Who is the most famous interior decorator?

Steve Leung is one of the top ten designers in Hong Kong. He holds a bachelor's degree in architecture and a master's degree in urban planning from the University of Hong Kong. He has accumulated rich design experience. In 1997, he founded Steve Leung Architects Co., Ltd. and Steve Leung Design Co., Ltd.

Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, University of Hong Kong

Bachelor of Architecture, University of Hong Kong

Edit this paragraph Social Positions

Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects< /p>

Hong Kong registered architect

Member of Hong Kong Interior Design Association

Director of Steve Leung Architects Limited

Director of Steve Leung Designers Limited

1978 - Completed the Bachelor of Arts in Architecture program at the University of Hong Kong and worked as an architect assistant at Zhang Liu Architects

1981 - Completed the Bachelor of Architecture program at the University of Hong Kong with honors, Represented Hong Kong in Poland to participate in the International Architectural Student Design Competition and won multiple international awards

1986 - Obtained a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Hong Kong

1987 - Founded an architectural and urban planning consulting company< /p>

1997—

2001—Collaborated with MAXXA to launch the first set of furniture design – the “Yizhi” series; published a special collection of works of Steve Leung’s Simple Residence

2003 - Formed a partnership with famous Japanese designer Yasumi Fukada - Steve Leung·Fukada Yasumi Design Co., Ltd.; cooperated with MAXXA to launch the second set of furniture design "Fang Yuan" series, which was well received at home and abroad; published "Continuing Simplicity - Steve Leung" 》Collection of Works

2005——Established Guangzhou office. Cooperated with MAXXA to launch the third set of furniture design - "Linglong" series, attracting attention from the international market;

2006 - Organizing the Beijing office

2010 - Launching "Yizhi II" 》

2011——Established Chengdu office

Company achievements

The total number of employees exceeded 300, and mainland projects accounted for about 70%;

The scope of architecture and interior design has expanded to large-scale projects such as hotels

Domestic large-scale design projects are located in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Shijiazhuang, Dalian, Qingdao, Zhuhai, Ningbo, Cities such as Hefei, Chongqing and Chengdu.

Edit this paragraph’s achievements and honors

1999-2010 Won the Andrew Martin International Awards, known as the Oscars of interior design, for nine times, and was selected as One of the 31 famous interior designers in the world.

In 2002, the private club at Pok Fu Lam Road in Hong Kong won the private club category of the "2002 Asia Pacific Interior Design Awards", while the Guanlan Manor in Shenzhen won the Merit Award in the residential category.

In 2002, he won the "HKDA Design02 Show-Excellence Award" for several residential design projects such as Chelsea Court on Mount Gallett Road in Hong Kong and Guanlan Mansion in Shenzhen.

2004 Annual Media Award of "Modern Decoration" magazine; "Creative Power" Award of "Esquire Magazine".

2005 "Modern Decoration" (International) Interior Design Annual Media Award "The Most Influential Design of the Year"; Hong Kong Communication Arts Festival Top Ten Outstanding Designer Award; "Esquire" Fashion Designer of the Year; China Xinhua News Agency "Habitat" magazine's top ten media figures award.

2006 Top Ten Most Innovative Outstanding Persons in Chinese Enterprises; Outstanding Private Entrepreneurs in China.

2007 "Metropolitan Radio" "Master's Choice" Top Ten Most Outstanding Leaders; "Modern Decoration" Magazine Interior Design Annual Merit Award.

The 2008 Fifth Modern Decoration International Media Award Annual Popularity Award; the first Sohu Focus Home Network Designer Network Media Award Annual Designer Award and Annual Internet Popularity Award.

The 2009 Sixth Modern Decoration International Media Award for the Most Influential Design Team of the Year.

2010 Asia-Pacific Interior Design Biennial Awards Lifetime Achievement Award; China Interior Decoration Association's top ten influential figures in Chinese interior design.

Edit this paragraph’s media interview attitude

Shambhala: As far as we know, you have many titles, such as planner, architectural designer, interior designer, and furniture designer. Among these titles that are not the same as the famous designer Steve Leung, which one are you most accustomed to or like others to call you? Why?

Stefan Leung: Actually, I think that whether I am an architectural designer, planning designer or furniture designer, I am a life designer. In fact, design has a lot to do with people. In fact, design has a lot in common. Whether you are in fashion design or interior design, they all reflect people's attitude towards life in contemporary society. Of course, architectural design is on a different level than interior design. Architecture is timeless and practical. Interior design is a little bigger in terms of space division, so everything is a part of our lives and cannot be completely separated!

Shambhala: If that’s the case, then letting Wong Kar Wai do the interior design would also do a pretty good job? (Laughs...)

Steve Leung: Yes, on the other hand, if you let me make a movie, I can do a good job. (Laughs...)

Shambhala: If you were asked to make a movie, what genre would you choose?

Steve Leung: Actually, I am very interested in making movies, or advertising! In fact, I have many interests. If a person has feelings and understanding of life, no matter what he does, he will have a different view from others. This view often inspires many people. Let’s just say that Wong Kar Wai does interior design. Maybe he doesn’t know how to draw pictures or materials. But there must be a concept. He may not have designed the scenes in his movie, but he must have given a lot of input.

Actually, I studied architecture, and I have no professional interior design training. I learned it while working. I really couldn’t grasp some things at the beginning, but I have a concept. Know what my requirements are. Then I asked my designer to come up with a plan for me. I thought this was good, but I had to make changes to that. In fact, technology is really not difficult, and you can master it slowly. But the main thing is that the concepts are the same, and they all have the same expression and understanding of life.

Shambhala: You first studied architectural design, and then did interior design. This is a process from large to small, and then from home design to furniture design. The scope of this design is Continuously shrinking, this process from macro to micro to specific, what kind of accumulation does this require on your part?

Steve Leung: I think this is a very logical and reasonable process. Many famous foreign architects do interior design, and many classic interior designs are also completed by architects. If an architect has requirements for his own building, he will also take over the interior design, otherwise he will feel very dissatisfied. Many media have asked me what my goal is and what direction I will go in the future. I will say that in addition to furniture, I will also go to product design, including: wine bottles and handbags; I also hope that starting from a restaurant, I will have my own. hotel. If I really have the opportunity to own a hotel, it would be my ultimate dream. (Haha...) A hotel includes guest rooms, restaurants, bars, and front desks. A hotel is a place where everyone can enjoy it together. Whether you are dining or working, it should feel like home. A hotel includes all parts of life. The media also asks me what I want to do after retirement, and I tell them that I want to be a chef in a hotel restaurant. I joked with TONNY (Ji Yutang) about why he designs so many restaurants. He said it’s because he likes to eat. In fact, I also like to eat. Everywhere I go, I go to different restaurants and eat different dishes. I helped my mom cook when I was little, but not much. So now I am still very interested in learning to be a chef. Like many famous chefs nowadays, they prepare their own ingredients, including soy sauce and the like. This is the same reason! As an interior designer, I design my mugs, furniture, and products myself. That would be more perfect. So if you want to be more perfect, you have to start with something very small.

Shambhala: In terms of furniture, you have designed three series for MAXXA. Why did you choose to cooperate with MAXXA in the first place, and why did you choose to cooperate with MAXXA for such a long time? Judging from the superficial signs, this The cooperative relationship will continue for a long time!

Steve Leung: Cooperating with MAXXA is actually a very accidental opportunity.

I have also said before that my first set of furniture was designed for myself. Later, when I went to Shanghai to open a company, the company happened to have a loft, which was my office, so I placed this set of furniture there. Because it is original, many people come to me and ask me if this set of furniture is for sale. So I asked the manufacturer to customize it for me. This was the beginning of me designing and selling furniture.

About half a year later, through a friend’s introduction, I met the boss of MAXXA. He said that they also wanted to make furniture and it was original. His philosophy clicked with mine. Because I found that I can only design furniture. If I were asked to manage it, I would not be good at service or delivery. During those 6 months, my furniture was selling very well, but there were also many complaints. It’s not that my design is bad, it’s because it’s custom-made, the quantity is small, and there’s no fixed manufacturer, so the furniture that comes out is different. There are also losses during shipping. I concluded that business is not easy, and I am not a business person. So when MAXXA proposed cooperation, I was extremely happy. I didn't have to worry about anything else and just concentrated on design. Now, production, promotion and service are all managed by MAXXA. Now I have designed three series for MAXXA, and through the relationship with MAXXA, I made a set of furniture for a Japanese company at the beginning of this year. This set of furniture will be launched in Japan in September this year. This kind of furniture is specially designed for small Japanese families. They specially invited me to come and let me see a lot of wood craftsmanship. There is a place called Aoyama in Japan, which is an ancient city. There are many carpenters here. Why? That's because this ancient city is right next to Kyoto, which used to be the capital of Japan. There are many wooden buildings there, and those buildings are made by these carpenters. They are passed down from generation to generation, so the best wooden buildings in Japan come from here. I stayed here for several days to see their craftsmanship, visit their factories, and then use a Hong Kong or Chinese perspective to understand Japanese culture and then make it. So Japanese companies are still very satisfied.

Pursuit

Shambhala: Your design style is mainly modern and simple. I heard that your family education is very strict. Does this have anything to do with your simple style? What are the main elements that go into your minimalist style?

Steve Leung: There are many aspects! Generally speaking, people's lives are all about pursuing a comfortable lifestyle. People live for themselves and not for others. This is a modern attitude towards life. This attitude towards life has a lot to do with simple style. My family background has a lot to do with my personality! I was born in a big family, my father is the eldest son, and I am the eldest grandson. My grandfather had high hopes for me, but I was not good at studying, so I chose to study architecture.

Since childhood, our family’s educational requirements have been very high, and we are never allowed to go to school barefoot or in shorts. These details make life very regular from childhood to now. I work very efficiently and have very high requirements for details. This may have something to do with the simple style!

Shambhala: If many details come together, it may not necessarily reach a very simple state. Regularity will cause constant repetition, which will lead to the fusion of many styles.

Steve Leung: I don’t think that should be the case. How does a designer do a good job in design? Nowadays, many designers are doing very well, including some designers in our company. They are all very talented, but sometimes I still have to modify their designs! That's because they all have the same shortcoming, which is that they don't know how to give up. Especially young designers want to express their concepts through a case or project. But there are too many ideas, and when they are put into the same project, there will be too many. When asked to choose, they don't know how to choose. So it is important to have the ability to make this choice. However, the selection situation is different in different projects. Just like ordering food at a restaurant, your order will go faster if you know what you want to eat. Or you want to eat too much and can't decide, and you don't know what to order after looking at this menu for a long time. So ordering food is the same as this choice.

Shambhala: So if there are some cases of design failure, how would you look at it?

Steve Leung: It is impossible to fail in completion, but the results of some projects did not meet my ideals. There are many reasons for this. It may be the wrong choice, or the combination, craftsmanship, or materials, but my concept is good.

In the process, there are some factors that cause many projects to have varying degrees of regret when they come out.

Shambhala: This society is very realistic. Many customers value Steve Leung’s brand effect, so your work cannot make any mistakes or even slip.

Steve Leung: You touched on my heart (haha...) In fact, I am really under a lot of pressure. My pressure is not on how to find customers, but on how to do a good job in a project. If I don't do well, the worst possible thing is that customers will stop patronizing me, or they will say something bad about Steve Leung. But I can't bear this kind of punishment. If the project is not effective because our work is not done well, this is what saddens me the most. But in this process, we work hard. There are some external factors that we cannot control, or the customer requires too many modifications, which makes us unable to proceed, and we will choose to stop midway.

Shambhala: You said before that you are not a very good operator, but now you also run your own design company. And it's very well run. I would like to ask if you are just a design director in your company, or do you also play the role of an operator?

Steve Leung: I am a director and producer, and I occasionally play supporting roles. In my company, there are three directors in the design department alone. They are responsible for different design matters, and they all manage the operation very well. I just need to grasp the general direction and set the direction for future development. This is very important. Our company has been improving from the beginning to the present. You know me because I have built many clubs and model houses. Now we are gradually starting to work on hotel projects, which include domestic, Hong Kong and foreign countries. Therefore, I hope to adjust the company from model houses to hotels, and make it international so that it can break out of Hong Kong, go out of Asia, and go global.

Shambhala: Speaking of internationalization, as you are at the forefront of the design industry, what responsibilities and burdens do you have for the development of China's design industry?

Leung Steve: I don’t feel too much pressure, I try my best. Relatively speaking, we are lucky. We are a group of designers who have taken the lead. We will continue to do better on a good basis, but this ideal is not for me personally or for my company. The driving force behind this is for the Chinese, Chinese designers to create an international level. This is also my personal goal and the goal of fellow designers. We are now telling young designers about this goal, and we will rely on them to carry it forward in the future.

Shambhala: Domestic design development is very rapid, but the foundation is very weak. When do you think there will be a designer comparable to yours in China?

Steve Leung: Yes, there should be. There are a lot of domestic resources, including human resources. I now see many young designers, including designers about my age. Some of them have already done very well, or have great potential. Some people say that most domestic designs are copied. I think this may or may not be true. Hong Kong is different from China. There are also many copies in Hong Kong, but China is rich in resources and you can see many replicas. In fact, no, there are still many good things in China, including furniture design. If you go to the Furniture Exhibition Center in Dongguan to see it, there are many innovative things, but it just takes time to improve. So China still has great potential!

Topic

Shambhala: What are the next arrangements?

Steve Leung: I graduated from college in 1981, founded my own company in 1987, and the company was reorganized in 1997. I am also 50 years old, so next year there will be a theme called 10, 20, 50. Next year I plan to publish a book and also hold a personal touring exhibition. It is tentatively scheduled to be held in three cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Shambhala: What kind of exhibition is this?

Steve Leung: It is an exhibition of my personal works, including architecture, interiors, furniture, and if I can make it in time, there will also be products.

Shambhala: How do you plan to design the exhibition hall for your traveling exhibition?

Steve Leung: I haven’t thought about this yet because the location hasn’t been determined yet. But the design is not the most important, the important thing is the work I show. I think you will definitely feel different when you walk into my showroom. Some things are very insightful.

Shambhala: You have mentioned before that you want to be a chef and open a restaurant.

So what is your restaurant design like?

Steve Leung: I’m so quick to think about it. I might open a restaurant in Hong Kong by the end of this year, but it’s just a preliminary idea. (You see, I just can’t keep a secret haha... I’ve always thought about not telling it. , don’t say it)

Shambhala: When you communicate with the media, most of them will say that your hobby lies in design, and you rarely mention your desire to be a chef!

Steve Leung: I have mentioned it before. Now this interest is getting stronger and stronger. I plan to invest in a restaurant in the near future, starting from a small restaurant.

Shambhala: Is it because I travel a lot and don’t eat good food?

Steve Leung: Yes...yes...I think there should be a place that is my own territory. Enjoy a meal here or celebrate with friends.

Edit this paragraph Style Concept Family Influence

In general, people’s life is to pursue a comfortable lifestyle. People live for themselves and not for others. This is a modern attitude towards life. This attitude towards life has a lot to do with simple style. Steve Leung’s family background has a lot to do with his character! Steve Leung was born in a big family. Steve Leung's father was the eldest son, and Steve Leung was the eldest grandson. His grandfather had high hopes for Steve Leung, but Steve Leung was not good at studying, so he chose to study architecture. The educational requirements of the family since childhood were very high, and Steve Leung was never allowed to go to school barefoot or in shorts. These details make life very regular from childhood to now. Steve Leung is very efficient in his work and has very high requirements for details. This may have something to do with his simple style! Steve Leung feels that this shouldn’t be the case. How does a designer do a good job in design? Nowadays, many designers are doing very well, including some designers from Steve Leung's company. They are all very talented, but sometimes Steve Leung still has to modify their designs! That's because they all have the same shortcoming, which is that they don't know how to give up. Especially young designers want to express their concepts through a case or project. But there are too many ideas, and when they are put into the same project, there will be too many. When asked to choose, they don't know how to choose. So it is important to have the ability to make this choice. However, the selection situation is different in different projects. Just like ordering food at a restaurant, your order will go faster if you know what you want to eat. Or you want to eat too much and can't decide, and you don't know what to order after looking at this menu for a long time. So ordering food is the same as this choice.