Good wine needs no bush, well, most of the time. BuildMost launched a special column to interview designers. Designers can exchange design ideas with global counterparts. Contact us to get people to know about your design brand, your team, and your excellent design cases.
"Every space is unique in its own way. We just need to feel and dig into every space's uniqueness to make it more valuable and charming"
Designer Yi Wen
Founder of Jianzhu Space Design
In a city like Beijing, it’s such a challenge for anyone to find an “ideal home”. However, designers like Yi Wen help people achieve that with the power of design. This time designer Yi Wen shared her thoughts on interior design with us.
Q: How do you see yourself as an interior designer?
A: I prefer to call myself a "home designer". Home is ultimately what matters to people. A house is a room with a roof, but it takes a lot more to call a house home.
In my understanding, residential design deals with the relationships between people and space. How to build a quality life for people in an originally messy or blank space has become what a “home designer” should do. The biggest charm of this profession to me is that it helps fruits grow out of wilt branches, and magically make deserts into oases.
I do love what I do so I pride it as my profession.
Q: Do you highly respect the potential of a space? Can you talk more about this & your design philosophy?
A: Well, I believe that every space is unique in its own way. We just need to feel and dig into every space's uniqueness to make it more valuable and charming.
But as a home designer, my job would not be simple to draw something but also help land the design. My client will feel and experience the conveniences brought by a design that has been considered from different senses (touch, taste, smell, see, and hear). I believe a good design can do a lot of good.
Before Vs After
Two-room Apartment Design Case
I like Japanese architect Kengo Kuma a lot. His design isn’t a pile of flamboyance. He uses the most common materials and arranges them masterfully to make great architecture again and again. Through his works, I can feel his heart so pure and natural. I hope that the design that I do would also bring natural materials into people’s houses. In terms of decoration materials, I believe it’s important to choose the right ones over the expensive ones.
Q: You have been in this industry long enough to found your own design brand “Jianzhu Space Design”. What motivated you to do that？
A: I have been in the interior design industry for 13 years. I took after my parents to be adventurous and daring to try new things.
In the past, I mainly had a say over the technical aspects of the business. I suddenly had to lead the studio from different perspectives now, which I don’t have strong confidence over. But after a few years of tumbling over here and there, I learned to deal with things with an open mind. Now I think the studio is on the right track and this makes me really happy.
Q: How did you find out BuildMost platform?
A: I came into contact with BuildMost probably in June or July. After talking to BuildMost support, I found out that many of my designer friends have already joined BuildMost. Knowing this made me feel closer to BuildMost platform.
I have tried BuildMost platform. I think BuildMost presents a brand-new model that connects project owners and developers with designers and product suppliers. I think the potential of the platform is enough reason for designers to explore. Thus, I joined BuildMost and am willing to use BuildMost to explore design opportunities.
Q: I saw that you recently uploaded a design case, could you please introduce this design case?
A: This is a project that I have done recently and I can say I’m satisfied with it. This is also a project where I challenged myself to be innovative as a “home designer” and made me truly understand the life of the project owner.
This is a small 64 square meters two-room apartment in Chaoyang District, Beijing. I tried to optimize the space layout to make the functionalities complete (two bedrooms, two living rooms, one kitchen, and one bathroom). While doing all that, I would still meet the design requirements of the project owners (a mother and her daughter): minimal, tidy, clean, bright, and with the warmth of a home. In this design, I think I managed to put the functionalities first without sacrificing the aesthetics.
This interior design is mainly in creamy color with a touch of olive green and walnut-colored furniture, making the space gentle, restrained, calm, and low-profile. With the soft yellow spotlight and round lighting products, creamy white cabinets, creamy color wall, low-saturation gray ceramic tiles, and white color cotton fabric sofa, this space is warm, natural, comfortable, and elegant in both sunny and cloudy weather.
Q: How do you talk to clients as a project unfolds?
A: Time has changed. For super cities in China, people put higher demands on their residential design.
The first time meeting a client, I would talk to him/her to understand what are his/her expectations for this design. I would introduce the decoration processes to him/her like how a project would be divided into different sections and who would complete what tasks. Then I will analyze the status of the house and give reasonable suggestions based on his/her needs. Generally, I would use past design cases as examples to explain. With all this, it would be a lot easier to land the project successfully.
As a female designer, I am more sensitive to the choice of furniture and living habits. I pride myself on being able to grasp the small details, making great color choices, and eventually creating a space that is comfortable to live in for its users. Many project owners have recognized that.
This design case is great proof of that. The low-saturation ceramic tiles on the living room floor are the choice of the project owner and me. I went to a building material market for ceramic tiles products with her to select and purchase. I recommended that with the use of tiles of this color and a tender creamy color wall, the living room would be much brighter and more spacious.
Q: Can you talk about your designer career?
A: I have done a lot of projects ever since I have been in this industry. Previously I mainly do public decoration projects, as a rookie I have done an oversea hotel construction drawing for my friend. I was under tremendous pressure while doing research to optimize the drawings. Many members of the team slept in the studio to meet the deadline and we did successfully hand in the construction drawing. Now I recalled that experience and it reminds me of that old saying: “Those who know nothing fear nothing.”
As for the future, I want to get somewhere in the field of residence design. I won’t make the most beautiful designs, but I do want to become an “understanding life” designer recognized by people.
In addition, I have study tour plans for architecture design. I think be it interior design or architectural design, the space large or small, it all comes down to the designer. The craftsmanship of a designer can help create ideal homes for people.
BuildMost is an O2O industrial Internet platform for global real estate, engineering, building materials, equipment, and design industry chain.
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