Hong Kong-born Chi Wing Lo makes a name for himself in Italy as designer
Hong Kong-born Chi Wing Lo and other luminaries from Asia wowed with collections showcasing tradition, technology and a can-do attitude
At this month's annual Milan furniture extravaganza, known as the Salone del Mobile, all roads seemed to lead to Chi Wing Lo.
The Hong Kong-born architect and designer has spent the past 30 years living in the United States, Greece and Italy, including 20 years as art director of luxury Italian brand Giorgetti. Now he has launched his own collection, Dimensione Chi Wing Lo (or "the world of Chi Wing Lo"), in collaboration with Italy's Maroni.
The results are some of the most elegant pieces of furniture around. By showing the collection at the trade fair and in the museum setting of Milan's 18th-century Palazzo Morando, in a show called Essences of Timelessness, Lo teased out the functionality and poetry of the collection in two different settings.
Timelessness in design is elusive, but can best be described as objects "that appear to embody past, present and future - the three domains of our existence", Lo says. "It is the simple, natural and true considerations that make furniture last longer."
His furniture, made from durable, tactile and natural materials, including leather, wood, stone and metal, seamlessly combines craft, manufacturing prowess and technology.
The new collection includes a tall cabinet with curved jewellery trays, which can be opened to create different shapes or locked shut, and a curved desk with an ingenious lighting system that prevents shadows while writing.