FIRST LOOK

VANGUARD

Design innovations and inspirations around the world.

A look from Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei’s 2012 Legend of the Dragon collection. This spring, the Legion of Honor museum (part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco) will open Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy, an exhibition dedicated to the couturier’s work and career. »

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: A look from Guo’s Spring/Summer 2018 Elysium collection. A corseted dress made from pineapple fiber, silk, and wire, from the Fall/ Winter 2018–2019 L’Architecture collection. Shoes made for the Autumn/Winter 2012 Legend of the Dragon show.

QUEEN OF COUTURE

For nearly two decades, Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei has been creating fantastical couture garments— many of which take between 3,000 and 10,000 hours to make. On April 16, more than 80 Guo-designed ensembles will go on display in the couturier’s first comprehensive exhibition. Presented by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco at the Legion of Honor museum, Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy will showcase the designer’s most important fashion collections, including a handful of runway looks, as well as many designs that have never before been shown to the public. “As a creator and artist, there is no greater honor or privilege than to share my creativity with a wider audience,” Guo says. “I hope that it will bring greater awareness and understanding of my life’s passion, convey Chinese culture and traditions, and show the new face of contemporary China.” »

© XU LIAN PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY THE ARTIST An ensemble from the regal Spring/Summer 2017 Legends collection.

PARTY IN THE PARK

April 26, 2022, marks 200 years since the birth of iconic American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, a crusader, conservationist, and advocate who championed the concept of public parks in the United States. To mark the anniversary, more than 120 organizations have come together to launch Olmsted 200: Parks for All People, a yearlong celebration comprising talks, parties, exhibitions, and more. Olmsted’s career spanned more than 50 years, and he designed some of the country’s most beloved parks, including New York’s Central Park and Prospect Park, and the U.S. Capitol Grounds. “Frederick Law Olmsted proffered the idea that landscape architecture could create places that bolster the project of American democracy,” says Sara Zewde, founder of Studio Zewde and assistant professor of practice at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. “As we look at American life today, we see a great need and opportunity to build on these original aims of landscape architecture. That’s what Olmsted 200 is all about.” »

COURTESY THE BILTMORE COMPANY

Frederick Law Olmsted designed the grounds at George and Edith Vanderbilt’s Biltmore estate, in Asheville, North Carolina.

MOD SQUAD

Paris architecture firm Cutwork has designed a modular residential studio prototype for developer Bouygues Immobilier’s new shared living brand, set to launch across France in 2023. Called the Polyroom, the prefab unit reimagines a compact, multiuse space by designing a bedroom that can be reconfigured to fit a resident’s changing activities and needs. For his design, Cutwork co-founder and architect Antonin Yuji Maeno took inspiration from the Japanese washitsu, a central room in traditional Japanese homes that lacks a single dedicated purpose. In Cutwork’s Polyroom, sliding partitions, built-in storage, and modular, multiuse furniture give residents flexibility to appropriate the space to their needs. Additionally, a bed lifts to disappear into the ceiling, providing extra space when needed. The prefab unit will be manufactured in bulk and stacked like LEGO bricks to build new residential blocks, starting in a to-be-determined location in France.

COLOR CONNOISSEURS

Known for its bold, maximalist wallpapers and fabrics, the British lifestyle brand House of Hackney is expanding its offerings this spring with the launch of its first paint collection, The Art of Nature. Crafted in-house and inspired by the rich palette of shades found around the world in minerals, roots, rocks, berries, and other natural materials, the release includes 48 colors, available in two finishes. The formula dries quickly, has a low level of VOCs, and requires just two coats to finish a room. Every can of paint sold will allow House of Hackney to purchase and protect 376 square feet of forest in partnership with the World Land Trust.

LIGHT BRIGHT

Italian craftsmanship meets Scandinavian architectural know-how in a newly released collaboration between lighting specialist Lodes and international design studio Snøhetta. Volum—a modular pendant collection—pays homage to the Italian tradition of globe-shaped glass lamps and the glassblowing process that yields naturally imperfect forms. For Oslo-based Snøhetta, the project was a study in creating adaptable and scalable pendant light solutions. The understated pieces are available in four sizes, and each one hangs from a single, transparent power cable that puts the focus on the glass globe. Whether hung individually for a chic and minimal look, or clustered in large groups for maximum impact, the pendants further Lodes’ ongoing exploration of the relationship between lighting, space, and people. —Rachel Gallaher h