Header: Hanmo Vision-Yi Gao
HC28 Maison, a global brand known for its high-end furniture and complete cabinet systems, recently presented a new exhibition called “The Mirror of Emotion.” The show pulls together four major international designers: Ma Yansong, Yabu Pushelberg, Marcel Wanders, and Pearson Lloyd. The entire event is a design conversation between different cultures, looking at the many ways we might live in the future.
Neighbourhood of design
The exhibition is set up like a modern city neighbourhood. Visitors begin their journey in a ‘museum’ area that showcases individual, standalone furniture pieces. From there, they walk into fully furnished rooms created with the brand’s integrated cabinet and furniture solutions. The experience finishes in a ‘central plaza,’ where Ma Yansong’s large art installation, “Moodcraft,” encourages people to stop and think.
Ma Yansong’s reflective spaceship
“Moodcraft” is an eye-catching mirrored installation conceived by architect Ma Yansong. It hangs from the ceiling like a spacecraft from another dimension. Its reflective surfaces bounce and bend the images of the room around it. At times, it seems to fit right in, and at other times, it looks like it’s disappearing completely. It breaks reality down into moving pieces.
“It felt as if a spaceship had landed in a home,” Ma Yansong said. He explained that the installation isn’t just a mirror but a tool that changes how you see things. Familiar scenes get turned upside down, angled, or broken apart. This makes you ask a deeper question: is the reality we see truly real, or just a collection of partial views and old habits?
Yabu Pushelberg’s global take on Chinese style
The furniture from Yabu Pushelberg in the show combines the studio’s famous international viewpoint with a deep awareness of Chinese ways of living. They looked at traditional Chinese cultural ideas and re-imagined them in a modern way, so they fit easily into today’s life.
“We wanted to highlight the beauty of form, color, and structure – qualities deeply rooted in Chinese craftsmanship, architecture, and design.”
Glenn Pushelberg
When viewed through a Western perspective, these traditional ideas take on a very contemporary look, giving them a bold, outgoing personality.
Pearson Lloyd’s playful mirrors and philosophy
Pearson Lloyd‘s work for the show displays a connection between Chinese philosophy and Western sculptural shapes. They got ideas from the Chinese concept of yin-yang and the large, heavy art of Western sculptor Richard Serra. Their pieces look at how small changes in where you stand can alter your experience of a space and change your feelings.
For Luke Pearson, “Mirror is a fascinating material because it allows us to see ourselves, though never a true reflection.” Their mirrored coffee table is a fun reminder not to take yourself too seriously – what you see in the reflection is never your whole self, just little pieces.
Marcel Wanders and the sculptural peacock lounger
In his work for HC28 Maison, Marcel Wanders connects expressive shapes with practical use. He shows a real command of creative balance.
“I wanted the lounger to feel sculptural – like a peacock – something that’s just there because it’s pretty,” Marcel explained. The peacock became the main idea for the piece. It was carefully shaped using specific details, materials, and forms to become a lounger that is bold, elegant, and clearly beautiful.
A global vision for future homes
Yabu Pushelberg, Marcel Wanders, and Pearson Lloyd each give a different view that goes beyond just usefulness. They capture the warmth of daily life, make moments of surprise, or add lasting value through clear, rational design. At the same time, Chinese architect Ma Yansong widens the conversation with his big mirrored artwork, which interacts with light, space, and the people in it.
These creative designers come together to show HC28 Maison’s worldwide perspective, one that starts with Asian aesthetics but is open to the whole world. The exhibition is a confident display of the brand’s goals, a place for cultural exchange, and a space for imagining new ways of living.
Project info
Curated and Presented by: HC28 maison
Photo Credits:
Space: Hanmo Vision-Yi Gao, LIN SHU, GUAN LI
Group Portrait: RUOHAN DENG
