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Charmaine Chan
Design Editor
Charmaine Chan has worked as a journalist in Australia, Japan and Hong Kong. She became the South China Morning Post's Design Editor in 2005, having been its Literary, Deputy Features and Behind The News editor. She covers architecture and interior design, and oversees the books pages. Charmaine is the author of Courtyard Living: Contemporary Houses of the Asia-Pacific (Thames & Hudson).
From dumpling-shaped salt and pepper shakers to egg tart scented candles or a gourmet Christmas ham, snap these up for your reservation-making, dinner-party-throwing friend.
We’ve picked out a jacket for pets, mushroom supplements, corduroy slip-ons, a Chinese checkers set, a hiker’s backpack and an indigo dye workshop.
From a calendar for a beauty expert and a festive luxury hamper to chocolate truffles, chen pi, sparkling tea and a home-grown all-use cologne.
From eco-friendly bedding and bamboo sheets, to handmade incense and festive perfume, here are 10 picks for that one couple closest to your heart.
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From Hong Kong manhole cover coasters made of diatomite concrete to an iconic and revamped Diana plastic toy camera.
From stylish bamboo bags to limited-edition watches and, yes, a map, here are 8 thoughtful suggestions for the trendiest person on your gift list.
The Tokyo structure’s dismantling in 2022 saw a number of its capsules repurposed globally – even at Hong Kong’s M+ – fulfilling designer Kisho Kurokawa’s vision.
Surrounded by an ever-changing canopy of colour in Japan’s Nagano prefecture is the breathtaking home of AB Concept’s Terence Ngan and Ed Ng
A homeowner was so impressed with the understated mid-century modern refurbishment of her home in Pok Fu Lam, on Hong Kong Island, that she joined the design studio that carried it out.
The owner of a Hong Kong micro-apartment wanted all the trappings of a bigger home – including a tub – in the first property she owned. Two young interior designers made it happen.
Afghan carpets like watercolours, candles that tell the Palestinian story, a meshing of old and new – Arab Design Now is the centrepiece of a biennial in Doha that announces Qatar as a design destination.
Former Australian ambassador to Beijing Geoff Raby’s collection of contemporary Chinese art is less well-known than Uli Sigg’s but still important, featuring artists including Chen Wenling and Guo Jian.
The Home of Forever Love in Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung area is a crematorium for ‘abortuses’ – fetuses of less than 24 weeks’ gestation – that shows how architecture can be used to affect emotions.
Hong Kong is home to significant Brutalist buildings from the 1960s and 70s and one group is encouraging preservation by raising awareness of the architectural style both loved and loathed.
Three boutique hotels in a Japanese mountain town conceived by Pritzker Prize-winning architects create a soothing dialogue between architecture and its surroundings.
A decade in the making, The Ray, in Alibag, India, comprises one open, airy and modern pavilion and another, monumental and reminiscent of an old ruin. ‘There are moments when it’s almost surreal,’ its owner says.
Can you tell the difference between an AI-generated short story and one written by an award-winning author? Two writers take on ChatGPT at writing flash fiction.
The Domestic Transformer micro-apartment was so groundbreaking that Hong Kong’s M+ commissioned a 1:1 reproduction for all to see. But the installation now faces an uncertain future.
The New Territories in Hong Kong is peppered with uniform, ‘copy and paste’ villages houses, but one in Tai Wai is turning heads for its innovative design.
The architects behind Hong Kong’s Kiang Malingue gallery took a 1960s tenement building back to its bare bones, removing two floors to create exhibition spaces, and painted the exterior silver.
For an interior design and architecture ingénue and her aunt, turning an 18th century courtyard house into a B&B amid the pandemic was no easy task, but guests love what they have done.
A couple combined next-door Hong Kong apartments to create a Scandinavian-style home that serves both their needs, from separate refrigerators to a man cave.
Chi Wing Lo, the lead designer behind the Regent Hong Kong hotel renovation, talks about being a fisherman’s son and why avoiding clichés in his work may have boosted his career.
A penthouse duplex in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels has been reconfigured, maximising stunning sea views and space for social gatherings.
A former Hongkonger relocated her large family to Sydney, Australia, and transformed a bungalow into a 6,000 sq ft, four-level home with plenty of space for family and friends.
Piet Hein Eek has made a career out of expensive furniture made from salvaged wood and metal. Ahead of his appearance at Hong Kong’s Knowledge of Design Week, he reveals what goes into his high-end designs.
The Japanese forest retreat of Hong Kong interior designer Ed Ng and architect Terence Ngan became their full-time home for the pandemic, and a source of inspiration.
The designers of the new recycling centre in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district explain the innovations and inspiration of their architectural studio’s project.
Having taken over the Coloane red house from her late brother, Eileen Stow of Macau’s Lord Stow’s Bakery turned the home into as much of a tourist draw as the treats she sells.
Designed in the 1980s by legendary Japanese architect Shiro Kuramata, the Kiyotomo sushi bar, dismantled and transported from Tokyo, is among the most unexpected exhibits at new Hong Kong museum.
