ANDRE FU Architectural Interior Designer Andre Fu was born in Hong Kong and educated in England. He graduated from Cambridge University in 2000 and created his firm, AFSO, the same year. Inspired by Hong Kong’s evanescent and urbane energy, he moved back in 2004 to add his signature style to some of the region’s most recognisable hotels including the The Waldorf Astoria in Bangkok, Shangri-La Tokyo as well as the award-winning Hong Kong hotel The Upper House, fashion brand COS and the Opus Suite at London’s Berkeley Hotel. What initially got you interested in interior architecture? As a teenager, I was always interested in the emotional impact of spatial design, especially in the context of how an environment could impact one’s behaviour. What is your creative process? Typically, my design process begins with a series of prolonged dialogues with the hotelier or the owner. I always believe that my role is to translate a vision into an environment for guests to be indulged. I would also visit the site and try to negotiate the flow and identify the views. This follows with a series of workshops with my team to explore, to create, and to refine the experience. 48
Andre Fu Living
How has this process changed to observe the challenges and issues around the Pandemic? During the past few months, a majority of my design meetings have been conducted digitally. What I have learnt from communicating on design with digital platforms is that all of the information has to be extremely precise and clear; photos of materials ought to be reviewed carefully as a slight deviation from the true colour could strongly affect the perception of the scheme. On a separate note, my personal outlook of what everyone has learnt from the pandemic is to focus on design solutions that would create meaningful experiences, with all the health and safety measures in mind. Our ways of living has always evolved with time and the challenges to create good design that caters to the future of living will allow designers to think more creatively. What is the number one piece of advice you would like to tell new designers? Good design takes years to realise and a lot of obstacles ought to be overcome in the process. The key is to endure the duration that it takes to create something that will stand the test of time.
