“I’ve always had an affinity to table ware. My parents are from Morocco and they would entertain with many dinners. For Shabbat, there would always be a beautifully set table. I would be the first to ask, ‘Can I lay the table?’ – it was my thing,” says Elad Yifrach, the founder and creative director of New York based lifestyle brand, L’Objet.

Yifrach will now be casting his discerning eye on Lane Crawford’s Yintai Centre Beijing store, creating inspiring sets for tables as well as a special ‘wall’ of exquisite pieces. “I want to make something like a cabinet of curiosities - a highly curated and edited display,” he says.

Curiosity cabinets or ‘wunderkammer,’ as they are known in German, emerged in the 16th century to display a disparate collection of pieces. Antiques, found objects and geological stones would be arranged in a glass cabinet to create a ‘theatre of the world.’ For artists, noblemen and scientists, these showcases would serve not just as a decorative display but would serve to trigger the intellect as well as the imagination.

Just like those collectors in centuries past, Yifrach shares a love of storytelling. His pieces are crafted to hold memories and invoke dreams – indulgences that can be forgotten in our digitally ‘wired’ times. “ This revolving and evolving ‘wall’ is about beautiful stories,” he says. Within this world, the designer has created a collection including fine Limoges porcelain hand painted in 24k gold; to crocodile leather desk accessories, delicious candles and exquisite animal figurines.

“The word ‘luxury’ is overused, but I believe in decorative pieces that make us dream and smile and that excite an emotional connection,” says Yifrach who works with artisans across the globe. “ I look to update old world techniques with a modern sensibilities,’ he adds. “Time does not lie and L’Objet is about honouring the history of ‘making’.”

Inspired by Yifrach’s love of travel and the powerful olfactory reminders that are so linked with our memories of a destination, fragrance is also now part of the L’Objet world. Developed with the famed ‘nose,’ Yann Vasnier, The Parfums de Voyage collection includes No. 6, No. 28 and No. 75.

Arriving in store in July, expect the unexpected as Yifrach turns his eye to games and illusions with L’Objet’s latest collection ‘Smoke & Mirrors.’

Featuring an array of decadent materials in amongst the fantastical concepts, there’s everything from supersized crocodile leather covered dice to beaming gold-framed clocks and a white porcelain rabbit with 24k gold painted ears. Let the magic unfold.