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Photograph of the afternoon tea table layout, including Lim's colourful sculptural stands with floral crockery.

Hannah Lim designs afternoon tea stands that "capture the essence of Bulgari"

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Emerging London-based artist Hannah Lim has created a unique set of cake stands and snuff pots for the Bulgari hotel in London.

The sculptural artist reimagined the traditional afternoon tea stand in her signature style with a vibrant, acrylic plate clasped between geometric cutouts that act as the stand's legs.

Photograph of artist, Hannah Lim with her afternoon tea stands designed for the Bvlgari collaboration.
Hannah Lim designed a set of afternoon tea stands for Bulgari Hotel London

The frame of the tea stand was designed as a nod to the setting of a jewel, intended to reference Bulgari's jewellerymaking legacy.

"I wanted the stands to be a reflection of my sculptural practice but to also capture the essence of Bulgari," Lim told Dezeen.

A photograph of an orange-coloured variation of the tea stand on the table with floral crockery.
The stands were created to complement the Bulgari hotel interior

The cutout style of the stand is a hallmark of Lim's work, inspired by traditional Chinese paper cut designs and Chinoiserie-style fretwork.

"I think heritage is an important part of the works created for Bulgari, both my personal heritage and the heritage of the hotel and brand are very significant in all aspects of the designs produced for the collaboration," explained Lim.

Photograph of a set of Lim's sculptural afternoon tea stands in different colours.
Lim's sculptural stands come in an array of colours, shapes and sizes

The artwork aims to engage with the historic relationship between the east and the west, focusing on the theme of Orientalism and the colonial implications of Chinoiserie – an 18th century aesthetic trend which appropriated elements of Chinese design for European tastes.

Lim explains her work as an attempt to "reimagine [Chinoiserie] in a more informed and conscientious way".

A photograph of a green and orange snuff pot designed by Lim, decorated with an enchanted creature from Chinese mythology.
The snuff pots were informed by Chinese mythology

Lim also designed recreations of traditional Chinese snuff bottles to accompany the sculptural tea stands, many of which are anthropomorphic with features such as eyes, arms and legs.

The ornate pots have playful forms decorated with plants and enchanted creatures inspired by Chinese mythology.

A photograph displaying an anthropomorphic recreation of a traditional Chinese snuff pot.
Lim's snuff pots have been anthropomorphised

Lim's furniture-like pieces have also been paired with matching linens with the aim of transforming the Bulgari Hotel London lounge into a space that offers a unique afternoon tea experience.

"I was conscious to create a design that would transform the hotel, with bold colours and striking shapes but would also complement the existing style of the lounge," said Lim.

A photograph of the mini pastry collections made for the collaboration.
Salvatore Mungiovino's pastries were inspired by Lim's designs

Bulgari Hotel London's pastry chef-in-residence Salvatore Mungiovino created an afternoon tea menu with a fusion of Asian and European flavours to complement Lim's design concept.

Other recent releases from Bulgari include the world’s thinnest watch and a serpent-informed watch designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando.

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