Living, Seen Differently

How Cultivating Design Reshapes Everyday Life

“One thing I will do for sure, when I arrive back at my place in Bangkok, is to ‘integrate’ the well-considered design you have here into my own space.”

That was what I told my Airbnb host and friend—Alessandro—when I was in Milan last winter.

His apartment at Via Pasquale Sottocorno 9—while certainly spacious, with multiple rooms—held something more compelling: the idea of creating an atmosphere that felt calm, present, and serene within it. The thoughtful placement of lamps, a well-crafted chair from the late 20th century, and, of course, postmodern artwork—deeply regarded within Milan’s cultural sphere.

With that thought in mind, it ignited a new perspective in me; whether in observing fleeting life in the city, or in watching films, I began to find myself drawn to the materials—the chairs, the tables, the buildings—to feel the space through the visual language of cinema, particularly from the 1960s.

And just as I once fell completely, almost irrationally, in love with clothing and fashion—this time, it is design.

In recent weeks, whenever a cultural moment arises, I find myself leaning toward names such as Tadao Ando, Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, Julius Shulman—and, certainly, cinema that represents ‘design’ during the mid-century period I so admire.

Ladies and gentlemen, one thing I can firmly say to you here is this—design is a part of life that is worth every minute spent cultivating into one’s cultural fluency.

If you wonder why—then we must first clarify this term…

“What is Design, actually?”