper tubes, like an upturned
pipe organ, delivering water to a recessed reflecting pool below to
create a gentle sound sculpture while defining the bar area from the
reception.
A monumental steel tube wall stands behind the reception desk,
creating a playful experience of lenticular visual effects. Further afield,
a grand stone staircase made from laser-cut metal walls leads to the
ballroom, providing jaw-dropping views of the Miami skyline from
a catwalk crossing a 30-foot window.
Location: Miraval Spa, NYC Loft
“Guests will enter onto a wide artisanal stone floor with an inlaid rug
of great scale – and it’s low maintenance, which is an important part
of our practice,” reveals Clodagh. “The Lobby bar transforms seamlessly
from day to night, going from a lively bright coffee bar to a sexier
glamorous cocktail bar in the evening and finally turning into a grand
but quiet lantern during the closing hours.”
The understatedly elegant guestrooms at EAST, Miami evoke a different
feeling, with each element designed to make gestures of luxury and
space while making the rooms feel relaxing and intimate, and above
all, comfortable. Vertical wooden slat walls separate the bedroom and
bathroom areas, providing privacy, defining the gracious open feel of
the room and gorgeous views through floor-to-ceiling windows.
“We want guests to enjoy a necklace of beautiful experiences, while
feeling a sense of recognition that they have been here before. The
target is to create a harmonious whole so that people feel wellness and
vitality within the spaces without being necessarily aware of why. We
introduce “wow!” moments in the public spaces that are surprising
and unpredictable and “ahhh” moments that a guest will feel upon
entering their room - a sense that they are in a private sanctuary to
rest and revitalise,” says Clodagh, who hopes that each guest will be
inspired by a feeling of nostalgia to return again and again.
In the more than capable hands of Clodagh, we can surely anticipate
that EAST, Miami will be a place where everywhere you look and
everywhere you walk, there will be something beautiful and inspiring
to be discovered.
Location: Miraval Spa, NYC Loft
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IN HOUSE
Live
11
In The Making
Make Architects continues to bring its expertise in innovative
and sustainable design to the world, quietly reconstructing
skylines across Europe and more recently China. The awardwinning agency offers a view of its unorthodox approach to
the industry and a sneak peek into its plans for The Temple
House, Chengdu.
Location: The Montpellier Chapter, UK
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IN HOUSE
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In The Making
K en Shuttleworth, or ‘Ken the Pen’ as he was known in his early
years as an architecture student at the Leicester School of Architecture
for his impossibly fluid draftsmanship, knows a thing or two about
architecture.
Shuttleworth was, after all, one of the brains behind some of the world’s
most iconic buildings during his time at Foster and Partners, moving
to Hong Kong in 1979 to oversee the design and construction of the
iconic Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation’s headquarters,
before moving back to the UK in 1986 to work on such buildings as
the Carre d’Art in Nimes, Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok airport, London’s
Millennium Bridge, and 30 St Mary Axe, otherwise known as ‘The
Gherkin’.
But after 30 plus years at Foster and Partners, Shuttleworth decided
it was time for a change and left to establish his own company, Make
Architects, in 2004. “I watched Foster grow from 10 people to 500
people in 10 years and I looked on at the way the structure worked. It
was a limited company with pretty much all the shares in one pot and
I thought that was wrong,” Shuttleworth told online publication,
Building. “I felt it would be good to split the shares among everybody
and to give credit to people when they did a good job.”
This democratic approach, along with a carefully curated group of
architects and designers from internationally renowned practices
around the world, has proven to be a success not only in terms of
Make’s growth and development as a key player in the industry, but
also in sustaining the lives of its talented team of architects, with The
Sunday Times, a leading newspaper in the UK, naming Make one of
the ‘100 Best Small Companies to Work For’.
“We have a number of generous people initiatives and benefits which
have contributed to us being listed. As a 100 percent employee-owned
business, Make runs a profit share scheme through which the profit
of the business is distributed amongst all its staff,” explains Katy
Ghahremani, an architect and partner at Make. “Make has a flat
structure where creativity is not stifled by hierarchy. Everyone is a
partner, creating an egalitarian working environment with a united
sense of purpose and commitment. Our staff feel valued and have a
sense of ownership.”
In just 10 years, the thriving architectural firm has garnered an enviable
portfolio of high profile clients and projects, expanding its reach with
headquarters now in London, Hong Kong and Beijing.
Location: The Montpellier Chapter, UK
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IN HOUSE
15
In The Making
Location: Weihai Pavilion
Location: Rendering of The Temple House, Chengdu
“We have very high aspirations for our projects: to design the best
buildings and places in the world. We are committed to designing
spaces which are as striking and innovative as they are socially,
economically and environmentally responsible,” says Ghahremani.
The Temple House, due to open in the fourth quarter in 2014, will be
a part of Chengdu Daci Temple Cultural and Commercial Complex,
a large-scale mixed-use development in the city’s flourishing Jinjiang
district, forming part of a city government conservation scheme.
The firm’s extensive body of work to date includes luxury Cheltenham
hideaway The Montpellier Chapter, The University of Nottingham’s
energy-efficient Jubilee Campus and the award-winning Podium at
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. “Between us we had completed a
wide-ranging body of built work, therefore clients already knew that
we were capable of delivering projects covering many sectors, scales
and building types,” Ghahremani continues. “We were considered to
be a trusted pair of hands and were therefore able to build on these
existing relationships, as well as forge new ones.”
Offering a contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese design,
Make’s design for the new hotel embraces a typical Siheyuan or
‘courtyard house’ design. The hotel’s entrance is set in a beautifully
restored 100 year-old Chinese courtyard building first built in the
Qing Dynasty, whilst a sequence of courtyards and lush undulating
landscape are reminiscent of the terraced paddy fields of Sichuan’s
steep hillsides, linking them at ground and lower ground level.
With metropolises sprouting at record rates throughout China, Make
has begun to venture outside of the UK to take on various projects in
China, including the Weihai Pavilion, a contemporary exhibition
space on the picturesque northern coast of the Shandong Peninsula
and the highly anticipated The Temple House in Chengdu, the third
property from The House Collective by Swire Hotels, following The
Opposite House in Beijing and The Upper House in Hong Kong.
“The design of The Temple House is grounded in the history, traditions
and landscape of the Sichuan region. The restored heritage buildings
will allow the hotel to offer a completely unique experience and create
a strong sense of place,” Ghahremani enthuses.
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Although Chinese Emperors previously stayed at the thousand yearold Daci Temple, The Temple House evokes the understated luxury
of modest houses provided to scholars who once upon a time would
come from far and wide to study at the Temple.
“The Temple House is very different in design to both The Upper House
and The Opposite House, as each is completely unique. However, in
all the ‘Houses’ there is a recurring design theme of warmth and
intimacy. Each reflects the character of the city in which it is located
and has been carefully designed to become part of the local community.
With The Temple House we hope to achieve the same level of connection
and integration with local life in Chengdu,” concludes Ghahremani.
Watch this space…
Location: Weihai Pavilion
IN HOUSE
Live
17
City Dreams
There’s something special about Miami. It’s where the city
meets the sea and much of the urban side of things is the
work of renowned architectural firm, Arquitectonica, founded
in 1977, where else but in Coconut Grove.
Artist rendering of Brickell City Centre in Miami, courtesy of Swire Properties Inc.
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IN HOUSE
19
City Dreams
Buildings should express their moment in
history. Our task is to teach history to the next
generation through architecture that conveys
the values, creativity and craftsmanship of
our time.
B ernardo Fort-Brescia and Laurinda Spear are the ultimate power
couple if there ever was one. Since founding Arquitectonica together
in 1977, at the age of 24 no less, the pair has almost single-handedly
redefined the Miami skyline, watching the city evolve from a sleepy
resort town to a thriving global metropolis.
Today, Arquitectonica has designed buildings in over 60 countries,
their designs have won over 250 awards and have been featured in
over 5,000 national and international magazines. We add yet another
project to the list as we sit down with Fort-Brescia and Spear to discuss
projects past and present, including the new US$1.05 billion Brickell
City Centre, a mixed-use development in Miami’s waterfront Brickell
neighbourhood, in collaboration with Swire Properties.
In House: Miami provides a stunning backdrop – how do you
complement this with your buildings?
Laurinda Spear: Geography is the most powerful influence in design.
Miami's intertwining of water and land is like no other. The resultant
forms are like a painting. It’s difficult to design in competition with
such stunning nature and buildings are compelled to take advantage
of the beauty of the views. Spaces need to open up to absorb the setting.
In the end, simple pure forms are more compatible with nature than
complexity.
Laurinda Spear, FAIA, ASLA © Gary James
Spaces need to open up to absorb the setting.
In the end, simple pure forms are more
compatible with nature than complexity.
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IH: Bernard, which are some of your favourite cities in terms of
architecture?
Bernardo Fort-Brescia: I like so many places so I have a tough time
selecting just one. In general, I like dense cities that are abruptly
interrupted by large green spaces. I love Paris with prejudice, because
of my French ancestry. I adore the boulevards and the sudden
integration of the Bois de Boulogne or the Jardin du Luxembourg.
Lima, because I grew up there and know its great secret places and I
lived across from a park with an Inca pyramid in it. San Francisco,
because of the views of the Bay from the hilly streets, the contrast of
its relentless grid and the coastline. Rio, because of its crescent-shaped
harbour and the Pão de Acucar. Hong Kong because of its energy and
its green hills right in the middle of it all. Venice because I love water
next to buildings. And of course, Miami, for many reasons.
IH: What is the key to designing a building that will outlive
architectural trends?
BF-B: Buildings should express their moment in history. One can
trace the history of Rome or London by walking past their buildings.
Our task is to teach history to the next generation through architecture
that conveys the values, creativity and craftsmanship of our time. In
doing so we need to choose what is good about our society and reflect
it whilst avoiding short-lived trends.
IH: With such a big team behind Arquitectonica today – what is
your day-to-day schedule as Principals?
BF-B: As the firm grew, we realised we didn’t go to architecture school
to spend time running a firm. Design is our passion, so we brought
in a CEO to run the business and free ourselves up to focus on design.
So our day to day is essentially design time, in a workshop atmosphere
with our team of designers. We do spend time with clients because
we need to get to know them, understand their objectives, and listen
to their thoughts. We set aside time to present our projects because
usually the person who designed each one can explain it best. We like
to hear reactions too as all artists like to know what others think of
their work, but 90 percent of our time is spent designing.
IH: What are some major changes in the industry you have seen
since you started in 1977?
LS: The biggest change was the arrival of visualisation tools through
computers. Architects have ideas in their heads that get translated
through drawings to real buildings. Computers allow us to see the
ideas faster and to communicate them to our clients. The other big
change is the ability to send images electronically and instantly to our
clients and colleagues anywhere in the world. When we started, we
remember travelling from Miami to Hong Kong with tubes filled with
drawings. Today the drawings are sent electronically and we can
check progress and send comments on stopovers (or while on vacation).
This happens daily, hourly at the office, at home, on the boat, on a ski
slope. Speed and accuracy have been a revolution and have allowed
our firm to expand globally and enjoy a better quality of life, contrary
to conventional wisdom.
IH: How has being in the industry for so long benefitted or hindered
you as architects?
BF-B: We started our practice when we were both 24. We built our
first 42-storey building by age 26. So we learned to turn our ideas into
real buildings very early in our careers. That can only be an advantage.
The disadvantage is that some people know our portfolio and expect
certain solutions that already worked well and want them again.
Instead we are always looking at new solutions so there are bound to
be surprises.
IH: What’s the secret to being happily married while running a
wildly successful architectural firm together?
LS: Everyone knows the full time dedication this field requires. Luckily
we both share the same passion for architecture and landscape
architecture, so we understand when the other one needs to work late
on a deadline or travel to visit an overseas site. We still managed to
raise our six children and two of them now work with us.
Bernardo Fort-Brescia, FAIA
Image: Courtesy Arquitectonica
IN HOUSE
21
City Dreams
IH: Why did you champion Arquitectonica’s movement to diversify
from pure architecture?
LS: We quickly realised the interdependence of the design professions.
We introduced landscape architecture into the firm to ensure the
coherence of buildings and their surroundings. I also looked at the
spaces within our buildings as finished spaces ready to be lived in. So
we started an interior design and industrial design group. Laurinda
Spear Products creates designs of over 150 types of home products for
some of the leading manufacturers. They range from furniture and
fabrics to wallpaper, door hardware, light fixtures, bus stops and street
furniture.
IH: Where do you turn if you get stuck in a creative rut?
BF-B: When that happens we know it’s time to go fishing with friends
in the Bahamas, surfing with our boys in Bali or Biarritz, or taking
our granddaughter to Paris. There’s always something that can switch
you off and on and generally, it involves our children.
IH: What were some important considerations when planning
Brickell City Centre?
BF-B: The most important consideration was to ensure Brickell City
Centre fitted into the city fabric. The area encompasses five city blocks
in the heart of the most active area of Miami. The design calls for the
city streets to continue flowing through and pedestrian bridges which
connect the blocks. Brickell City Centre is a city within a city. It has
shops, restaurants, theatres, hotels, offices, service apartments and a
wellness centre all stacked vertically and horizontally. A sustainable
canopy, called the CLIMATE RIBBON™, is a floating surface that
protects the internal streets from rain, directs sunlight and channels
the breezes of the Caribbean into a tropical environment of people
and vegetation. It will become the meeting place of Miami.
IH: You have worked closely with Swire Properties for many years.
Can you tell us more about that relationship?
LS: We started working with Swire Properties in 1993 when we were
asked to design Festival Walk in Kowloon. It was our first encounter
with crowd management as we learned about the effect of two train
stations meeting at a seven-level shopping centre with offices above.
Since then, we have worked with Swire without pause. Our most recent
completed work is Taikoo Hui in Guangzhou, a mixed-use complex
of shops, offices and a five-star hotel. Working with Swire is not only
about working with great professionals, it’s also about working with
caring people who at every turn are thinking about the experience of
the building’s users. Having worked for so long together, we understand
each other, share values and work ethic. This makes teamwork natural.
Dense plantings at various heights provide ambiance and a feeling of shelter, yet allow sense of security and ease of orientation.
Image: Courtesy of Swire Properties Inc.
IH: You’ve done some iconic art centres and museums, what draws
these commissions and how do they compare to creating commercial
buildings?
LS: We like the diversity. Yes, we have done performing arts centres,
museums, arenas, and courthouses and we enjoy designing them.
These buildings symbolise our civic institutions and serve the public.
On the other hand, our residential towers, hotels, shopping centres
and office buildings keep us in touch with the daily life of the majority
of society, the people that live, work and entertain in buildings. These
private sector projects form a large portion of our practice and allow
us to touch the lives of so many people.
IH: What would you say is Arquitectonica’s signature style, if it has
one?
BF-B: Our style is about avoiding one. We try to see every project as
a new beginning in our career. We rethink our assumptions every
time and design with an open mind. We hope we are not seen as a
style. Some people think our work is about graphic clarity, others
about sensuality, some about purity of form, and others about metaphor.
We encourage any interpretation and we don’t mind any of them.
20
IH: Glass is a very prominent material used it nearly all of
Arquitectonica’s projects – why glass?
BF-B: Actually glass is not always the dominant material in our work;
however in many cases it is the right material. It allows connection
with the outdoors, it opens spaces to views, and it maximises daylight,
an essential tenet of sustainability. It is in fact one of the most
sustainable materials by virtue of its endless supply of its raw material.
Technology has advanced glass energy values to new levels.
IH: Laurinda, as a former teacher at Harvard, what solid advice did
you always give your students?
LS: As a teacher I can only tell students to be true to their ideals. I
don't promote anything specific, only to think big because there is a
place for everything and for everyone.
IH: Are you more optimistic or concerned for the future of
architecture and where it’s headed?
BF-B: History has proven that man always finds a way to make things
better. So I am not worried about where architecture is headed; the
good nature of man has always prevailed.
Photo of the completed Third floor roof garden, with large trees and curved awning shading the dining area. Elegant walkways provide opportunities for strolling or sitting in the
midst of the city. © Jonathan Leijonhufvud 2012, All Rights Reserved
IN HOUSE
Create
23
In Fine Form
Designed to resonate with Hong Kong’s dense urban conditions,
acclaimed British sculptor Sir Antony Gormley’s experiential exhibition
‘States and Conditions’ transformed White Cube Gallery into a
physiological testing ground that confronted the relationship between
our inner state and the condition of our external environment.
“H ong Kong is a very good place to think about the human habitat. Why has our
species chosen to concentrate itself in these high density environments, and what does that
tell us about our relationship to our fellow humans?” ponders British sculptor Sir Antony
Gormley, who credits the SAR as the inspiration for his exhibition ‘States and Conditions’
recently held at Hong Kong’s White Cube Gallery.
“The production of these spaces is due to the industrialisation of habitat. Most of them conform
to the way that materials are processed and how they can be transported. They are actually
more to do with the convenience of production as opposed to human need. In pre-industrial,
pre-modern societies, there were hardly any straight lines. The industrialisation of our habitat
has happened very rapidly over the last 150 years. I guess I’m asking what the effect of that is,
what does it make us feel, and how alienated do we become as a result of these processes?”
22
IN HOUSE
25
In Fine Form
‘States and Conditions’ is the antithesis of a conventional exhibition.
Rather than filling the gallery’s walls with visually pleasing objets
d’art with the intent to sell, Gormley transformed the gallery space
into an experiential testing ground, with the hope that viewers would
then go out onto the street and look at their environment in a different
way.
“I hope that by taking the physical space of the gallery as the primary
material and catalyzing it through these inert objects, which, as I was
suggesting, have their own logic of construction, somehow alters the
way a viewer passes through these built spaces, and making that
experience the subject and the purpose of the exhibition.”
It is the viewer's movement through the
coordinates of the space of the gallery that
is the real subject. It is what is happening
within the viewer, not the objects in the
gallery.
A total of 11sculptures, including six new works created specially for
the exhibition, were placed tactically throughout the gallery, including
in its stairways and narrow passages. ‘Ease’ (2012), a collapsed
blockwork resembling a resting body, blocked the main entrance of
the gallery, while more linear works, like abstract steel sculptures
‘Secure’ (2012) and ‘Transfer’ (2011), were installed in the middle of
the gallery’s upper corridor and library.
Serving the purpose of an obstruction, ‘Secure’ and ‘Transfer’
deliberately interfered with the traditional order of the gallery space,
creating a sort of minimalist ‘fun house’ that encouraged awareness
in viewers of their position in space and time.
24
IN HOUSE
27
In Fine Form
Gormley, who is widely recognised for his iconic piece ‘Angel of The
North’, a 20 metre (66 foot) tall steel sculpture of an angel, with wings
measuring 54 metres (177 feet) in Gateshead, England, is no stranger
to producing behemoth sculptures. His piece de resistance of ‘States
and Conditions’ is ‘Murmur’, a multiple ‘space frame’ constructed of
stained stainless steel tubes, which took up the entire lower floor of
White Cube. The artist encouraged viewers to enter the structure, and
ponder the idea of objects of power and the power of objects, to allow
for deep self-reflection.
“In my view openings are the best way to ignore art. The whole principle
is to use a show as a space and if there are bodies all over the place it
doesn’t work as well. It is the viewer's movement through the coordinates
of the space of the gallery that is the real subject. It is what is happening
within the viewer, not the objects in the gallery,” Gormley explains.
“We have the space, we have the object and then we have the viewer.
The viewer has the freedom of movement, thought and feeling so the
idea was to make these conceptual spaces into some kind of
psychological and sociological testing grounds.”
All of Gormley’s work acts, in some way, as instruments for the
perception and awareness of space, time, and come from a captured
moment of highly intense conscious being.
26
In his essay ‘Sculpture of Mindfulness’, Gormley, a practising and
devout Buddhist, writes that “primarily the practice of meditation,
but also the artefacts associated with the thought field of Buddhism
- has influenced me. It was Buddhism, rather than the western canon,
which gave me the idea of the abstract body. It gave me the idea that
you can make sculpture about being rather than doing.”
With no active protagonist and no obvious narrative to portray his
story or intentions, the quiet genius of Gormley’s work allows viewers
the opportunity for internal exploration while acting as, in his own
words, “a very positive catalyst for somehow being in the world more
effectively.”
“You like the word ‘catalyst’ don’t you?” I ask Gormley, taking note
of its frequent use throughout his artist talk.
“I like the word because a catalyst doesn’t do anything. It doesn’t
change itself; it affects change,” he responds. “It’s an inert chemical
that causes the conditions around it to change and I think that’s exactly
what art can be. You can choose to ignore it, in fact you can refuse to
use it, but it’s there waiting for those who can.”
IN HOUSE
Envision
29
T he textile industry is one of the world’s biggest culprits in terms
of pollution, drawing heavily from natural resources such as oil and
water, and using vast amounts of chemicals which create toxic carbon
dioxide emissions and produce millions of tons of fabric, much of
which goes to waste each year. According to the China Association of
Resource Comprehensive Utilization (2013), in the PRC alone, the
annual production of pre- and post-consumer waste is estimated to
be more than 20 million tonnes.
“The need for designers to be more aware of sustainability, and in our
case, textile waste issues, is very important,” says Christina Dean of
Redress, a non-government organisation based in Hong Kong that
promotes environmental sustainability in the fashion industry by
helping to reduce the aforementioned problems.
Waste Not
Images: Tim Wong
Location: The Upper House
In Line with its commitment to sustainability, The
Upper House partnered with Hong Kong-based NGO
Redress to promote sustainability in Asia’s fashion
industry and support eco-conscious designers
through their EcoChic Design Award 2013.
28
In 2011, Redress launched The EcoChic Design Award, encouraging
and inspiring emerging fashion designers to create mainstream clothing
with minimal textile waste.
Just two years later, in 2013, The EcoChic Design Award proved so
successful it branched from its Hong Kong roots, attracting aspiring
designers from all over the world. Contestants from Mainland China,
Taiwan, Singapore, UK, France, Belgium and Germany made their
way to Hong Kong, where their accommodation was generously
sponsored by The Upper House, to take part in the competition.
More than just a competition, Redress takes its finalists on an
enlightening and educational journey, providing information,
resources, online tutorial videos and lectures over the competition’s
nine-month period to provide contestants with the tools and knowledge
to improve, change and revolutionise the future of fashion.
When it comes to game time, The EcoChic Design Award contestants
are challenged to use one or more of the sustainable design techniques
- zero-waste, up-cycling and reconstruction. Finalists are then selected
first by a local, and then international, judging panel where they are
marked against different categories including creativity, originality,
sustainability and marketability, in order to make it through to the
grand final.
“Designers must go through the process of sourcing their own textile
waste. This further opens their eyes and minds to the levels of waste
in the industry and, more importantly, it encourages them to forge
new techniques and relationships with manufacturers, brands and
suppliers to source textile waste,” says Dean. “We hope that many
designers walk away with a heightened understanding of the issues
and the knowledge to be part of the solution.”
“It must be clear to everyone that raw materials are becoming
increasingly scarce and that things cannot go on like this. It is the task
of the designers to think about new ways of production and distribution.
The change starts with us designers thinking and creating in a different
way,” says Karen Jessen, whose reconstructed futuristic-meets-tribal
designs earned her the winning title in the 2013 EcoChic Design
Awards.
IN HOUSE
31
Waste Not
Jessen, whose parents run an environmentally friendly youth hostel,
is no stranger to eco-friendly living. In 2012, she and two friends
founded her brand ‘Benu Berlin’, which sources the majority of its
materials from second-hand stores.
“I have built up a small fan base that provides me with worn jeans, I
also work with remnants from the clothing industry,” Jessen explains.
“Sustainability has always been an important part of my life and my
education. For my Diploma collection in 2012 I created artworks out
of t-shirts, jeans and leather couches for the first time. Titled ‘8 Acts
of Rebellion’, this set an example for a better alternative to consumption
and mass production, and built the foundation that ‘Benu Berlin’ is
working on now.”
As the winner of Redress’ The EcoChic Design Award 2013, Jessen is
now working with Esprit to create a capsule collection, which will be
in stores in August 2014. “Esprit uses textile waste from its own
production to create new fabrics. My task is to make these materials
into new shapes that go with the Esprit brand identity,” she says, also
revealing that her designs will include a range of denims and jerseys
all made from recycled materials.
The effects of denim production were a strong focus amongst
contestants, particularly for Hong Kong native Alex Law, who is
passionate about informing the public about “the dirty secret” behind
jeans. “Everyone has a pair of jeans but few are aware of the immense
environmental impacts of denim production. A lot of heavy metals
and chemicals are used to dye denim, which damages the environment
and affects human health, he says. “However, denim is a durable,
heavy-duty fabric that is perfect for recycling and reconstruction. For
this reason, I think denim should be a prime focus when designing
sustainable fashion.”
30
For Law, it was growing up in fast-paced Hong Kong where trends are
constantly changing and evolving, and witnessing people growing
tired of and throwing out garments after only a few wears, that led
him to focus on the need for sustainable fashion. Currently, he sources
materials for his designs from his college (the Hong Kong Design
Institute), a jeans manufacturing factory and unwanted hand- downs
from his friends.
“If the second-hand shops in Hong Kong can provide a wide selection
of high quality clothing for consumers to choose from, wearing secondhand garments will become more appealing and consumers will begin
to change their mindset,” says Law, who hopes that Hong Kong will
soon follow in the footsteps of Europe and Japan where second-hand
clothing has been popular for decades.
Although there can only be one winner of The EcoChic Design Award,
none of the contestants walked away empty handed. All semi-finalists
and finalists left the competition with career boosting prizes, from
books about sustainable fashion through to mentorships. Louise de
Testa, second place winner in the 2013 EcoChic Design Award, was
invited by London Fashion Week’s Estethica curator (and the
competition’s judge), Orsola de Castro, to join Estethica as a ‘new
talent’ for2013 after meeting her at the competition grand final.
With people around the world becoming increasingly eco savvy in
terms of the food, cosmetics and travel industries, sustainable fashion
seems like a natural progression. Going green is definitely the new
black.
IN HOUSE
Waste Not
32
33
IN HOUSE
Waste Not
34
35
IN HOUSE
Converse
37
A Certain Aesthetic
Following an intimate fireside event in honour of Matthew Williamson at The Upper House’s
Sky Lounge, the British designer extraordinaire spoke exclusively with In House Magazine
about his Spring/Summer 2014 collection, a bright and breezy range which captures the spirit
of where it all began – Williamson’s first ever show in 1997.
My girl is growing up. She is no longer on a perennial vacation. She is the
same free spirit inside but, like the rest of us, is maturing.
In House: In a 2010 interview you said that your five-year plan
included “striving for more of a balance” – four years down the
track, is this the case? What’s your way of staying balanced with
such a demanding career?
Matthew Williamson: I find it incredibly difficult to switch off; my
mind is constantly whirring even if I’m not in the studio. Finding
balance is something you work at constantly and over the years I’ve
learned that sometimes you just need to trust in the people you work
with and make sure to take time out every now and then to refresh.
IH: What happens in “a day in the life” of Matthew Williamson?
MW: I’m quite organised and tend to like routine when I’m in the
midst of working on a collection. I’m usually up by 7am and start each
day with a strong cup of coffee whilst checking emails and my schedule
for the day. I work off lists and write down all the tasks I need to stay
on top of. I don’t take much time to get ready and am normally in the
studio by 10.
We have a team of around 50 people working in our Mayfair studio.
I like being involved and up-to-date on each project so I’ll spend much
of the day meeting with different departments. Depending where we
are in the season, I might work on sketching ideas for the season ahead,
or if samples have started coming through we spend the afternoon in
fittings.
There is always something to do in London, and I tend to have an
industry engagement on most evenings. If I happen to have a free night
I love relaxing at home with friends over a home-cooked meal. I’ll
check my emails again and make my to-do list for the next day before
heading to bed.
Location: The Sky Lounge, The Upper House
M y girl is growing up. She is no longer on a perennial
vacation. She is the same free spirit inside but, like the rest of us,
maturing," says Williamson, who was in Hong Kong to take part in
The Upper House's Up Close With series, an invitation-only 90-minute
fireside chat in the Sky Lounge with leaders and thinkers from the
worlds of art, design, music, fashion, travel and more.
Williamson has been a firm favourite at London Fashion Week since,
and his charming, unapologetically pretty designs that have earned
him the loyalty of celebrity style icons such as Sienna Miller, Olivia
Palermo and Paloma Faith.
36
And though his latest collection does indeed stay true to his signature
‘modern bohème’ aesthetic, Williamson elevates it with more refined
tailoring, intricate embroidery and fresh take on classic summer-inLondon with flowing sheer fabrics held together with flattering cinched
waists.
"I wanted to capture the spirit of the 1997 show and take a simplistic,
naive approach," Williamson told Vogue UK. "We asked how this
brand would look through the eyes of a child."
IH: Having been in fashion for 16 years, in what ways have you
grown as a designer? And in what ways do you think you’re still the
same person as when you started?
MW: I have always been clear about the message I wanted to convey
in my designs and continue to be drawn to a certain free-spirited and
undone glamour which continues to inspire my collections. I’m still
learning new things, but the last 16 years have certainly taught me
how to refine my message as a designer and also to work on developing
and maintaining a viable business.
IH: You seem to have an affinity for style that is slightly undone –
from the models you choose to your boho-chic designs – what draws
you to this aesthetic?
MW: I grew up in the 70s and was inspired by women like Talitha
Getty. There is a certain sense of optimism, glamour and exuberance
I associate with the period of time that has always appealed to me.
IH: What have been some key highlights of your career as a designer?
MW: There have been many, but the one which perhaps stands out
the most was the opening of my store in Mayfair because it was a
realisation of a childhood dream.
IH: You recently launched an interiors line. How does designing
wallpaper and home décor compare to designing clothes and
accessories and what made you want to venture into interiors?
MW: I have always been interested in interior design so the collaboration
with Osborne & Little developed in a very organic way. The ‘Eden’
collection takes my signature aesthetic and pairs it with Osborne &
Little’s expertise in wallpaper and furnishing fabric production.
The use of colour and textures is perhaps the feature which most closely
mirrors my fashion collections. Some prints were inspired by past
runway designs. ‘Sunbird’ for instance was inspired by the print from
my Spring/Summer ’04 ‘Flamingo Bay’ collection, however others
designs are less literal and reference my design DNA and inspirations
as a whole.
IH: What advice would you have for women who are afraid to wear
colour? Is there such thing as too much colour?
MW: Take small steps by incorporating colour with your accessories
- a bright necklace, clutch or shoes is a simple way to incorporate it
into your wardrobe. I tend to like two or three colours in an outfit and
often like playing with the contrast between warm and cool hues which
I might mediate with a neutral shade.
IH: What is the sexiest thing a woman can wear?
MW: Confidence. I think we’re always drawn to the woman in the
room who is having the most fun and is not afraid to be the centre of
attention.
IH: You have been quoted as saying you are “such a cliché” – what
did you mean by that?
MW: People often have preconceived notions as to how they see my
collections and me as a designer. However, it can be incredibly
frustrating because people find it difficult to look beyond those
preconceptions. On the other hand I’m very conscious that I have
never really designed according to trends, but instead try to create
pieces which I hope can be worn for years to come - things you can
treasure. I have always been drawn to certain aesthetics and themescolour, print, embellishment and exoticism for instance. These have
naturally found their way into my collections in some form or another,
though the inspirations each season are different.
IH: Do you have a routine before you put on a fashion show?
MW: I like to take a few minutes to calm my mind before the show,
and a glass of champagne also helps…
IN HOUSE
Luxuriate
39
An Upward Journey
Jacket by Ann Demeulemeester at Lane Crawford; skirt by Versace; ring by Cushla Geary- Sayetatt;
hat and veil stylist’s own
38
Photographer: Tim Moldenhauer
Art Direction: Ann Tsang
Stylist: Yasmin Tsang
Makeup: Karen Yiu
Hairstyling: Dennis Tsui @ A Ten Studio
Models: Alina T. @ Model Genesis, Iryna Tkach
Location: The Upper House
IN HOUSE
41
An Upward Journey
Dress by Melissa Bui; shoes by Roger Vivier
40
IN HOUSE
An Upward Journey
Coat, jacket and pants by Dior
42
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Jacket, top and skirt by Versace; shoes by Hermes
IN HOUSE
An Upward Journey
45
Coat dress and gloves by Dior
44
IN HOUSE
An Upward Journey
47
Dress by Ann Demeulemeester at Lane Crawford; bracelet by Y Paris
46
IN HOUSE
49
An Upward Journey
Dress by Melissa Bui; shoes by Roger Vivier
48
Jacket and pants by Hermes; shoes by Dior
IN HOUSE
Listen
51
Take It Outside
Image: Charles Pertwee The Upper House has perfected the art of
bringing music to the masses with its
understatedly elegant sessions on The Lawn.
This spring, London rock band The Darling Buds,
led by ‘Twilight’ actor Jamie Campbell Bower,
serenaded the crowd to raise funds for FilmAid
Asia.
Tristan Marmont, Jamie Campbell Bower and Dan Smith of The Darling Buds
Location: The Upper House
50
IN HOUSE
53
Take It Outside
Location: The Lawn, The Upper House
Off camera, Campbell Bower is quite the music buff, and says one
thing that he must carry with him on the road is “a good set of
headphones.”
The Darling Buds’ edgy pop-rock sound is a reflection of Campbell
Bower and his band mates’ broad and eclectic musical influences.
From heavy indie rock bands like Asking Alexander and Bring Me
The Horizon, and alternative rock bands The Naked and Famous and
The Joy Formidable, to folk classics such as Bob Dylan and Woody
Guthrie.
Location: The Lawn, The Upper House
I f there is anything that is sure in this world, it’s that nothing gets
a young girl’s heart racing like a British boy with a guitar and a cheeky
smile.
Enter London rock band The Darling Buds, led by actor, musician and
recent face of Burberry, Jamie Campbell Bower. Campbell Bower is
better known for his quirky acting roles including Anthony Hope in
Tim Burton’s gothic musical ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of
Fleet Street’, Caius in the ‘Twilight’ saga and more recently, as Jace
Wayland in ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’, the first film
born from the wildly successful six-book series by American author
Cassandra Clare.
52
In support of FilmAid, for which Campbell Bower is an ambassador,
The Darling Buds performed a live acoustic set on The Lawn at The
Upper House, with all proceeds going towards the not-for-profit charity
which empowers refugees in the region through the art of film.
“I’m passionate about charity work where I can make a difference, so
when FilmAid asked me to join them in a more official capacity I was
happy to help out,” says Campbell Bower. “This is my second year on
FilmAid’s Global Artists Council and we will be working together on
its various Asia programmes which in the past have included films on
landmine awareness and water sanitation.”
The soiree took place on a chilly Friday evening and, after a long week
at the office, I was more than pleased to be welcomed with a glass of
bubbly. The wonderful team at The Upper House made sure no guests
went thirsty, offering free flowing champagne and Jax Coco coconut
water (a more responsible option for The Darling Buds’ many teenage
fans) throughout the event.
After allowing the crowd some time to mingle and gather, Campbell
Bower and his band mates Tristan Marmont and Dan Smith came
out to set up, greeted with screams and squeals before the band opened
with their single ‘Better Man’.
“And every little step I take, and every single move I’ve ever made,
and even though my heart still aches, makes me a better man,” sings
Campbell Bower, and for a moment you forget that he is hot property
in Hollywood. Right now, he’s just a boy from London with a guitar
on his back, wind in his wispy shoulder length hair and a song to
sing.
Between songs, Campbell Bower entertained the small but enthusiastic
crowd with witty anecdotes, often poking a bit of fun at Marmont
and Smith’s expense, or just thinking out loud. “I love the city life,”
he muses. “My favourite thing about Hong Kong is the amazing food,
and there is shopping everywhere!”
The Lawn at The Upper House is truly like nowhere else in the city.
Outdoor space in Hong Kong is a luxury in itself, let alone outdoor
space like The Lawn which is green, tastefully designed and completely
private. Guests attending events on The Lawn are surrounded by walls
of creeping vines, while the subtle sparkle of tiki torches create an
enchanting setting after dusk.
There is always something heart warming and uniquely personal
about a live acoustic gig, and particularly one as intimate as what The
Darling Buds put on at The Upper House. No fancy light shows or
installations and not even a stage, but a slight partition between the
band and their fans. It was nothing more than pure, unadulterated
music in a cosy yet jaw-droppingly beautiful setting.
It was especially refreshing to see the delightfully simple set up of two
microphone stands, an amplifier and a wooden box to be used for
percussion.
All in all, it was a perfect way to welcome the weekend, and we can’t
wait for the next event at The Lawn.
IN HOUSE
Listen
55
Blurring Borders
Images: Charlie Toller A DJ, producer and master of all instruments, Bonobo’s ambient sounds take
audiences to places both strange and familiar, his brooding and seductive
tracks evoking feelings that flit from inspired to introspective to enthralled.
In House speaks with Bonobo about his latest album, ‘The North Borders’,
and how new technology has changed the way we listen.
I t’s dusk and what’s left of the sun bounces off a canyon of glass skyscrapers, setting a stunning
scene for Sunday Sessions a recurring exclusive invitation-only event in which The Upper House
invites international DJs and artists to perform in a chic, intimate setting on The Lawn. Champagne
glasses in hand, people look up and wave as a flying GoPro drone whizzes over to capture what is
essentially a playpen for adults here in the heart of Admiralty.
They’re all here for Bonobo who, behind the decks, seems somewhat oblivious to the heaving crowds
surrounding him, only raising his head occasionally to let out a smile – acknowledging he’s doing
something right, that he’s getting the crowd going, and then he disappears back into the zone.
“It was a different vibe to my usual kind of gig. It wasn’t a loud sweaty club, it felt a bit more formal,”
recalls Bonobo (real name Simon Green). “I guess, because it was a more laid back atmosphere, I
was trying to keep the vibe more subdued than usual. It was a great opportunity to play some music
I wouldn’t usually play at a club. It was definitely more of a listening scenario. There wasn’t much
dancing apart from a girl down the front. She was really feeling it (laughs)!”
I meet with Green at Café Gray Deluxe a few days after the show. He’s been enjoying the rare luxury
of having a couple of days off catching up with friends. “I’ve eaten so much dim sum,” he says between
sips of Hendricks and tonic, “and sightseeing before hitting the road for a dizzying lineup of Summer
festivals around the world.”
“We have the Sonar Festival in Reykjavik, Iceland in a couple of weeks, then straight after that I’m
off to Sonar in Stockholm and Finland, and then we’re into a big European tour before Coachella,
Glastonbury, a big Central Park show in the summer in New York, and that’s just the tip of the
iceberg. The big one is going to be Ally Pally in London at the end of the year. It’s going to be sort of
the last North Borders tour.”
Green’s latest album ‘The North Borders’ moves away from the jazzy penchants of his past works,
making way for a more electronic aesthetic with heavier bass lines, and presenting Green’s musical
genius through a myriad of samples and sounds that have been chopped and mixed to create a rich,
intoxicating soundscape.
Location: The Upper House 54
IN HOUSE
57
Blurring Borders
IH: It’s not what you listen to but how you listen to it. Would you
care to elaborate?
B: The “what’s your influence?” question comes up in every single
interview, but it’s never as simple as just a list. It’s a constantly evolving
aesthetic. Whatever music or cultural art is passing through your life
is what you’re influenced by. It’s not like I’m striving to hit one specific
thing, your goal posts change all the time and what I was influenced
by three years ago is completely different to what I’m listening to now.
IH: And who are you listening to right now?
B: In terms of new people there’s Lapalux of Brainfeeder and Cut
Heads is really cool, really interesting stuff. There aren’t many people
that can keep your attention consistently over 10 years, but Photek is
one of them.
IH: Aside from ‘The North Borders’, you also released a mix album,
‘Late Night Tales’. What do you like about making mixes versus
albums and vice versa?
B: ‘Late Night Tales’ is different to regular DJ mixes as it’s more a
reflection of what I’ve listened to in the last 15 to 20 years. Essentially
it’s a curated selection of music from the entire spectrum of the past.
I wanted to have a few recurring points in there, so one of them was
solo piano music which is something that is key to a lot of my music.
Bill Evans, Matthew Borne, and a few others, then there’s a bit more
psychedelic jazz and how that connects into beats music, a kind of
join the dots from sample culture into groove and jazz, especially
spiritual artists like Dorothy Ashby, how that connects into now. The
idea is just to tie all those things together which maybe I did, maybe
I didn’t. But I’m really happy with it.
IH: Do you still play all your instruments?
B: I play a lot of instruments. The last record was a two-part process,
I write orchestral arrangements then actually go in the studio with a
string quartet and a horn section and a wood section. Having been
on the road a lot, I’ve been forced to work more on my laptop now, so
I’m making beats with headphones on in the back of a tour bus, but
you know, I definitely prefer to be at home.
IH: Have you thought about doing scoring and soundtracks?
B: Hollywood is a very difficult scene to break into. I’d love to do it
and I have scored scenes in certain films, but in terms of getting into
that world, a lot of the attitude of music supervision in Hollywood
can be a bit close-minded. To them, there’s only one entity that makes
electronic music and that’s The Chemical Brothers, there is nothing
else, so you get the same repetitive uses; if it’s a nightclub scene, it’s
the same track by the Chemical Brothers every time. In terms of actual
soundtracking, yes I’d love to do it. I’ve been spending a bit of time
with Johnny Marr from The Smiths, working with Hans Zimmer, who
did all the playing on the ‘Inception’ soundtrack, so who knows what
the future holds?
Location: The Lawn, The Upper House
In House: If you had a song for every time you walked into a room,
what would it be?
Bonobo: Ooh… That’s a good one actually. Because every time I have
a live show, we actually do this with our team if we have a piano in
the dressing room. Everyone has a different tune; I think my one was
pretty jazzy. It would actually be a tune by Bill Conti. It’s not a big
rock & roll thing, it’s the end theme from ‘Rocky’; I think it was called
‘You Traitor’. It’s a big tune, very brassy. I actually played it for a friend
when he walked down the aisle at his wedding.
IH: ‘The North Borders’ is more electronic compared to the material
you have previously done, which has more live, jazzy elements…
B: I feel like it’s a sort of evolutionary thing. In 2013 I wanted to move
away from that jazzy down tempo style. I wanted to represent what
I’m excited about at the moment which is music more informed by
the London and UK-based scene. When I moved from London to
Brooklyn I felt a kind of fear of missing out, so I probably paid more
attention to what was happening in London than I did when I was
living there. I was listening to Rinse FM every day rather than once
a week and Boiler Room. I made a London record in New York.
IH: Do you think Brooklyn has influenced you in any way, other
than making you miss London?
B: I don’t think so because I don’t think music is as geographically
specific as it used to be. Back in the day, you would take a bag of white
labels to DJ in the US, play it to people on dub plates and they’d never
have heard it. But now because of Soundcloud, Boiler Room and the
Internet, you can play a record in Berlin and reach everyone in San
Francisco at the same time. It’s the same with music producers; there
are people in California making the same kind of acid techno track
as some kid in Romania.
It’s all a lot more connected as the Internet has kind of shrunk the
world. I don’t think Brooklyn has had a sound since the glory days of
hip-hop; pre-internet music was a lot more separate. It was more tribal.
Nothing can thrive on an underground level any more and people are
so quick to jump on the hype of something before it’s had the chance
to develop.
IH: What was it like to work with Erykah Badu on the track ‘Heaven
For The Sinner’ on ‘The North Borders’? You’d think she’d be more
fit for your jazzy sounds…
B: Yes… the track I gave her, she kind of went pretty wild with it. There
was a lot of editing to get to the point it was. She’s very deep into her
experimental phase and wants to be as out there as possible. So it was
more of a case of bringing her back to that classic Badu era. But you
know, it was an interesting process and we’ve become really good
friends through it; she’s come out on the road with me, done shows
and we just hang out. She’s got the same ideas about music and is super
cool. She came out to San Francisco with us and we did our track
together, as well as a 15-minute version of ‘Bag Lady’. It was amazing.
Location: The Lawn, The Upper House
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IN HOUSE
Indulge
59
A Natural Approach
Dr. Jackson’s formulations are rapidly becoming cult classics thanks to their
exotic all natural ingredients and the intense research behind them that goes
jungle deep…literally.
I think my ‘Eureka’ moment came when I was living in Sumba,
Indonesia many years ago, and learning how local people used natural
products for their primary health care,” says Dr. Simon Jackson. “I
remember being in a rainforest riding a Sumbanese horse bareback,
watching hornbills and parrots flying overhead, studying with
traditional healers and thinking ‘Yes! This is what I want to do with
my life.’”
Having studied pharmacognosy at King’s College in London, followed
by a post doctorate at the Royal Botanic gardens at Kew, Dr. Jackson
left the world of academia behind to spend over 22 years travelling to
remote tribes and villages around the world in search of ways to
revolutionise the way we care for our skin.
Learning from the likes of shamans in South America, healers in
Africa, age-old principles used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and
Ayurvedic medicine practitioners in India, Dr. Jackson seeks to heal
with his line of cosmeceutical products that combine nature’s gifts
with traditional methods that have withstood the test of time.
Passionate about sharing his findings and revelations, Dr. Jackson
recently collaborated with Café Gray Deluxe at The Upper House to
produce an exclusive afternoon tea menu featuring an array of organic
delicacies inspired by the brand’s philosophy and flavours that reflect
Dr. Jackson’s signature all-natural products including coconut
macarons, passionfruit cheesecake with baobab powder and a fruit
tartlet garnished with calendula petals, to name a few.
“Part of our philosophy here at Dr. Jackson’s HQ is about moderation,”
he states. “We like to encourage people to try different things but only
in small amounts; this goes for lifestyle and skin care advice too. A
little of what you fancy doesn’t do you any harm.”
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In House: How did you come to partner with The Upper House?
Simon Jackson: It was all down to serendipity. Our partners at NetA-Porter suggested that we launch our products in Asia at The Upper
House in Hong Kong, and came up with the great idea of doing a Dr.
Jackson’s inspired afternoon tea using some of the ingredients that we
use in our products. It ran for the whole month of March 2014 and I
must say, it went down incredibly well. It was so nice to see everyone
enjoying the afternoon tea and the Expedition Packs we created,
offering a sample of our products. It was a great success all round.
IH: For those who don't know, what are pharmacognosy principles?
SJ: It’s a discipline of pharmacy/medicine that specialises in traditional
healing methods, and drug advances from natural products. I use the
principles of pharmacognosy (the knowledge of medicinal plant
preparations and extracts) and phytochemistry (literally, ‘plant’
chemistry) in my cosmetic line. The application of pharmacognosy is
used to ensure the efficacy, high quality and viability of my ingredients
and medicinal plant and herbal products.
The principles of pharmacognosy dictate the approaches, methods
and issues related to quality control, herbal potency, and the principles
of extraction, synergy, and variability as they apply to the botanical
industry.
IH: Having learned from traditional healers - tell us about some of
the people you've met, where they're from and what their practices
are.
SJ: Most of my current work has been with African traditional healers,
and my products reflect this. We have been learning about amazing
ingredients like baobab oil - which is full of oleic acid - great for scars,
stretch marks and healing skin, and another plant called kigelia (which
I did my Doctorate on) used traditionally to give blemish free skin,
and brighten the skin of African tribeswomen. More recently though
I’m currently working on a project in Hong Kong with the University
of China HK, looking at Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and
how we can learn from the old formulations and bring them into
modern day China with proven scientific results.
IN HOUSE
61
A Natural Approach
IH: Tell us a bit more about your foundation the Natural Product
Community?
SJ: Following on from plant research funding by the United Nations
FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation) we developed a foundation
to carry on research into economically important plants. I like to call
them ‘Cinderella’ species - plants that have been overlooked for
whatever reason - and we are trying to show the phytochemical
importance of these species, either for cosmetics, foodstuffs or clinical
use. A percentage of after-tax profits goes back into the N.P.C,
continuing the research of medicinal plants.
IH: What measures do you take to ensure that the ingredients used
in Dr. Jackson’s are in fact organic, produced and grown ethically?
SJ: This is one of our key principles within Dr. Jackson’s Natural
Products. We aim to claim each ingredient as organic, and we like to
know the complete supply chain so we can be totally transparent with
the sustainability and work as an ethical brand.
IH: How have these practices been applied to the Dr. Jackson range?
SJ: We try to mimic the traditional way of harvesting and processing
as far as possible and use crude extracts of the plant material for our
formulations, as it’s the synergy of the multi-compound mixtures that
we feel give the best therapeutic effect, unlike the Western orthodox
approach which favours a single compound. For example the kigelia
plant is only harvested from the tree, not from the ground as it is easily
contaminated, plus we only process these fruits in the dark, as exposure
to sunlight biodegrades the active (photosensitive) ingredients. Then
we formulate it into creams and oils that consumers can use on their
skin.
IH: Where do you source ingredients?
SJ: We feel that knowing the source of our products right back to the
farmer who grew them assures us that each ingredient is going to be
effective and of high quality. It is then backed up with scientific testing
in the formulation process. Quality equals effectiveness.
We currently source from all over the world; we get licorice for our
teas from China and Spain, baobab and kigelia from South Africa,
and coconut oil from South East Asia. We have over 38 suppliers from
over 20 countries and we are always looking for more. It’s quite a
logistical challenge for my supply chain manager.
IH: What are one or two key pieces of advice you would give to
people who are curious about natural skincare products?
SJ: I would advise anybody who has not tried natural product cosmetics
before to place a focus on high quality. There are many products
claiming to be natural, but in fact contain very few, if any, natural
ingredients.
60
Most of our ingredients are harvested from the wild in rural
communities, and we are working towards Fair Wild Certification.
Currently our Coconut Melt is 100% organic and carries the Soil
Association mark of approval.
IH: What measures do you take to ensure that Dr. Jackson’s supports
indigenous tribes?
SJ: Again this is one of our key principles and we make every effort
to uphold it and support rural communities. We pay for the ingredients
to be harvested in the country of origin, but we also like to do the
initial processing in the country of origin as well to double the benefit
to the rural community. The results are then sent over to be formulated
and made in the UK.
Further still, profits from the products are put into our foundation,
the N.P.C., so we can work with new species, and academic research
institutions in the countries of origin.
I would also say not to use so many products. We have a principle in
pharmacognosy that you should never put more than say five or six
ingredients into a formulation; any more and they’ll start to cancel
each other out. If possible, use products with a small list of ingredients.
More ingredients does not mean higher quality. Less is more.
IH: What are some of the standout products in the Dr. Jackson
range?
SJ: My signature skin cream is a day moisturiser, which I personally
formulated - a process that took four years - to be a light moisturiser
with SPF20, so it’s perfect for using on a day to day basis. I formulated
it with baobab oil for moisturising, kigelia for giving a brightening
effect and blemish free skin, marula oil as a deep tissue moisturiser
and shea butter for its topical effect.
I have also just launched a new product exclusively on Net-A-Porter,
which is my 05 Face and Eye Essence. It’s a light eye serum with cooling
aloe, perfect for hot, tropical days but it also contains kigelia, which
is a natural skin tightener, making it great for around the eyes, especially
if you’re a little jet lagged.
These are my personal favourites, but I must admit everyone loves the
Coconut Melt. It’s a high quality organic coconut oil that has been
purified to give a higher quality product, perfect for lips, cuticles and
hair.
IN HOUSE
Indulge
63
IH: Many people understand the role of probiotics to aid digestion
and other internal functions, but what are the benefits of applying
them topically?
CV: So many challenges we face with our skin are due to cellular
inflammation and the effect this has, not only on the aging process,
but also on many skin conditions. Probiotic technology has the power
to reduce inflammation within the skin cells resulting in a deceleration
of the aging process, and in many cases, a dramatic improvement in
more serious skin conditions. Scientific studies proved that probiotics
balance the skin’s defence system, and can help to prevent accelerated
skin aging.
It was vital to me that the technology behind Aurelia was scientifically
proven, and I was thrilled to discover a naturally derived technology
to fit perfectly with Aurelia Skincare. The probiotics themselves use
immune modulatory glycoproteins from bifido bacteria to generate
targeted responses in the skin, balancing stress-damaged skin and
stabilising the skin’s defence system.
Back To Nature
Aurelia Probiotic Skincare recently hosted an afternoon tea at Café Gray Deluxe at The Upper House in Hong
Kong, introducing its line of products alongside a decadent menu of sweet and savoury treats, using organic
ingredients inspired by the brand’s unique, all natural formulations. Aurelia founder Claire Vero shares the
details of her journey.
T he world is slowly and steadily waking up to the myriad health
problems caused by a modern lifestyle and all the toxic chemicals we
are involuntarily exposed to, from pollution to undesirable preservatives
found in food and cosmetics.
testing and selecting the right blends of essential oils. “I decided to
launch Aurelia with a core capsule range of five key products which
complement each other perfectly and form a simple routine designed
to improve skin and tackle the challenges of aging.”
Enter Claire Vero, founder of Aurelia Probiotic Skincare, which
combines science and probiotic technology with ethically sourced
100% BioOrganic botanical formulations to heal, improve and maintain
naturally healthy skin.
Aurelia skincare takes us back to basics, using exotic ingredients
courtesy of Mother Nature, such as Hawaiian kukui oil and hibiscus
in Aurelia’s Cell Revitalise Rose Mask, both of which have been used
by ancient Hawaiian skin healers to promote anti-oxidant benefits,
and not a single trace of parabens, sulphates, GMOs or synthetic
fragrances. ‘No’ has never sounded so good.
Vero worked for nine years as a marketing director in the Global
Dermatology Centre of Excellence at one of the world’s leading global
pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare companies, GlaxoSmithKline.
Here, she took a leading role in launching evidence-based technology
into markets ,whilst identifying and considering the varying needs of
different skin types around the world.
Naturally, Vero encountered countless patients with skin concerns
that ranged from eczema to psoriasis to those simply seeking solutions
for dry skin, protection from the sun and, of course, ageing.
“It was clear to me that reducing inflammation of the skin and balancing
its defence system was critical to achieving and maintaining healthy,
youthful skin,” says Vero, who officially launched Aurelia in January
2013, after 18 months of research, technology development, formulation
62
In House: With so many skincare lines jumping on the organic
bandwagon, how do you ensure that Aurelia stays ahead of the game?
Claire Vero: It is not surprising that other brands are converting to
a greener way of treating skin, as so many women are now much more
wise to the ingredient lists that comprise so many well-known beauty
products. At Aurelia we are devoted to our philosophy of natural,
scientifically proven skincare that offers visible results from the first
use without the need for parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, silicones, and
so on. We are always pushing the boundaries of organic and natural
skincare and we want our customers to actually enjoy using their
anti-aging products by delivering luxury packaging and stunning
essential oil blends with high-end natural ingredients.
IH: How do you ensure that every ingredient is in fact bio-organic?
CV: The term 'bio-organic' encompasses the natural and ethically
sourced plant and flower botanicals used throughout Aurelia's probiotic
skincare range. These are also organically harvested in the majority
of cases, and we work closely with our suppliers to ensure the quality
and source of each and every ingredient we use can be verified.
IH: How do you find these ingredients?
CV: During a research trip I took to Southern Africa last year I found
myself trekking through remote forests and discovering unique
botanicals to add to our scientific technology. I learned so much from
watching the communities harvesting their crops of omega-rich baobab,
and saw how supporting these villages was changing lives.
At Aurelia we are passionate about responsible sourcing. We partner
with not-for-profit organisations that work on the ground to ensure
a sustainable supply of unique botanicals for our research and
development team. The ethics and organic practises are also reviewed
to determine the best source for us. We pay a fair trade price to the
communities that collect and harvest for us across the world in remote
areas, which dramatically improves their quality of life, helping to
provide additional income for food, schooling and housing. Wider
benefits are also being seen in the increasing biodiversity of these
regions; trees previously being cut down are now seen as valuable
commodities and are being protected.
IH: What are some of your best selling products and why?
CV: We are thrilled that all of our products have been received
amazingly well since January 2013, and we are particularly delighted
to have won awards for all five of the products we entered in the recently
published Ultimate Natural Beauty Bible. However the standout
favourites so far have been the Miracle Cleanser, Revitalise & Glow
Serum and Cell Repair Night Oil. The Miracle Cleanser has been
particularly successful due to the efficacy of the product itself; it
removes all make-up, daily grime and impurities and with the bamboo
muslin contained in the box the product rinses away perfectly without
the need for a toner. With an uplifting blend of essential oils, the
Miracle Cleanser quickly becomes addictive, and we have customers
regularly buying three pots at a time.
IH: How did Aurelia come to collaborate with The Upper House for
the Aurelia Afternoon Tea?
CV: It was an honour to be chosen by our luxury retail partner NETA-PORTER.COM for the collaboration with Hong Kong’s finest
boutique hotel, The Upper House. Following in Jo Malone and
Diptyque’s footsteps, we were so excited to take over the boutique
tearooms. World-renowned chef at Café Gray Deluxe, Gray Kunz,
created a bespoke afternoon tea menu inspired by our products and
natural, organic ingredients. The decadent menu included rosemary
infused focaccia, rose flavoured shortbread and chocolate jasmine tea
praline, not to mention classic scones with lavender infused honey
and homemade jams.
IH: How did these items reflect Aurelia’s philosophy and approach
to beauty?
CV: The items created for the sublime afternoon tea by Chef Kunz
perfectly mirrored Aurelia’s attention to detail by incorporating the
best of what nature has to offer with technical skill and an eye for
design. All of the delicious items featured as part of the afternoon tea
showcased a different element of the Aurelia skincare line. Our
approach to beauty is all about seeking perfection in natural skincare,
something that was reflected in the exquisitely made sweet and savoury
creations served during our successful collaboration.
IN HOUSE
Converse
65
Beautifully Balanced
Image: Oh Deer Production Location: The Sky Lounge, The Upper House
Nealy Fischer is a fitness and nutrition guru, mother and Founder of MAYYA Movement,
a tried and tested transformation for women in Hong Kong and beyond to reach their full
potential in health and wellness.
W hile the majority of us struggle to commit to a week without
carbohydrates or keep to a workout routine, Nealy Fischer has dedicated
her life’s work to founding MAYYA Movement.
In a nutshell, MAYYA Movement provides the necessary tools and
inspiration for women looking to lead healthier, happier and more
balanced lives in demanding cities such as Hong Kong and beyond.
Its bespoke approach to wellness brings A-list experts from around
the world to deliver comprehensive wellness experiences, products
and services straight to Hong Kong’s door.
In May 2014, MAYYA Movement brought world-renowned talent to
Hong Kong to take part in an enlightening edition of The Upper
House's Up Close With series, including Dr. Mark Hyman, an acclaimed
American author Founder of the UltraWellness Center, and Medical
Editor of the Huffington Post; and Lauren Zander, an inspiring Life
Coach and Founder of the Handel Method in New York.
In the 90-minute fireside chat, guests were given the opportunity to
take notes, ask their own questions and simply enjoy fun and
intellectually stimulating evening with the leading health and beauty
experts.
“I want to inspire women to lead healthier lives so that they can achieve
their potential and ultimately raise happy families,” says Fischer, who
is a busy and beautiful mother of four. “It’s not so simple for a woman
to navigate her wellness options, with such a vast array of conflicting
information about physical health, mental health, diet and exercise.
Hong Kong has seen a boom in the health and wellness industry in
the last decade, yet women continue to search for that elusive work/
life balance. They crave concrete advice and time saving solutions.
Nobody in this town has any time, but everyone wants to feel and be
well.”
In House: For those who don’t know, what is the MAYYA Movement
and why did you develop it?
Nealy Fischer: I founded MAYYA Movement to help more people
have access to, and even crave a healthy lifestyle. My aim is to make
health and wellness more enticing and offer a discerning audience
efficient and effective wellness solutions. MAYYA was born from my
passion to inspire others to increase the quality of their lives by taking
a 360 degree approach to their health.
IH: There are so many different approaches to health out there so
it’s easy for people to become confused or overwhelmed by which
might be the right one for them. How does the MAYYA Movement
fit in?
NF: I completely agree which is why MAYYA Movement was born.
We take a bespoke and highly curated approach and only work with
experts and methods that we believe are accessible, results oriented
and that lead to long lasting transformations. Essentially we filter
through the varying and often conflicting approaches to health and
present the ones that work.
64
IH: Tell us about a time in your life where you recognised a need
for transformation – and how did you see it through?
NF: I had a stillbirth midway through pregnancy a few years ago. It
was a wake up call to say the least, and I was faced with a burning
need to make some immediate and long term changes in life: transform
my body, change my perspective and heal my heart. I committed to
upgrading my diet and exercising regularly and effectively and in a
few months I was back in a body that I felt confident in again. I chose
to keep better company with others and myself so that I could live
more authentically. I finally stopped making excuses about my career
aspirations and launched MAYYA Movement in memory of the baby
we lost.
IH: What do you think is the key to happiness and balance in a
demanding city like Hong Kong?
NF: Find authentic friends and be one yourself. Schedule exercise
sessions in the same way you schedule meetings. Shop online and have
healthy foods delivered to your doorstep. Be selective when eating out
and ask for fresh salads and proteins everywhere. Find time once a
week to self-reflect somewhere away from the crowds. And finally,
travel often!
IH: For those who are just beginning to improve their overall health
and spirituality, what are some basic or key ways to get started?
NF: We spend too much time working at computers. Start walking to
and from all of your appointments and you’ll benefit from the
cumulative effects of movement. Eat more vegetables, add in proteins
and fats, and splurge on treats just once a week. Join a gym or pay for
a workout or yoga class - the pain of wasting money is a good incentive
to show up. Go to bed earlier every night and wake up earlier every
morning. Read an inspiring book regularly. Spend three minutes a
day alone, with your eyes closed and breathe. Find one thing a day to
be grateful for.
IH: Where are some of your favourite places to shop for healthy
foods/ingredients in Hong Kong?
NF: I buy all of my supplements, nuts and herbs and dry gluten-free
ingredients on Iherb.com. Eatfresh.com delivers all of my fresh kale.
The wet market also has some surprising good imported fruits and
veggies.
IH: What are some staples you keep in your kitchen?
NF: Raw almonds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, coconut
oil, olive oil, Himalayan pink salt, gluten free tamari, almond flour,
almond butter, coconut flour, coconut nectar, quinoa, lemons, kale,
spinach, apples, carrots ginger, garlic, fresh coconuts and dark
chocolate.
IN HOUSE
Taste
67
Shades Of Gray
Good food has returned to the fold, with diners growing hungrier for quality food
that tugs at the heartstrings rather than just at their wallets. Chef Gray Kunz, with
four stars under his belt and hailed as “one of the world’s greatest chefs” by many,
shares what’s on the simple, sustainable and seasonal summer menu at Café Gray
Deluxe at The Upper House.
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IN HOUSE
69
Shades Of Gray
I n the organised chaos and methodical madness that is the kitchen
at Café Gray Deluxe, Chef Gray Kunz is experimenting with a fresh
delivery of plump butter beans. “In my mind I already have six different
things I can possibly do with them. What they will be at the end I
don’t’ know. It’s a funny thing to say, but I talk to the product. I’ll say
“what can I do with you, bean?” And people think I’m crazy but that’s
how I begin my process. For example in France they put a little drop
of hazelnut oil on top and a little broth, and a pinch of salt. It’s the
best thing in the world!” says Kunz, whose style of cooking combines
simple but standout ingredients with basic yet refined cooking
techniques to bring out flavours that beg the question, “Where have
you been all my life?”
“When you have a great piece of fish, you grill it and add lemon juice
and olive oil. That’s it. Period,” he continues. “I really love that style
of cooking, it will never go out of fashion. Café Gray Deluxe is not a
trendy restaurant; and it will never be. We want to be the fashion house
that sets the trends, not the one that follows.”
Café Gray Deluxe’ minimalist chic design by revered Hong Kong
architect Andre Fu offers an environment in the same way that Chef
Kunz approaches his food; enhancing what is already there to bring
out the very best of what it has to offer. Whether it be it the jaw-dropping
Hong Kong skyline, or a beautiful piece of fish at Café Gray Deluxe,
it’s about working with, not against, and letting the magic transpire
organically. “Every time you walk in, or at least every time I do, I feel
comfortable. It’s a happy restaurant. A good restaurant,” he says.
“What ingredients are you most excited about for summer?” I ask the
Chef who, in Spring, says he is still in the mindset of morels and
asparagus.
“I would love to do something with zucchini flowers, I haven’t done
that for a long time. I’m fantasising about this idea to do a crazy
ratatouille. To me, summer is about ratatouille with its beautiful
colours and flavours,” he says, his mind already halfway into the next
ingredient. “I also see lavender fields and honey so we’ll definitely do
something with those. Lavender and honey will probably come in the
form of an ice cream or gelato.”
To say Kunz is trying to tone down the menu for summer would be
the wrong thing to say, but rather to execute it in a much simpler way
that will allow the produce to speak for itself. “The most difficult dishes
to find are actually the simplest,” says the Chef, who reveals that his
famously refreshing tomato coulis is likely to make a return to Café
Gray Deluxe’s menu for summer. “We blend the best tomatoes we have
and put the coulis on ice so it’s really ice cold. The reason for that is
your taste buds change according to whether the ingredient is hot or
cold. Generally you have to over-season the product when it’s cold just
because there’s a little numbness going on in your mouth and the
warmth brings out the flavour. So we chill this coulis down, season it
with just salt, and add a little bit of pepper and sugar to take the acidity
away. It’s a good example of how simple the seasoning can be, as long
as you’ve got that wonderful, sun ripened tomato.”
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Kunz says his primary goal, however, is to focus on how Café Gray
Deluxe can forge even deeper into its sustainability efforts. The
restaurant continues to work closely together with the World Wildlife
Foundation (WWF), participating in its sustainable seafood programme
as it has for the past two years, and sourcing local produce where
possible from the growing number of organic farms in Hong Kong’s
New Territories.
“It doesn’t have to be mentioned on the menu. We do not need to
impress on the customers that it is sustainable or vegetarian or whatever.
It’s a given that we do that research,” says Kunz, who grows his own
garden of fresh produce in New York and is working on plans to start
a garden for The Upper House in the near future. “That’s my job. It’s
a very integral part of what I do and we want to translate it into the
food. By doing so, customers can rest assured that when they come
here, they will be contributing to the global environmental movements
that are happening right now. It’s a complete circle.”
As we wrap up, Kunz tells me to wait in the restaurant. Minutes later,
I’m presented with a bowl of butterbeans in a beautiful, slightly spicy
Mediterranean-inspired tomato sauce that is so light it borders on
being a broth, topped with a medley of fresh green herbs. It’s sensational.
And I don’t even like beans… at least not until now.
IN HOUSE
Taste
71
The Sky Has No Limits
This summer, Dragonair’s First and Business Class menus take on a sophisticated Mediterranean twist
through the airline’s latest collaboration with Sureño at The Opposite House in Beijing.
F or years, Dragonair has been collaborating with premier
restaurants in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei and Kaohsiung
to bring wonderful cuisines and delicacies from the ground up to the
skies for its passengers.
In its latest partnership, the airline is collaborating with The Opposite
House’s revered modern Mediterranean restaurant, Sureño. “We are
extremely delighted to collaborate with Sureño, one of the finest
restaurants in Beijing to offer its signature dishes to our passengers.
This is an innovative approach and will certainly elevate our passengers’
dining experience,” says Dane Cheng, Cathay Pacific and Dragonair
General Manager China.
The airline has long been admired for its expansive inflight dining
options, from its Asian Delight for Business travellers to its selection
of special meals to meet various dietary requirements including
vegetarian, fruitarian, low salt, low cholesterol, Kosher, Indian and
children’s meals, amongst many others made readily available to all
classes.
“We are aware that passenger tastes and lifestyles have changed in
recent years and that they would like to enjoy a wide range of delicious
menu choices on board. Hence we have been working hard to enhance
the inflight meal experience,” says Carina Leung, Catering Manager
- Planning, Policy & Standards for Dragonair. “We decided to choose
Sureño after the first round of tasting in January 2014. Sureño is rightly
renowned for its interpretation of real Mediterranean dishes that we
believe will bring an extraordinary experience to our passengers.”
A total of 25 dishes, including soups, appetisers and main courses
were introduced to Dragonair menus in May 2014 and will continue
to be served on flights from Beijing to Hong Kong until May 2015.
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The final selection of dishes includes meals inspired by cuisines from
Spain, Greece, Southern France and Italy. The menus feature some of
the Sureño’s signature dishes, including Braised Ossobuco with
Mushroom Risotto, Chicken Stew with Mushrooms and Fino Wine
Sauce, Caldereta De Pescado Soup, Teresa's Seafood Paella with Spanish
Saffron Rice, and Foie Gras Terrine, Fig Puree, Grilled Brioche in Port
Wine Balsamic.
“All ingredients are from local suppliers who can provide high quality
seasonal produce. Our chosen suppliers deliver the goods to inflight
kitchen on a regular basis to ensure the ingredients are in the finest
condition,” says Leung. “Dragonair’s flight kitchen is strictly monitored
to guarantee that the ingredients are from safe and reliable sources.
As a company standard, catering facilities comply with strict hygiene
requirements, where storage and handling of meals are carefully
controlled to maintain food quality for service on board.”
To ensure the restaurant’s integrity and to maintain the original taste
of the restaurant’s dishes, Sureño’s Chef Laia Pons Gonzales has worked
closely with Dragonair’s flight kitchen team, providing the correct
recipes, cooking methods and training necessary to provide high
quality inflight meals.
Already looking ahead, Dragonair reveals that another The Opposite
House restaurant, the recently opened Jing Yaa Tang by internationally
recognised restaurateur Alan Yau, will follow as its next inflight menu
collaborator. Peter Wynne, Area General Manager of Swire Hotels
Beijing is enthusiastic about the continued collaboration saying, “We
are looking forward to our next venture with Dragonair when we will
present Chinese cuisine through Jing Yaa Tang, a restaurant concept
with a menu extending to a wide range of dishes from various regions
across China, bringing dining in the air to even greater heights.”
IN HOUSE
Indulge
73
The Candy Craze
Tommy Palm is the Games Guru at King Digital Entertainment, the
company behind the game that had everyone on the edge of their
seats – and on their phones – Candy Crush. He talks to In House
about the phenomenon that is the Candy Crush Saga, the new hit
game Farm Heroes Saga, and the future of mobile gaming.
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IN HOUSE
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The Candy Craze
W hen King Digital Entertainment debuted as a publicly traded
company in March 2014, it was valued at a mind-blowing US$7.08
billion. A mammoth sum, yes, but it hardly came as a surprise.
Since the wildly addictive mobile game was released in 2012, it has
been downloaded more that 500 million times and, according to
reports, one out of every seven active players in the world are from
Hong Kong. Take a walk or a ride on any form of transportation in
the city and without a doubt you’ll find people on their phones,
mesmerised by the unmistakable carnival-esque music, pings and
pops of Candy Crush Saga.
It seems only natural then that King Digital would reciprocate the
love Hong Kong has shown through a series of special events and
collaborations throughout 2013’s Christmas and New Year period,
including an epic Candy Crush-themed New Years Eve countdown at
Hong Kong’s Times Square. On the night, 100,000 attendees watched
as sweet, colourful Candy Crush graphics filled a 10-storey LED screen
to usher in 2014.
“We’ve been really thrilled to see how much players love Candy Crush
Saga. People in Hong Kong have proven to be big fans of the game,
and we think it’s because it’s fun to play when you need a quick break
from your busy day, whether it be on the way to work, sitting in traffic
in a taxi or waiting to meet a friend. It’s a few minutes of play that
helps you relax,” says Tommy Palm, employee and designated ‘Games
Guru’ at King Digital.
IH: Who designs the graphics at King Digital?
TP: This is handled by the games team themselves in their respective
territory. We want them to have freedom and the right to decide the
details of their own game. Farm Heroes Saga, for instance, is made by
the London studio and the graphics are drawn locally by very talented
games artists.
Candy Crush also collaborated with EAST, Hong Kong, rewarding
top players staying or dining at the hotel. Enthusiasts flocked to EAST,
Hong Kong like kids in a candy store where, depending on their scores,
they were able to enjoy a variety of prizes including complimentary
drinks inspired by the colourful game, a box of Candy Crush candies
that bring the game to life, a Candy Crush Rubik’s cube and Candy
Crush Happy Socks.
IH: How did Farm Heroes Saga come about?
TP: Farm Heroes Saga was originally based on the game Farm King
on our King.com website. If you compare the two you can really see
the transition the game has gone through since that first version.
IH: What is the objective of Farm Heroes Saga?
TP: Farm Heroes Saga, like Candy Crush Saga, is a social match-threegame, but in this game the mechanics works slightly differently. Perfect
to play anytime, anywhere, Farm Heroes Saga challenges players to
switch and match a selection of lovable ‘Cropsie’ characters in rows
of three or more, within specified move limits. Additional gameplay
elements include rechargeable boosters and regular challenging ‘Boss’
battles where players take on the evil ‘Rancid the Raccoon’ who is
attempting to spoil the peaceful nature of the farm. It’s available to
play for free on iOS, Android and Facebook.
In House: Can you tell us bout the 10-storey LED screen countdown?
Tommy Palm: It was really special. The team at Times Square in Hong
Kong wanted to do something a bit different for New Year’s Eve so it
was exciting to work with them to create a huge, 10-storey Candy
Crush-themed countdown. We hope that everyone who celebrated in
Hong Kong that night loved it, and had fun counting down the candies!
IH: Why did Candy Crush/King Digital choose EAST, Hong Kong
to partner on this collaboration?
TP: EAST, Hong Kong is a gorgeous, fun hotel, with a great clientele
including visiting guests, as well as Hong Kong locals who love to visit
Sugar bar with friends after work and on weekends. We wanted to
create some small moments of fun for our players.
IH: How are new games conceptualised at King Digital?
TP: At King we have a special recipe for making games. We test
concepts early on, on our website, and take ideas to reality with very
small teams of just two to three people. This way we can test game
ideas quickly without putting large resources into untested concepts.
When we see that the concept works, we go on and add social features
and more content.
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IH: Being another match-three game, how did you make sure that
Farm Heroes was still something fresh, different and exciting for
Candy Crush players?
TP: It comes back to our way of making games. We knew that Farm
King was a popular concept on our website, so we were confident it
would prove popular with players once we adapted it for Facebook
and mobile devices.
IH: Why have you chosen to integrate social media (namely Facebook)
with your games?
TP: We strongly believe that games are more fun to play with your
friends and family. Integrating the games with social media makes it
very easy to share the fun with those closest to you.
IH: How do you see the smartphone/tablet games industry evolving
in the next five years?
TP: Even though our games reach more than 324 million monthly
players (as of December 2013), we are still convinced that we are in
the early days of social casual games. One of the most fascinating
things with this industry is that we are now making games that are
relevant to everybody. Just like new movies are a popular social
conversational topic, we trust that games can take that role in society
as well.
IN HOUSE
Indulge
77
A Floral Affair
Roses, polka dots and pastels are what make designer Cath Kidston so
endearingly British. Here’s what’s in bloom for the vintage-inspired label this
season.
W here most companies have relished in the safety and universality of minimalism, Cath
Kidston has stuck to her guns. Her eponymous brand is one of the UK’s greatest success stories, with
her knack for wild and colourful vintage-inspired prints making her a household name.
In the UK and Europe alone, Kidston stores sell four of its signature ‘Day’ bags every five minutes,
six mugs every two minutes and an ironing board cover every seven minutes, Not surprisingly, the
company’s annual turnover topped £100 million for the first time in 2013.
As the brand continues to spread its colourful wings to Asia - it already has an incredibly strong
following in Japan - Cath Kidston collaborated with Feast (Food by EAST), Hong Kong and local
cake designer extraordinaire, Penney Pang, to bring a limited edition, quintessentially British
‘Brighten Up Your Day’ afternoon tea set as a fun way to introduce its Spring/Summer 2014 collection,
which was almost too pretty to eat.
“The afternoon tea is extra special because all the sweet items have been carefully designed to match
key prints from our Spring/Summer 2014 collection, in both design and flavour,” says Helen Lip,
Director – Brands, Swire Resources Ltd. “The Earl Grey cupcakes combine a favourite British tea
with our Westbourne Rose Slate Blue floral print, whilst the Field Rose Cream Macaroons are
synonymous with the design. Finally an exotic and rich Safari Orange Blossom Bon Bon is the perfect
way to get those taste buds tingling.”
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A Floral Affair
All Cath Kidston items are designed to be
practical, of good quality, and to bring a
smile to the wearer’s face.
In House: Floral prints have been around for centuries. How does
Cath Kidston maintain a fresh, modern approach to florals?
Helen Lip: All of our floral prints have been inspired by vintage fabric,
a photo from a day out, or a personal story. From this, the shapes of
the flowers, background colours and materials are reworked to bring
them up to date, but still maintain that nostalgic and whimsical feeling
that really does help to cheer people up! Each season there are more
conversational prints that tell a story; for example the Safari print this
summer is reminiscent of family trips to the zoo.
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IH: What was the inspiration behind the Spring/Summer 2014
collection?
HL: Part of the collection was inspired from a piece of vintage fabric
that had sketches of London streets and landmarks with huge, brightly
coloured flowers mixed in. ‘Brighten Up Your Day’ is also a play on
Brighton, so it seemed right to combine the two ideas and create a
collection inspired by British summer time and the most popular
seaside resort in Britain. One of the print designers paid a visit to
Brighton and made sketches of landmarks such as the famous pier
and Royal Pavilion. It has been so popular that a UK wide competition
has been launched to find a town that will inspire the theme for the
next collection.
IH: What are some of your personal favourite items from the
collection?
HL: I love the safari themed picnic gear. It’s the perfect look to take
to the beach this summer, and so easy to pack up in the matching
backpack. Day bags are one of the most popular shapes (they really
do what they say on the tin – and fit everything you could ever need
for a day inside!), and this season we love it in Westbourne Rose Slate
Blue, which was actually the inspiration for the Earl Grey cupcake in
the Cath Kidston themed afternoon tea at Feast (Food by EAST), Hong
Kong. The small leather cross body bags are also a favourite, especially
in sweet button spot pink which is another new print for the season.
IN HOUSE
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A Floral Affair
IH: How did the collaboration between Feast (Food by EAST), Hong
Kong and Cath Kidston come to be?
HL: Feast (Food by EAST), Hong Kong embodies the spirit of getting
on and enjoying life, just like Cath Kidston. There is a big focus on
quality and practicality at the hotel which is also a great match – all
Cath Kidston items are designed to be practical, of good quality, and
to bring a smile to the wearer’s face. Feast (Food by EAST), Hong
Kong’s Executive Chef David Parkin is British too, so he totally
understood the message that we wanted to portray to both new and
existing Cath Kidston fans.
IH: How did the afternoon tea menu reflect the brand?
HL: As a quintessentially British brand, it was obvious that a
quintessentially British afternoon tea would be the perfect match for
a foodie collaboration. Classic finger sandwiches, fruity scones with
jam and clotted cream, and bite sized savoury quiches led all taste
buds to London. Award winning cake designer Penney Pang did a
great job working with Executive Chef David Parkin to bring all those
prints to life, and to tummies!
IH: Tell us about the special Brighton Beach themed media preview
for the Cath Kidston ‘Brighten Up Your Day’ afternoon tea…
HL: As Brighton Beach was the main inspiration for the “Brighten
Up Your Day” collection, we wanted to bring that location to Hong
Kong. We arranged the products by print groups in four beach huts,
just like the ones you see in Brighton. We even set up a pebble beach
area with deck chairs and a parasol, although it was actually acting
as an umbrella as we had the Great British weather with us, which
somehow made the whole day even more authentic. Our fun photo
booth was another Brighton Beach touch. We set up a traditional ice
cream van with seaside props for our guests to take photos. Our
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favourite props were the oversized sunglasses which are actually part
of our kids collection. To bring the ice cream van to life, we also served
delicious ice cream bombs which everyone really enjoyed. It was a real
day out at the seaside.
IH: Cath Kidston started her company with only £15,000 in her
pocket. What do you think is behind the brand’s meteoric success?
HL: The unofficial motto of the company is ‘Brighten Up Your Day’
and that’s exactly what the products have always done. Everything is
designed to be as practical as possible too, and if customers have
feedback about the length of a bag strap or the height of a wellington
boot, then a lot of work goes into how it can be modified for the next
season. It helps that there is something for every corner of the house,
you can have a little bit of Cath Kidston in your kitchen, bedroom,
living room, and even the loo!
IH: Where do you hope to see Cath Kidston in the next five years?
HL: The last five years have been really exciting, with stores opening
in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and China, as well as the Piccadilly flagship
in London which is our biggest store yet and offers some exclusive
products and services, such as upholstery. Having a flagship in the
centre of London will boost our presence in our home market, and
our customers and fans from all around the world can visit and learn
about our 20 year history. In the next five years, Cath Kidston will
definitely continue opening in new markets around the world, and in
Hong Kong we have plans to expand the product offering in popular
categories such as fashion and Baby ‘n’ Kids. Our biggest goal in the
next five years is to make sure we bring ‘The Home of Modern Vintage’
to life and keep showing our customers how the core values of the
company are reflected in our products and the way we do business.
Watch this space!
IN HOUSE
Discover
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A Love For The Land
Images: Kodiak Greenwood
Location: Post Ranch Inn
Getting back to nature is really about simplifying. Removing all outside noise,
distractions and stress and stripping life down to its most simple form. At Big
Sur’s Post Ranch Inn, you’ll find that less is certainly more…
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IN HOUSE
A Love For The Land
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O ne of the driving thoughts behind the Post Ranch Inn, a
luxurious boutique hideaway in the heart of Big Sur, was to create a
place for people to come to relax and take refuge from the stress and
connectivity of everyday life. Thus, no televisions or alarm clocks can
be found in any of the Inn’s completely secluded suites.
In Big Sur, south of the Monterey Peninsula in California, the only
sounds you are likely to hear are the wind, the waves and birds chirping
as wildflowers bloom around you, California condors fly overhead
and sea otters raft in the sprawling coast’s kelp beds. Surely, it doesn’t
get more wonderfully simple than that.
“The guided property walks are truly the best way for a guest to not
only acclimate themselves to the property, but a great way to learn
more about the history of the property,” says Mike Freed, Founder
and Managing Partner of Post Ranch Inn. “Morning yoga has proven
to be immensely popular and a great way for guests to centre themselves
and start the day on a high note. Big Sur is one of the best places on
earth for stargazing as there are virtually no other sources of light in
the area, making the stars even more visible on a clear night.”
It all began when explorer, adventurer and entrepreneur William
Brainard Post acquired one of Big Sur’s first homesteads over a century
ago. There, he married Anselma Onesimo of Costanoan Indian heritage
and had two sons who, along with their own children and grandchildren,
loyally and lovingly continued to preserve the Post family’s commitment
to the land.
Over the years, traditional ranching fell into decline and in the early
1980s, Mike Freed approached William Brainard and Anselma’s great
grandson Bill and his wife Luci, proposing the idea of transforming
their abundance of land, which has prime access to Big Sur’s rich and
wild surroundings, into an inn that would preserve the integrity and
history of the family property.
They sealed the deal with a shot of Jack Daniel’s - which has since
become the Post Ranch Inn’s unofficial drink – and the Inn officially
opened for business in 1992.
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IN HOUSE
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A Love For The Land
Today, Post Ranch Inn offers eight different room types for guests to
choose from, including Cliff, Coast Mountain, Butterfly, Peak and the
unique Tree Houses, which sit elevated above ground on stilts, and
the more contemporary Pacific Suites, which offer panoramic ocean
views and private hot tubs on the patio.
While each room is completely unique in its layout, the one constant
is the feeling of privacy. The architects and designers of Post Ranch
Inn went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that each room offers the
utmost privacy while at the same time being completely open to its
awe-inspiring and ever-changing natural surroundings, a feature
William Brainard and Anselma would surely be proud of.
“While the Post family is no longer involved in the day-to-day
operations of the Inn, the spirit of both Bill and Luci Post lives on at
Post Ranch. Sadly both Bill and Luci passed away over the past few
years,” says Freed. “They were both instrumental in the development
of not just the physical building of Post Ranch, but also on the personal
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side of things in terms of the open, genuine, friendly environment we
have created for guests and for our staff.”
The spirit of the Post family certainly lives on, as each guest room and
facility is named in honour of the family members and Big Sur pioneers,
including Post Ranch Inn’s renowned ‘Sierra Mar’ restaurant, which
is dedicated to the memory of Bill’s sister, Mary Post Fleenor.
Diners from all around the nation and the world have come to Big Sur
for the sole purpose of indulging in a truly local gastronomic experience
at ‘Sierra Mar’, one of only 12 restaurants in California to have earned
Wine Spectator’s Grand Award. In the mornings, guests of Post Ranch
Inn gather at Sierra Mar to enjoy a decadent complimentary gourmet
buffet breakfast. By night, Executive Chef John Cox offers a spectacular
nine-course, ‘Taste of Big Sur’ menu or a four-course prix fixe menu
that changes nightly with an optional but highly recommended wine
pairing to bring even more depth and exploration to a meal at the
restaurant.
Post Ranch Inn’s wine list is curated under the guidance of Wine
Director Dominique DaCruz, boasting over 15,000 bottles and 2,700
selections, and it has won Wine Spectator magazine’s prestigious
Grand Award for the past two years.
Aside from his degustation options, Chef Cox offers menus that are
seasonal in nature as he strives to incorporate ingredients native to
the Central Coast and Big Sur into his dishes, using as many fresh
ingredients from Post Ranch Inn’s organic garden.
Consistently setting the bar for luxe ecotourism, sustainability plays
a crucial role in Post Ranch Inn’s daily functions; from the hybrid
Lexus vehicles that shuttle guests around the expansive property to
refillable glass bottles of water in guest rooms to the 990 solar panels
that powers the property – one of the largest solar panel arrays in all
of California.
Post Ranch Spa also makes all of its own products, using wildflowers
picked from the high meadows on the estate. The spa is truly unique
in that the experience is not limited to the facility itself, but the entire
property delivers a spa-like experience. From the infinity basking
pools overlooking the Pacific Ocean to the soothing sounds of nature
all around you and the massage tables in each guest room, the entire
Post Ranch property builds upon the experience guests receive during
their therapeutic spa treatments. The spa offers a comprehensive range
of treatments ranging from the traditional massages and facials, to
treatments unique to Post Ranch Inn such as The Big Sur Jade Stone
Therapy body treatment, which uses Big Sur jade collected from nearby
beaches to help relieve sore joints and aching muscles.
For those who prefer alternative methods, The spa offers an entire
menu of Intuitive Healing treatments highlighted by Shamanic sessions
with Post Ranch Inn’s resident Shaman, Jon Rasmussen.
Freed concludes, “We hope guests walk away from a stay at Post Ranch
with a sense of calm and relaxation, and that they were able to enjoy
a few days away from the noise and stress of everyday life and connect
with themselves and their partner.”
IN HOUSE
Return
Final Detail
‘Dinosaur’ by Sui Jianguo
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