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Center a treasure trove of art, culture
By Yang Di |
April 5, 2009, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A UNIQUE and cleverly segmented space, where good taste, lifestyle and design cohabit with refined pieces of furniture, is waiting to be discovered in a treasure trove of art and culture hidden out in Minghang District.
The Shanghai Design Center, divided into three main areas, is neither a traditional showroom nor does it qualify as a museum, even though it possesses all their separate distinctive elements.
Imagined and brought to life by Lin Hsien Neng, a native Taiwanese interior and landscape designer, and animated by his sensitivity for art and a sense of responsibility toward sharing his passion for life and culture, the center aims to create a platform for design and those who appreciate it.
"I wanted to create an overlap where visitors can travel between classic and modern furniture, while opening up to the philosophy and meaning behind every creation," Lin said.
Since 1984, Lin has been the exclusive agent for top-ranking Italian furniture maker Cassina and the well-known lighting brand Flos but went on to introduce iconic design names such as Zanotta, Ceccotti and Danese to the market.
These brands have significantly contributed to the history of furniture design and are collected by prominent design museums and galleries worldwide.
Accessories
In 1998 he took over an abandoned warehouse to display his personal collection of lifestyle antiques, Buddha heads, tea drinking ceremony objects and accessories and incense burners. The purpose was to bridge yesterday's customs and culture with today's shrinking distance between East and West ways of life.
Aware of the potential of the mainland market to open up to design and lifestyle, he decided to create a stage in Shanghai for classic design furniture brands of the likes of Cassina, while at the same time planning the future SDC concept.
The first floor is a retail lifestyle area offering a tastful and elegant environment tuned to inspire professional designers as well as individual buyers in the art of furnishing a home.
Meant to create a connection between single pieces of furniture and their environment by mixing accessories and everyday life objects, the space transports visitors into a world where they can imagine what a home will look like once they bring in the variously displayed pieces of furniture or decor combinations.
Significant
The museum area showcases items by contemporary masters like Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and Gerrit Thomas Rietveld. The private collection of 70 chairs, among the 100 most significant pieces ever designed, makes visiting SDC a must for those who appreciate fine design or those who want to discover what some of the greatest architects and designers have created.
"Understanding the motivation and the purpose behind each of these creations is an education process in itself, opening up the mind to the meaning of design," Lin said.
"The purpose of a chair is to sit on, yet understanding the specific mindset of the designer allows one to elevate the level of comprehension toward that specific design and its purpose, going beyond the simple purpose of the chair," he said.
The Shanghai Design Center currently features 15 prominent design brands, of which 13 are exclusive to China. Among them, and probably the most significant, Cassina remains the only manufacturer of authentic Le Corbusier furniture.
Its Cassina I maestri collection includes the works of world famous designers such as Philippe Starck and Toshiyuki Kita. Flos, found in the most reputable international art and design museums, is a specialist in lighting design. Zanotta has received legions of prizes for it's designs, including three Compasso d'Oro Awards.
Ceccotti's works, the fruit of Roberto Lazzeroni's creativity and vision, is all about ecclecticism that brings the warmth of wood closer to the senses.
Finally, Extremis, famous for its outdoor furniture, manufactures extraordinary objects with a logical, timeless design applying the latest innovation.
"SDC will become, in time, the place where designers and people sharing the same interests and passion meet to elaborate and define the future of Chinese design," Lin said.
The Shanghai Design Center, divided into three main areas, is neither a traditional showroom nor does it qualify as a museum, even though it possesses all their separate distinctive elements.
Imagined and brought to life by Lin Hsien Neng, a native Taiwanese interior and landscape designer, and animated by his sensitivity for art and a sense of responsibility toward sharing his passion for life and culture, the center aims to create a platform for design and those who appreciate it.
"I wanted to create an overlap where visitors can travel between classic and modern furniture, while opening up to the philosophy and meaning behind every creation," Lin said.
Since 1984, Lin has been the exclusive agent for top-ranking Italian furniture maker Cassina and the well-known lighting brand Flos but went on to introduce iconic design names such as Zanotta, Ceccotti and Danese to the market.
These brands have significantly contributed to the history of furniture design and are collected by prominent design museums and galleries worldwide.
Accessories
In 1998 he took over an abandoned warehouse to display his personal collection of lifestyle antiques, Buddha heads, tea drinking ceremony objects and accessories and incense burners. The purpose was to bridge yesterday's customs and culture with today's shrinking distance between East and West ways of life.
Aware of the potential of the mainland market to open up to design and lifestyle, he decided to create a stage in Shanghai for classic design furniture brands of the likes of Cassina, while at the same time planning the future SDC concept.
The first floor is a retail lifestyle area offering a tastful and elegant environment tuned to inspire professional designers as well as individual buyers in the art of furnishing a home.
Meant to create a connection between single pieces of furniture and their environment by mixing accessories and everyday life objects, the space transports visitors into a world where they can imagine what a home will look like once they bring in the variously displayed pieces of furniture or decor combinations.
Significant
The museum area showcases items by contemporary masters like Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and Gerrit Thomas Rietveld. The private collection of 70 chairs, among the 100 most significant pieces ever designed, makes visiting SDC a must for those who appreciate fine design or those who want to discover what some of the greatest architects and designers have created.
"Understanding the motivation and the purpose behind each of these creations is an education process in itself, opening up the mind to the meaning of design," Lin said.
"The purpose of a chair is to sit on, yet understanding the specific mindset of the designer allows one to elevate the level of comprehension toward that specific design and its purpose, going beyond the simple purpose of the chair," he said.
The Shanghai Design Center currently features 15 prominent design brands, of which 13 are exclusive to China. Among them, and probably the most significant, Cassina remains the only manufacturer of authentic Le Corbusier furniture.
Its Cassina I maestri collection includes the works of world famous designers such as Philippe Starck and Toshiyuki Kita. Flos, found in the most reputable international art and design museums, is a specialist in lighting design. Zanotta has received legions of prizes for it's designs, including three Compasso d'Oro Awards.
Ceccotti's works, the fruit of Roberto Lazzeroni's creativity and vision, is all about ecclecticism that brings the warmth of wood closer to the senses.
Finally, Extremis, famous for its outdoor furniture, manufactures extraordinary objects with a logical, timeless design applying the latest innovation.
"SDC will become, in time, the place where designers and people sharing the same interests and passion meet to elaborate and define the future of Chinese design," Lin said.
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