Hall 6 at Maison et objet
 
The term 'enochlophobia' means fear of crowds, a phobia that I suspect I have – mildly. Although I don't experience blackouts or panic attacks in crowded places, I do feel overwhelmed, as if my energy is being sucked out of me, and I often feel exhausted afterwards.
This [...]

Facade of 100% Norway at Tent London
 
For some reason, the design trade shows that I attended this year at The London design festival appeared to be quieter than usual. At Tent London, the atmosphere was a far cry from the chaos I experienced last year... not sure if it was the time [...]

Top: Danish made; Bottom left: 100% Norway; Bottom right: visitors relaxing outside on a warm Sept day
 
This year, I was surprised by the number of Asian designers participating at Tent London. I ended up spending about 3 hours there and chatted to many designers, which left me feeling quite exhausted and [...]

I did not expect to take so long to write about Shanghai (I envy bloggers who publish daily entries), hence this blog entry on Maison et Objet Asia is much delayed...
Less than a week after my trip to Shanghai, I was off to Singapore to attend the first Maison et Objet show [...]

 
In the past few years, I noticed a "back to basic" trend happening in the developed countries, and even in product designs, many designers have opted for less decorative style and creating products from natural material. Simple wooden toys also seem to have made a comeback, which I am quite happy to [...]

A long-overdue entry on some interesting finds I bought while I was traveling around Asia...
Japan
 

Fun 3-dimensional cards from Japan
 
In my previous entries on Kyoto and Tokyo ( click here to read), I have included some stationery and cards that I bought from specific shops, but here are some others including a washi [...]

Sweets/ candies packaging
 
I have always been a fan of Japanese packaging but when I was in Taiwan, I was quite excited by the creative and humourous packaging especially with food. From tea to honey, rice, candies, crackers and cakes, every package has its own style and uniqueness. Here are just some snapshots [...]

The beautiful ArtYard is a relaxing place for tea, coffee and craft shopping
 
Dadaocheng:
ArtYard ( 67, Sec. 1, Dihua St)- Converted from a historical building built in 1923 near the Xiahai City God Temple, the airy and relaxing ArtYard is consisted of a craft shop, art gallery, tea room and cafe. Some [...]

The Red House in Xiemen

 
The reason why I want to emphasise Taipei's bid to become the next World Design Capital ( after Cape Town in 2014) is because their effort can be seen and felt while I was in Taipei. They even dedicated a website for this, so they are quite determined [...]

Bamboo street's bamboo and rattan handicrafts

 
When I first started writing this blog, I was slightly reluctant and hesitant. Although I love to share with people, sharing with the public about my life and inner thoughts seem slightly out of my character.
However, over the time I have learned to use this as a [...]