12- 15 MARCH 2020
SHANGHAI WORLD EXPO EXHIBITION AND CONVENTION CENTRE
Above: Shanghai-based studio Wenlot, known for their contemporary take on heritage craft traditions, will return to Design Shanghai 2020 as part of the ‘Contemporary’ section
January 2020 – Design Shanghai, Asia’s largest and most successful design show, takes up residence in an exciting new location for 2020, welcoming both trailblazing new designers as well as returning brands.
Now an unmissable event on the global design calendar, Design Shanghai attracts over 400 international brands from 32 countries and provides a platform for exhibitors to present the best and latest products to an audience of nearly 70,000 architects, interior designers, developers, retailers and design enthusiasts from across the region. China has established itself as a major international player in design over the past six years with the design culture shifting towards innovation and original designs. Design Shanghai will bring together exhibitors from Asia and the west, to share ideas, showcasing the best in furniture, lighting, accessories and new material innovations.
For 2020, Design Shanghai is spotlighting ten brands and exhibitors not to be missed at this year’s show, ranging from young Chinese designers to some of the best-known names in international design.
1: Mario Tsai
Mario Tsai, who will be making his debut at Design Shanghai 2020 is strongly motivated by his belief in sustainability and aims to give his collections a modern look and tactile quality. Tsai founded his studio in Hangzhou in 2014, with an emphasis on research, new materials and their application. The entrance to Design Shanghai will feature a spectacular light installation designed by him entitled ‘Colosseum’. Inspired by the Colosseum in ancient Rome, the installation features a series of tubular lamps representing the pillars of the Colosseum. The inner and outer rings form a passage that people can walk through, as if spectators in ancient Rome, while a mirror at the bottom serves to enhance its sense of space. Mario Tsai’s stand will exhibit a new collection of the studio’s furniture and lighting, all designed with sustainability as a central tenet.
2: Leading and Emerging Chinese Brands
Above: LanYinzi to present new ceramics in the Contemporary Design section
Leading Chinese brands who have exhibited in previous years will return to Design Shanghai for the 2020 edition, reinstating the show’s powerful position as a key player in the global design market. Amongst these studios is LanYinzi which was founded in city of Jingdezhen, the hub of Chinese ceramics. Using traditional craft techniques, LanYinzi specialises in producing smooth and delicate ceramic-based products that are created with a modern sensibility. Other globally-recognised Chinese studios returning to Design Shanghai include Yang House, Yemu1978, Frank Chou, Stellarworks, Seeddesign, Banlan, Wenlot, Kun Design, Xiang Shang, Wushi, Liminal Collection, Ziinlife and Bela design.
3: House of Wang Gallery Presents a Collective of International Talent
Above: Sé, ‘Below The Heavens’ – exhibiting as part of House of Wang gallery at Design Shanghai
House of Wang is a global lifestyle gallery that will bring together some of the world’s most sought after lifestyle designers and brands within the Contemporary section. Each piece of work explores history and culture through contemporary design, employing originality and craftsmanship. Exhibiting for the first time at Design Shanghai through House of Wang’s collective showcase will be Sé (London), Lee Broom (London), Apparatus (New York), Ochre (London), Omar Khan Rugs (Malaysia-Kuala Lumpur), Bethan Gray (London), Nada Debs (Lebanon) and Anna Torfs (Czech Republic).
4: Best of European Design
Above: &Tradition, NEW Flowerpot Pendant by Verner Panton, Betty TK1 Chair by Thau & Kallio, In Between Table by Sami Kallio
Some of Scandinavia’s most renowned and iconic brands will showcase their newest collections at Design Shanghai, some for the first time. &Tradition, Hay, Fredericia, and Danish brand AYTM. all offer luxury furniture pieces that hold years of craftsmanship and tradition and are deservedly regarded as classics. &Tradition will showcase the newly launched Flowerpot pendant by Verner Panton, in addition to their recent collection with Jaime Hayon. From Italy, award-winning design brand Zanotta will present the best and the boldest in contemporary luxury.
5: Ugan Concept
Above: Ugan Concept, SHU Collection
Established in Hangzhou in 2015, Ugan Concept is showing for the first time at Design Shanghai. This designer brand aims to bring nature indoors by presenting wooden floors in all their natural beauty, complete with rings, naps and gaps. In 2020, Ugan Concept will display its collaboration with PINWU, a studio set up by designers Zhang Lei of China, Christoph John of Germany and Jovana Bogdanovic of Serbia to promote traditional Chinese crafts, materials and processes through contemporary design. The result is the “Saddle” collection, which will include both furniture and flooring.
6: Contemporary Lighting
Above: WUU presents new lighting at Design Shanghai 2020
Chinese studios will dominate the lighting realm at Design Shanghai, with visitors invited to witness WUU’s delicate lunar-inspired collections. Another showcase will come from Moodmu, an established brand with nearly 40 years of experience in lighting design and manufacturing. With its irresistible intertwining of traditional wooden materials, user-friendly technology and interesting aesthetics, Moodmu creates timeless pieces with a contemporary design ethos, adding warmth as well as light to any interior. All wood comes from natural sustainable forests, thus reducing the use of depleted resources. Founded less than twenty years ago, Leedarson has become one of China’s fastest growing lighting companies, excelling in smart, connected lighting for residential, commercial and industrial spaces. SEEDDESIGN creates intriguing and practical illuminations that work in both residential and commercial spaces.
7: Spotlight on Japanese Designers
Above: Karimoku New Standard, ‘Castor’ Collection by BIG-GAME
Leading Japanese furniture manu¬facturer Karimoku, known for its fusion of progressive ideas and manufacturing excellence. Bringing together the unique perspectives of Karimoku’s craftsmen and a select group of international designers, the brand presents new standards in Japanese furniture design. At Design Shanghai 2020, Karimoku will be showing its Castor Series, designed by BIG-GAME.
Also from Japan comes KOKUYO, the leading supplier of workplace furniture and stationery in Japan. Founded over a century ago, KOKUYO is renowned for its innovative product with its corporate philosophy “Enriching The World Through Our Product”. Every design and detail of its products is developed not only to look good but to be as user-friendly as possible.
8: Award-Winning Brands to Exhibit in the New Accessories & Objects Section
Above: Chinese studio ARTLAVIE will present its 1/1000 series of vases alongside other new pieces
Another highlight of Design Shanghai 2020 will be the unveiling of a brand new section: Accessories and Objects. The new Accessories and Objects section will showcase cutting-edge standalone pieces by brands including ARTLAVIE, a Chinese studio founded by designer Yin Jiulong in 2012 that is dedicated to exploring the refinement, combination and innovation of traditional Chinese art and the spirit of modern design. As part of its showcase, ARTLAVIE will present the 1/1000 series of vases, each of which display a refined shape that is based on the traditional plum vase. In addition to Chinese brands, visitors can expect to see intricate accessories by international studios including L’Objet, Nude, Revol and Robert Welch.
9: Carl Hansen & Søn
Above: Carl Hansen & Søn, EOO5 Embrace Armchair, E004 Embrace Chair, E020 Embrace Table
Prominent Danish design brand Carl Hansen & Søn will return to Design Shanghai for the fourth time in 2020. The stand will feature iconic pieces including the CH24 and CH23 chair series which were part of the first four chairs produced by Hans Wegner which instantly solidified the Danish creator’s place in 20th-century design history. Made exclusively for Carl Hansen & Søn and originally introduced in 1950, they demonstrate Wegner’s mastery of steam-bending and hand-weaving techniques to coax out the organic-modern forms he’s most known for. Alongside these iconic pieces will also be newer iterations including the E005 Embrace Armchair (2015), EOO4 Embrace Chair (2019) and EO20 Embrace Table (2019), the result of a collaboration between Carl Hansen & Søn and Austrian design duo EOOS.
10: SIDE Studio
Above: SIDE Studio
SIDE was founded in 2018 by Royal Academy of Arts graduate Xin Huachen and Feng Ruojin, who has been in the furniture industry for ten years. The name “Side” is derived from the original intention of the brand: Surprise, Innovation, Detail, and Elegant. The studio, which has a showroom in Shanghai, is committed to exploring the diversity of furniture forms, materials, processes and production methods, designing and producing furniture that meets contemporary aesthetics and values. Sustainability is a social responsibility that Side has pursued since its conception.