Welcome to the T List, a newsletter from the editors of T Magazine. Every week we share things that we now eat, wear, listen to or covet. Register here to find us in your inbox every Wednesday. And you can always reach us at tlist.†
eat this
A standout dim sum restaurant in Paris
After traveling through China as a student – from Shanghai to Yunnan, Guangzhou and Beijing – to reconnect with her roots, Céline Chung returned to her native France with a dream of one day disrupting classic Chinese canteens with restaurants that would also emphasize style as well as the diversity of the kitchen. “I’m French-Chinese and inspired by my family’s heritage, but also by Paris – its sense of design and its gastronomic scene,” Chung says. Bleu Bao is the restorer’s third and most recent spot: designed by Atelieramo, the Paris-based interior design studio known for its work on prestigious salons in the Samaritaine department store, the bao and dim sum restaurant winks at traditional Chinese teahouses and incorporates bold materials and colours, especially the blue and white of traditional porcelain. The ground floor has velvet benches and an oversized reproduction of a Ming painting offset by neon yellow trim, while the upper level has more of a boudoir feel. Armchairs and daybeds replace tables and chairs, and Maison Martin Morel floral wallpaper inspired by Wong Kar-wai’s film “In the Mood for Love” set a romantic scene for tossing char siu bao, Dongpo pork, and ginger milk pudding. “I wanted to show a different side of Chinese food,” Chung says, “without the clichés.” 8 Rue Saint-Lazare, Paris, baofamily.co†
Avery Thatcher has developed a range of techniques over the course of her creative life, as evidenced by her Portland, Oregon-based wallpaper line Juju Papers — whose designs feature paper cutouts, sponge paintings, and serigraphs — and her namesake pigmented concrete tile company. This month, she celebrates the merger of the two companies into one design studio, Thatcher, with a collection of geometric Form pillows. The release reflects even more past endeavors, including her training in sculpture and a formative period in theatrical puppetry. “I’ve never had a traditional career path and I’ve notoriously always had so many jobs,” Thatcher says, “but I’ve really learned about craft and how to build things by working there.” Several colleagues from that gig helped build and develop the playful set of six, available in colors such as bottle green, dandelion and port wine. The cushions are upholstered with responsibly sourced New Zealand lambswool and filled with CertiPUR-US foam, in line with Thatcher’s carbon neutral status. Each can (somewhat literally) accentuate a space with a jolt of energetic color, and can be tossed around to wear. “My two kids break them down daily and they’ve kept their sculptural shape,” Thatcher says. from $200, thatcherstudio.com†
desire this
Handmade handbags from Celine
In the four years since he took over at Celine, creative director Hedi Slimane has made it a priority to reinvigorate the precision of haute couture and the intimacy – the multiple fittings required for each brief made for a close look. relationship between couturier and customer. After re-establishing a couture salon in the French fashion house in 2018 and re-introducing Celine’s perfumery in 2019, Slimane now focuses on leather goods with the Haute Maroquinerie collection. Each made-to-order handbag is crafted from start to finish by a single artisan at the brand’s leather factory in Tuscany, with two shapes on offer. The 16, a top-handle bag, is named after the address of Celine’s studio, 16 Rue Vivienne in Paris, while the Triomphe, a smaller shoulder bag, has a buckle similar to the wrought-iron chain that wraps around the arch of his namesake circles. Both bags are made of the best materials, with a range of customization options: clasps and hardware in 18-carat yellow or white gold, possible diamond details, goatskin interior and crocodile exterior in 14 shades, from inky black lacquer black to lovely lilac. Leave it to one of the most French homes to redefine luxury. Price on request, celine.com†
see this
Phaan Howng’s Neon Dystopia
In the imagined landscapes of Taiwanese American painter Phaan Howng, the flora has evolved to adopt a riot of Day-Glo shades as a survival tactic against years of toxic industrial waste in a post-Anthropocene future. It’s a theme the artist has explored since the late s, when she had a particularly tiring job at a South Florida electronics manufacturing company and became increasingly aware of the industry’s impact on the environment. “I didn’t want my mind to stay in that box forever,” she recalls. This month, Howng, now based in Baltimore, presents her first solo show in New York, “I’ll Be Back,” a meditation on domesticity, feminism, and the extractive history of houseplants. The practice of taming and trading nature in the home dates back to the Victorian era, and the artist’s research included Kate Chopin’s novel “The Awakening” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” as well as the sci -fi movie “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” Among the works is an immersive installation, staged as an interior awash with acid yellow, orange and fluorescent green plants and patterns, a dizzying array of paintings, sculptures, wallpaper, furniture and more, evoking a kind of desperate joy – an end-of- de-dag, rave-party aplomb.”I’ve always been interested in how people try to control and manipulate nature to fit their vision,” says Howng. “Why do we do that?” †I’ll Be Back” is on view until June 25 at Dinner Gallery, New York, dinnergallery.com†
“I’m naturally thirsty to understand the endless mystery of wine,” said Alessio de Sensi, the general manager of Italian restaurant Scarpetta in New York. This week, he begins to share that oenophilia and vast knowledge—he had his first harvest at age six in Italy’s Maremma, and received formal training through the Italian Sommelier Association—with VinVivo, a series of personal wine lessons. The first sessions, called ‘World of Wine’, will explain terminology, discuss tasting techniques and explore the history of winemaking while the students enjoy a three-course meal (and leave with a copy of Sensi’s book, ‘Uncork Your Senses’). These are lessons he first taught to his colleagues ten years ago as wine director at Minetta Tavern and continued when he joined Scarpetta in 2019, which LDV Hospitality founder John Meadow wanted to make accessible to the public. “Our greatest hope for our participants is that they will be empowered to find and drink what they really love,” Meadow says. $150 per ticket, exploretock.com†
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