Asia Major

Mark McMenamin -- Interior Design, 9/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

Suzanne Tick hydrating at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.

Tandus samples for presentations in Shanghai.

A doorway in Shanghai.

New Delhi women in colorful saris made in Rajasthan, India.

An acrylic facade rising in Seoul, South Korea.

The stone and aluminum facade of LaSalle College of Art, by RSP Architects, in Singapore.

Photography courtesy of Suzanne Tick.

She did London and Paris in her teens, Russia and Japan in her 20's, and now spends a quarter of her life on the road. So, what's a 20-day, seven-city tour of Asia to textile designer Suzanne Tick? Just another business trip, mostly.

Carpet producer Tandus, a frequent facilitator of the designer's vision, sent Tick packing in July, accompanied by company creative director—and Tick's partner—Terry Mowers. The itinerary was hectic: product presentations at Tandus in Shanghai; design lectures in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul, South Korea; marketing sessions in New Delhi and Bombay; a business partner conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Even so, Tick managed to bring back a slew of sensory souvenirs with her paperwork. In Kuala Lumpur, she says, the "spectacular" Petronas Towers and "most unusual" Islamic architecture made strong impressions. As did the stunning eye makeup barely visible through the black burkas of Muslim women, along with the "most intriguing political discussions" that turned evenings at a sales summit of global dealers into a mini United Nations. India was marked by the spicy aroma of meals at the Oberoi in New Delhi, the sight of sari-clad women during the requisite five-hour expedition to the Taj Mahal, and the sound of American rock and roll while nightclubbing in Bombay. Tokyo, however, spawned tangible mementos: shopping bags.

After tacking on a visit to her son in Copenhagen, Tick returned to New York for some real R&R with family on Fire Island. Did she allow work to interfere? "In between scrabble games," she confesses.

Suzanne Tick's Top 5 in Asia

1. 1. The 1,000-year-old trees on the Himatsinka textile plant grounds, outside Bangalore, India.

2. 2. Pedestrian traffic around the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

3. 3. Shopping in Tokyo.

4. 4. The French Concession of Shanghai.

5. 5. The Taj Mahal in Agra, India.