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Interview with Tony Lau Chi-Hoi |
Home > Designer Interviews > Tony Lau Chi-Hoi |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Tony Lau Chi-Hoi (TLC) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Tony Lau Chi-Hoi by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
TLC: I graduated from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. I firmly believe that I was born to be a designer. One can never be able to acquire the burning passion towards beauty and aesthetics with the help of any external force.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
TLC: NowHere ® Design Ltd. is a Hong Kong based enterprise specializing in the following aspects: space design, branding, project management, contracting, furniture design, sustainability consults and gardening, with projects, products and services reaching clients all over Asia.
FS: What is "design" for you?
TLC: To me, design is my life and faith. It’s definitely my live-long passion. I live for it.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
TLC: sustainable design and social innovation
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
TLC: Philippe Starck's Juicy Salif lemon squeezer. revolutionary as it is surprisingly functional
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
TLC: Its corporate identity, how to balance commercial value and social value.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
TLC: eco friendly material, innovation and smart technology.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
TLC: Basically any time throughout the day, especially when I’m inside the bathroom.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
TLC: The aspect of the space or facility being barrier-free, easily accessible to disabled people.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
TLC: Indescribable joy and even ecstasy, almost going hyper!
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
TLC: Lost and might somehow depressed.
FS: What makes a design successful?
TLC: The designer’s aspiration to “do small things with great love”.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
TLC: Its originality, aesthetics, functionality, the meaning and concept, as well as its market value.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
TLC: Just like any other enterprise, a design firm should bear in mind, its “social corporate responsibilities”, or the mission of fostering “social innovation”. Incorporate as much environmentally-friendly elements into your designs as possible!
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
TLC: As quality of life improves as time goes by, he noticed that more luxurious and playful designs are in the market. Functions of environmental protection and social innovations are also included, to combat social injustice.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
TLC: I aspire to hold my next exhibition in a high-end couture store.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
TLC: Inspirations simply comes from my live and experiences.
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
TLC: I would like to fill my designs with elegance, simplicity, advocate social innovations at the same time.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
TLC: As a designer from Hong Kong, a former British colony and a current Special Administrative Region of China, designers who underwent the British education system and witnessed the handover of Hong Kong, are more inclined to British and European styles, myself included. An advantage is, Hong Kong designers are situated in a highly-internationalized environment. We can absorb elements and styles from across countries, combining them into the best solutions.
FS: How do you work with companies?
TLC: start with good relationship.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
TLC: Sounds quite cliché but mutual trust and respect between different parties involving in a design and construction project is a must. In the case of Hong Kong, there are no official governmental licenses nor registration systems provided to interior designers. The clients themselves have to select their designers based on reputation and trust.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
TLC: I visit the site, conduct research about it, analyze the general picture, define problems and needs of the client. Come up with design concepts and themes, develop the detailed style and finally, carry out the technical execution of the construction.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
TLC: Light fixtures, the sofa, coffee machine, the audio and video system, and the cooking stove.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
TLC: Serve the net, meditation, eat, movies and music. I work around-the-clock.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
TLC: Stay hungry, stay foolish. Be presentable anytime, always strive to absorb new information and knowledge!
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
TLC: Positives: Being able to design and study all kinds of beautiful articles and beings. Negatives: It’s an extremely time, energy and effort-consuming job!
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
TLC: Do small things with great love!
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
TLC: Finding the crux of the problem and solve it by means of design.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
TLC: I sketch drafts and blueprints of my design, I need only pens and papers most of the time.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
TLC: As mentioned before, I design around-the-clock. There’s no such thing as time-management to me!
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
TLC: The design process does not end when I receive payment from my client. It’s never-ending, as this piece will always be on my mind. I will keep reflecting on points that I could have been improved.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
TLC: The clients always ask me about the cost and price of my projects for sure! Instead of telling them the fixed price, I focus more on the value and function of the project when I explain to them my proposal.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
TLC: A charity organization once asked me to design a home for a disabled lady who had to live the rest of her life on a wheelchair. I was only given a tight budget of only $5000HKD, and I had to make sure my design complies with all the rigid laws and regulations of housing, construction and fire safety. The lady herself was skeptical about my ability as well.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
TLC: One of them is the Mexican Consulate. The project was a 3-year cultural festival called “Mexican September”, held around a decade ago. I was in charge of the branding design and management of the event, as well as the site decoration etc. It was an awesome experience! My clients of interior design also include clinics, clubhouses, residents, churches etc.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
TLC: Light fixtures, furniture and interior soft furnishing. I love to explore the endless possibilities that could happen between human, their living and working space and the environment.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
TLC: I will design more products for instance, home accessories!
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
TLC: Yet I love to situate myself within a team! Sparks, new ideas are generated through collective effort and intense review and discussions.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
TLC: I am currently working on some interactive design solutions to both commercial and residential spaces, best described as projects related to technology, intelligence and “smart city”.
FS: How can people contact you?
TLC: Phone: (+852) 2117 8030 or email: info@nowherehk.com
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
TLC: art design culture
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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