Excerpt: The Mirror of Emotion by HC28 maison is a design project grounded in Asian aesthetics and shaped by a global vision of future living. Conceived as a modern urban neighborhood, it moves from a museum of signature pieces into immersive living environments and a shared central plaza. Through cross-cultural collaboration, integrated solutions, and emotional reflection, the project explores perception, lifestyle, and immersive living experiences across cultures.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] Grounded in Asian Aesthetics, Shaping China’s Global Design Vision: HC28 maison is a global design brand offering high-end furniture and customized modular cabinet systems, delivering integrated solutions for immersive living experiences. The brand recently unveiled its exhibition “The Mirror of Emotion,” a cross-cultural showcase featuring collaborations with four international design luminaries: Ma Yansong, Yabu Pushelberg, Marcel Wanders, and Pearson Lloyd. It envisions the infinite possibilities of future living, presenting an immersive design dialogue across cultures.
The exhibition is staged as a modern urban neighborhood, guiding visitors from a ‘museum’ of signature standalone pieces into immersive living environments crafted through integrated design solutions. The journey culminates in the ‘central plaza,’ where Ma Yansong’s art installation Moodcraft invites reflection.
When Ma Yansong’s architectural poetics resonates with HC28 maison’s brand spirit: Moodcraft, a mesmerizing mirrored installation conceived by Ma Yansong, suspends like a spacecraft from another dimension. Its reflective surfaces refract the surrounding environment—at times blending in, at times seeming to vanish—deconstructing reality into shifting fragments.
“It felt as if a spaceship had landed in a home. It has a tangible form, yet somehow seems to disappear.” For Ma Yansong, the installation is more than a mirror of its setting—it becomes a lens that frames perception. Familiar scenes are rearranged—sometimes inverted, angled, or fragmented—prompting a deeper question: is the reality we know truly what we see, or merely a collage of fragmented perception and habitual thought?
When Yabu Pushelberg’s sculptural sensibilities meet the essence of Chinese lifestyles: Yabu Pushelberg’s furniture designs at the exhibition merge the studio’s signature global perspective with a nuanced understanding of Chinese lifestyles. Through a contemporary lens, traditional Chinese cultural elements are reimagined, effortlessly integrating into modern life.
“We wanted to highlight the beauty of form, color, and structure—qualities deeply rooted in Chinese craftsmanship, architecture, and design,” Glenn Pushelberg shares. Interpreted through a Western lens, these elements take on a distinctly contemporary expression, radiating a bold, extroverted personality.
When Pearson Lloyd’s functionalist logic engages with the subtle restraint of Chinese spatial aesthetics: Pearson Lloyd’s designs at the exhibition reflect a thoughtful convergence of Chinese philosophy and Western sculptural influence. Drawing inspiration from Chinese yin-yang philosophy and the monumental works of Western sculptor Richard Serra, the pieces explore how subtle shifts in perspective and position can transform spatial experience and evoke emotional responses.
For Luke Pearson, “Mirror is a fascinating material because it allows us to see ourselves, though never a true reflection. ” The mirrored coffee table playfully reminds viewers not to take themselves too seriously—what we see is never a complete self, only fragmented glimpses.
When Marcel Wanders’ romantic imagination intersects with experimental materials: In his collaboration with HC28 maison, Marcel Wanders skillfully fuses expressive form with functional aesthetics, demonstrating an effortless mastery of creative balance.
“I wanted the lounger to feel sculptural—like a peacock—something that’s just there because it’s pretty.” Marcel explains. The peacock emerged as the central motif, carefully refined through detail, material, and form into a piece that is bold, elegant, and distinctly beautiful.
Yabu Pushelberg, Marcel Wanders, and Pearson Lloyd each offer a distinct perspective beyond function: from capturing the warmth of daily life, to creating moments of surprise, to instilling timeless value through rational clarity. Meanwhile, Chinese architect Ma Yansong expands the dialogue with a large-scale mirrored installation, engaging light, space, and human interaction. Together, these creative forces converge to articulate HC28 maison’s global vision—rooted in Asian aesthetics yet open to the world. The exhibition is a confident statement of the brand’s ambition, a stage for cross-cultural exchange, and an incubator for envisioning future lifestyles.
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