Milan Design Week 2018: Singaporean designers featured as part of Wallpaper*’s Handmade Retreat exhibition

The Oscars of the design world may have already come to a close, but those who didn't have the chance to visit Milan for the event can still get to experience here it thanks to the iconic Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition. In a collaboration between the esteemed design magazine and DesignSingapore Council, six local designers - Studio Juju, Olivia Lee, Stolen, Theseus Chan, Gabriel Tan Studio and WOHAbeing - have each designed an original luxury item that were displayed during Milan Design Week 2018. Following the theme of Wellness + Wonder, this "wellness retreat" of an exhibition features designs like a reflexology wall and path, healing bookends and a wellness cabinet.

Gabiel Tan Studios, who helmed the designing of a fruit altar, worked together with Czech Republic's TON, known for its hand-bent wooden furniture. Each wooden piece holds one fruit, and makes us "rethink the importance of fruit and vegetables and consume not just the minimum amount, but make them a large part of our diet", according to Tan. The healing bookends, designed by Chan in collaboration with Italian wood specialist Riva 1920, made use of the healing properties of wood and his passion for books to create the product. Making an appearance is also National University of Singapore graduate Edmund Zhang's 'Squeezy Lamp', who is Wallpaper* Handmade's Next Generation Singapore Designer.

The seven pieces can be viewed during The Handmade Retreat exhibition at Gillman Barracks till 31 May.