MILAN, April – Sài Gòn’s District Eight returns to Salone del Mobile to present a platform of international collaborators in a collective quest to interpret Vietnamese contemporary design. New collections from participating studios include award-winning French designer Jean-Marie Massaud and Milan’s rising talents at studioutte, alongside established names such as Michele De Lucchi, Toan Nguyen, and Adam Goodrum.
District Eight’s created space is an open dialogue on Vietnam today, whose roots evolved through different historical periods and cultures, from neighboring countries to French Indochina and the West. Each studio crafts an intrinsic design language shaped by their individual explorations.
Jean-Marie Massaud and studioutte join District Eight in introducing new interpretations of Vietnamese contemporary design. The booth, conceived by studioutte, mediates dialogue between collaborators. Dark with subtle green undertones, the space reflects Vietnam’s prolific use of dark wood.
The moody tropical spirit—reminiscent of monsoon and dry seasons—is balanced through natural materials such as bamboo and wood, the backbone of traditional Vietnamese architecture. A bamboo curtain shades and reveals the façade, while modular rice-paper-lined partitions define intimate rooms. Focused lighting highlights the collections against dark, quiet negative spaces.
Jean-Marie Massaud presents the Lodge collection—folding chairs, stools, and bag holders inspired by travel and storied voyages to Vietnam. Lodge interconnects Western influences with Eastern sensibilities, underpinned by durability, ease, and timeless sophistication.
Studioutte’s Limen collection features low tables reduced to portal-like forms in red padouk wood, with blackened steel inlays and concealed trays. The collection distills Vietnamese contemporary design into stillness and serenity.
Collaborators
Italian maestro Michele De Lucchi presents the Inumbra modular shelving system—an unconventionally sculptural expression of utility and grace, inspired by Vietnam’s energetic spirit.
French-Vietnamese designer Toan Nguyen features the Joss sofa, an homage to shared cultural roots, while Adam Goodrum presents the Collette chair and stool, celebrating meticulous timber craftsmanship.
District Eight Collection
District Eight unveils signature pieces from its core collections—objects shaped by nuanced influences from Vietnam, Asia, and Europe. A sense of Asia remains inherent, more felt than pronounced.
From modern interpretations of ancient Asian gates to intricate weaving and solid Western woods, the collections reflect a sophisticated understanding of form, function, and recreation.
