On Friday 21 August, the young and hip converged on the aptly named Star Street to blow off the week’s steam with a couple of drinks – but none were so well turned-out as the design crowd, who headed to Archetypal Concept Store on Moon Street to celebrate British craftsmanship. Collaborating with UK Trade & Investment, Desmond Wong and his team at Archetypal brought together a finely curated collection of UK-based designers as part of the inaugural edition of International Design & Furniture Fair Hong Kong (IDFFHK). The event at Archetypal not only launched the Design is Great booth at the fair, but also introduced Tom Dixon’s new collection.

The new range from Dixon includes the Melt lamp. Antti Hirvonen, the Asian General Manager of Tom Dixon, talked the event’s attendees through the light’s transformative properties: when turned on, it glistens and shimmers like a giant bubble. Once off, however, the whole structure appears to solidify.

Other Tom Dixon products on show at Archetypal included the well-known Copper shades, whose curved surfaces formed the backdrop for many selfies on the night – once appearances had been checked in SCP’s Jeeves mirror, that is.

SCP is another of the British brands that were exhibited as part of the collaborative Design is Great display at IDFFHK. The showcase also included Lee Broom, Anglepoise, Decode London, Terence Woodgate and Another Country, whose sleek, functional Dining Table One and Bench One wowed the design-savvy crowd at Archetypal.

The level of craftsmanship of these UK-based brands was evident at every turn. Wong, Archetypal’s owner and curator, chose a diverse mix of design studios, mixing emerging brands with household names, while also ensuring that the styles sat comfortably with each other. There was the instantly recognisable Anglepoise 1227 desk lamp, updated with a flash of colour and LED features. Then there was Terence Woodgate’s Cylinder Pendant light, constructed out of Carrara marble, and also Decode London’s Heavy lamp, which rethinks concrete.

All in all, the products on show at Archetypal took a unique approach to traditional materials and forms, delivering a fresh perspective on British design.

Archetypal
archetypal.hk

IDFFHK
idffhk.com