--Ningbo Decoration interview Mr. Lin Wenge in August 2009
China's cultural heritage to the world of creativity and design is a very rich resource library. We should learn from the West 20 years ago, but still blindly follow others now is a matter worthy of reflection.
___ Lin Wenge
Shenzhen's interior design is the best in China. In this highly entrepreneurial passion and innovative qualities city, gathered a group of talented interior designers, they play a pivotal role together in the modern interior design area. Lin Wenge is one of them. From a designer's perspective, he shows his deep love of Chinese traditional culture. In his eyes, from the film, fashion, industrial modeling, architectural design, etc., the penetration of Chinese elements are all captured and amplified. In June 2009, Lin Wenge's works Nanhu 1921 Holiday Hotel win the Space Design Competition Luxury / Upscale Hotel (luxury / upscale hotel) category first prize of Hotel Hospitality Design Awards in the United States; on the international stage once again showed his strength and style.
Ningbo Decoration: Hello, Mr. Lin! First of all congratulations to you for your work win the hotel Design Competition Award by the U.S. Hospitality Design Awards. Please tell us about this project?
Lin Wenge: This hotel project is a five-star resort hotel which carried out by a design team led by me and finished at the end of the year before last year. there was a small episode when we got this project. The investor of this project discussed this design business with a famous Shanghai Taiwanese designer before, but the designer believed that this project was a fake antique building, and gave up. Thus, we have a chance to explore and practice.
This project is located in Jiaxing South Lake Scenic Area, and the famous "Yanyu Lou" is across the lake, has superb cultural landscape and the natural landscape. We did a lot of research work with the owners after we got the project. We visited some old towns of south China, such as Nanxi, Wuzhen, Xitang, Tongli and ect. We also went to Jiaxing boat museum, Jiaxing museums and other cultural sites, to capture some creative inspiration and design motif elements. How can we make history, present and future as well as national culture, geographical features, business climate, and many other elements in harmony with each other, is the key issues we face. How to make the city, construction, integration of environmental aspects of coordination, to coexist with nature, is the direction of our efforts.
The project's original function as a scenic tourist area of South Lake commercial supporting the project, is a commercial street, lack of the intrinsic link between buildings. Since investors got the development rights, they organize the design company and management agency re-position and evaluate. We all thought that in such a favorable cultural landscape and the natural landscape location for a business is really a waste of Water Street. Coupled with the lack of five-star hotel in JIaxing, we all agreed that here, to create a five-star resort is fully equipped with the conditions and basis. After consensus, original building was converted, in accordance with the standards of international five-star hotel planning and design. It has achieved the desired results, and become Jiaxing State Guesthouse, won the praise of the community.
Ningbo Decoration: We often see the shadow of some Chinese elements in your work. What do you think about traditional Chinese culture in the design of the application?
Lin Wenge: Nation, is the world.
Currently there are many high-end clubs in Mainland, spared no expense to hire foreign designers, his best at nothing extravagant, but without taking into account the specific audience and to get a less effective results. We worship foreign things by long distances, but ignore the essence of Chinese culture around. But I believe this situation is slowly changing through the recent projects our team have, and we find that more and more of the owners of our project has a strong ethnic characteristics.
Domestic enterprises and interior design industry are lack of confidence at the moment. In other words, even if the heart has confidence factor, but also a lack of effective means of expression. Chinese elements are the essence of Chinese culture. It continues into our modern life. Also played the role of national culture heritage. It is a unique Chinese characteristics of the internal and external. Both the specific physical material, but also metaphysical ideology. Even Chinese elements is full of charm and connotation, and also need the right combination of content and innovation, rather than the use that is wonderful. Chinese elements are everywhere, the key is to absorb and tap these things. That is how to put Chinese people's ideas, values, ideas, Including visible, and also invisible ingredient, into the world. We have to wake up an idea and awareness not just spread. To give yourself a more or less historical mission, We regard all these elements into the process to trial, if not this year, then next year we re-use, but this consciousness must be developed.
Ningbo Decoration: In recent years, theme restaurants has gradually become investment hot spots in catering industry, What do you think?
Lin Wenge: I feel good, flourishing. Because each person's consumer psychology is different, different ages, different levels of awareness of consumer have different needs. Our design team is designing a forty thousand square meters of marine culture theme restaurant, located in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. It is estimated to be completed in October this year, and it will be China's catering industry "carrier." Such a big place, coupled with the unique coastal location, and next to rare wetlands, so we will position it as a maritime cultural theme restaurant, with a large number of ocean-related themes. In this restaurant, you have the visual and tactile hearing about the sea, the ears are full of the seagulls and waves lapping bursts of sound, as if people are on the cruise ship dining ...
Ningbo Decoration: Do you have any suggestions for young designers?
Lin Wenge: A good environment and can help create greater business value catering design, is inseparable from the designer's experience. This experience can only rely on long-term practice in the accumulation of bits and pieces, and be sure to be carefully. However, the length of the process will depend on individual perception, some people may soon realized that some people may not realize a lifetime, because he doesn’t put mental effort. As a designer, is very sensitive to the professional, like octopus tentacles into all aspects, to master large amounts of information. I always tell our design team, we should always observe the life and put mental effort. If we go to a restaurant, we need to consider whether there is vitality in this restaurant, whether it is conducive to maintenance, whether creative, which design is good ... and then connect with the case we done in his past, think about where is inadequate, and how to improve. When you do the design, first, take yourself as consumers, and image yourself as the investor, often have change-place-reflect. In this case, you can quickly grow.
--China Interior Design Network Interview Mr. Lin Wenge in December 2009
December 7, 2008, Shenzhen received the UNESCO awarded the "design" title of a press conference was held in Beijing. Shenzhen ushered the first statutory "Creative Design Day" in December 7, 2009. And came up with a "CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government on the promotion of creative design industry, a number of opinions." Shenzhen design industry will board a government, media and social concerned three major platforms. "Design" of Shenzhen, is attracting global attention. Shenzhen's design industry future will be more turbulent. "Design" honor belongs to the Shenzhen city, also belongs to all designers. This is a honor, and also a responsibility. What did we get in Shenzhen's interior design world during the year Shenzhen becomes a "design"? In order to show the strength of "Shenzhen interior design", Chinese interior design network launched "Design Interior Design • 2009 Shenzhen annual inventory of brand strength" special character and special interview at the end of the year in 2009. It Invited well-known interior designers in Shenzhen, had a common inventory of the past year.
This issue played characters: Wenge Space Design Consultants (Shenzhen) Ltd. Creative Director Lin Wenge.
Lin Wenge's design work: Ningwozhuang State Guesthouse in Gansu – exterior
Interview Time: at 10:00 on December 19th, 2009
Designer file: Lin Wenge, Wenge Space Design Consultants (Shenzhen) Ltd. creative director. Senior Interior Architect. IFDA International Interior Design Association. ICAD International Class A professional landscape designer. The Champion Award winner of HOSPITALITY DESIGN AWARDS hotel design in New York, United States in 2009. The World Hotel "Continental Diamond Award" "Best Designer" title winner. He received gold medal and Bronze in APIDA eleventh, fourteenth session of the Asia Pacific Interior Design Competition. Received "The Bund" Award for the best dining room in 2007 and many other international and domestic awards. He was Committed to cultural boutique hotel and restaurant design and space exploration, and his design style is welcomed by the community.
June 2009, the famous interior designer Lin Wenge obtained U.S. HOSPITALITY DESIGN AWARDS Hotel Design (WINNER) Champion Award. And was invited to New York to attend the awards ceremony. Interior designer from Shenzhen show their own style on the international stage, but also let more people understand China's design capabilities. Sixteen years in interior design, Lin Wenge designed numerous works, and also witnessed the domestic interior design industry started to mature from the development process.
Lin Wenge's design work: Ningwozhuang State Guesthouse in Gansu –Elevator Hall
Reporter: Would you please give an introduction of your history in interior design industry?
Lin Wenge: I came into contact with interior design in 1993. I studied in the Technology Department of the China Academy. My major was Decoration Design. Later, I accessed to interior design by Professor Wang Weimin, and found it is very interesting. Then I start to study from professor Wang Weimin with other four classmates, and Began research and explore in this area. After graduating, we co-founded the architectural design institute. It's the first domestic professional interior design research institution. It is Class A Design Institute now, and have been developing very well.
Reporter: When did you come to work in Shenzhen?
Lin Wenge: I came to Shenzhen in 1998. For a long time, I worked as an interior designer in Shenzhen Building Decoration group key projects Office, and was In charge of key project design. I was involved in the design of the project, including Beijing Hotel, Kunming Hotel, the China Millennium Monument and some influential projects.
Reporter: Are the large-scale projects based on competitive bidding to select a design company at that time? Now, a lot of owners will directly commissioned When they are working together with brand owners and designers.
Lin Wenge: This is the result of a process. Time environment makes the design department have a weak independence. Bidding a project, A company won the bid, design, construction will be together. Free design service is provided for construction. Then, it was development to another stage, the design is the first bidding, then the construction bidding. If the design and construction are the same company won the bid, the design is also free. In recent years, designed to separate the bidding, and the Part A is willing to pay the design fee, which is a big step forward. After several years of development, the owners know that is hard to find co-operation with the ideal design as before, so now would be the intention of the conceptual design of the tender. They determine partners through some of the designers represented by the case, service quality, and reputation in the industry and other factors. There are even some self-confidence wise owners will be directly commissioned to their own designer and brand design company. He usually specified in the contract designer had to do this project. This is a slow develop continuous improvement process.
Lin Wenge's design work: Ningwozhuang State Guesthouse in Gansu –western-style restaurant
Reporter: What do you think about the gap between domestic and international interior design industry?
Lin Wenge: Chinese interior design start late, but the development was very rapid. With the increasing domestic and international academic exchanges, such as domestic and overseas designers through the design company to design brand items, including frequent exchange visits abroad, etc., to make the gap smaller and smaller. Some projects, our ability to control has been comparable to or even exceed the foreign designers. Especially in the grasp of local culture, and even more so.
Reporter: You get the hotel designed gold in the United States in June this year. When we go out from home to face the world, we designers from Shenzhen, become a designer of China or even Asia, do you have any personal experience?
Lin Wenge: China is a great country in the world and our culture has a long history. since the beginning of history, Asia countries regard China as a heavenly country, and worship it, so we influence their culture. Therefore, some works of local designers, including our award-winning work in the United States this time, strictly speaking, should not be said that the Chinese style, but the Oriental style, that is, Americans, Westerners in the eyes of Asian style.
Lin Wenge's design work: Ningwozhuang State Guesthouse in Gansu –multifunctional hall
2009 Shenzhen hotel design forum topics, lectures Jiabin Lin Wenge's words touched a lot of designers. He said, "We have been worshipped something from the foreigners from long distance, but ignored the essence of Chinese culture around." He designed many outstanding works which, for example, South Lake Resort, child garden clubs, are to emit a unique oriental temperament, touched many people.
Reporter: For example, in the field of fashion design, this style from the East gradually become an internationally popular fashion, and is interior design the same, too?
Lin Wenge: This has a lot with the rise of China in recent years. China in a number of international events on the right to speak more and more prominent. Not only our works, other domestic designers are increasingly recognized by the international design community. There are many outside projects, also slowly imitate, learn our style. In Milan, Italy last year, I found a lot of boutique hotels, great emphasis on Chinese elements, especially in the accessories design, such as the Ming Dynasty furniture, fabrics and so on. In the United States New York this year, I stay in Thompson boutique hotel, find designers use the "Golden Lotus" theme elements to create a dining space. It is an alternative amazing!
Reporter: We see a lot of your very good works that embody the Chinese style, including the Lake Resort, Ziyuan Club, etc., what is your experience in this area?
Lin Wenge: Our works are in this style, mostly, but not deliberately must be done Chinese style. Our projects are based on the geographical location of the project, architectural forms, as well as the positioning of target customers and other conditions into account, let it produce results. I think this is a trend. Because more and more people began to identify with Chinese culture. Chinese people's national self-confidence has increased. Before blindly to imitate, learn from others, it is because we just started. Slowly from imitation to innovation, to really examine their own culture, become confident to be able to better work.
Lin Wenge's design work: Beijing Yan Huang Art Museum “sub-park”Club
Reporter: What’s your understanding of Chinese style?
Lin Wenge: How to extract Chinese elements, to sublimate, to meet the needs of the times, we need to discuss this subject together. For example, China is very large North-South cultural differences, Chinese style, with the north south, and west are very different. Like to Pingyao in Shanxi, Pacific, where the architectural style with the south bridges people, is completely different temperament. To the ancient Naxi living in Yunnan, Sichuan, houses on stilts is another style ... Therefore, such a large area of China, the so-called Chinese elements is very rich. How to put them in place in the modern design reflects how well the use of Chinese elements, to adapt to the times, accepted by all? This requires designers to take our domestic efforts to do so. Chinese style is internal, emanating from the Chinese spiritual temperament. We say that a created space including many aspects, not just the eye can see, the decorative stuff, this is only part of the composition space, this is the surface, not fundamental. What is the most inner is the space of the composition, space temperament, like Suzhou gardens, as small in the big, the King by King, no King landscaping. This started from the large space on spatial planning approach can do very international.
Lin Wenge's design work: Beijing Yan Huang Art Museum “sub-park”Club
Achieved master status in the United States. His work is very modern. But when you savor his representative works, research the layout you will find, in fact, he was China bones. So we need to go to deep levels of thinking about this issue, not simply imitate. Several elements of Chinese blue and white pendulum, is too superficial.
Reporter: Please park your clubs with this sub-project, introduce its design features and which are reflected inside the Chinese temperament?
Lin Wenge: This project is special because it is located in the Yan Huang Art Museum. Yan Huang Art Museum was created by the famous painter Huang Zhou, held many Chinese traditional art exhibition every year. Sub-park original location is a coffee shop, business location and space to create is not ideal. New owners found me, after the re-positioning of this project, called "sub-Park." Design elements we use "Family Names", and use "sub-park" Logo as well. The decorative elements are Chinese, but its layout should be said that Chinese and Western, placed in the chair seat, we put both the Chinese layout, but also Western-style layout, to meet the project's location. Because there is not only the Chinese people come to dinner, often with foreign friends to the Museum to learn about Chinese culture, while come to the sub-Park to learn about Chinese food culture. We made some improvements on the seat, more comfortable ride for guests, because the Chinese Ming Dynasty hardwood furniture to sit for a long time is certainly very uncomfortable, with its emphasis on a sense of dignity, a sense of ritual, comfort is secondary, so We say that catering to combine the comfort of the human body, including the placing of furniture, again improved, designed. This project should be said to be relatively successful.
Lin Wenge's design work: Beijing Yan Huang Art Museum “sub-park” Club
Inventory review in the year 2009, Lin Wenge in addition to talking about design, but also about life outside of design. He designed the company's LOGO, shooting their own design work. He likes to play balls, travel, photography, reading, watching movies, like New York, the world's cultural melting pot. Of course, for him, the greatest hobby is the design, although hard, but fun.
Reporter: What’s your project recently?
Lin Wenge: We have many hotel projects recently. Ningwozhuang State Guesthouse in Gansu had been just finished. It's also a very rich local culture projects. We put a lot of elements of Dunhuang culture in this project, but it's not a simple symbol piling up, but refined, both to meet the State Guesthouse this particular temperament, to represent the country's image, more representative of the Gansu Province of local culture.
Reporter: As you mentioned, geographical features are totally different in North and south China. What preparation work will you do before you start the Gansu State Guesthouse project.
Lin Wenge: For this project, we went to Dunhuang twice, went to the Gansu Provincial Museum several times, and also access to a lot of literature, had deep communication with the Guesthouse Association, vice chairman of Ning, general manager of Mr. Ma Huisheng. Mr. Ma is a Dunhuang pass, very fond of Dunhuang culture, and have a deep study in Dunhuang culture. So we had a very good interaction. He was also very happy after we finished this project. Good projects cannot be done without good owners. No matter what ability the designers have and how good the ideas is, without implementation, it cannot be achieved.
Lin Wenge's design work: Beijing Yan Huang Art Museum “sub-park” Club
Reporter: If you choose one of the most satisfied masterpiece in 2009 , which one will it be?
Lin Wenge: "The most perfect work is always the next one," Although this is jargon, but it is a great truth.
Reporter: What’s your favorite city you have ever been in 2009?
Lin Wenge: New York! It is a cultural melting pot, inclusive of all cultures. If Shenzhen is a melting pot of all domestic talent gathered in Shenzhen, then New York is a larger version of Shenzhen, you can see all kinds of people and all kinds of culture. I like this city.
Reporter: What do you think is the most meaningful thing you have participated this year? How do you feel about that?
Lin Wenge: To participate in the Sino-British designer exchanges for the London Design Festival in September. London is a very sophisticated city, traditional and modern. Architecture, landscape, interior, and so the overall make you feel good. After all, the accumulated historical heritage is very deep. Some of our domestic projects are ok separately, but not the whole thing. This is a process of it. Another feeling is that there is not much difference between Chinese and the British designers.
Reporter: In addition to the usual work, what’s your hobbies?
Lin Wenge: Play balls, travel, photography, reading, watching movies.
Reporter: How would you sum up your 2009? What is the deepest insights?
Lin Wenge: Long way to go. You will find yourself in the increase of pressure, because you own more demanding. Not satisfied with the present results, the items you want to do better, work better.
Reporter: what's your outlook and plan for 2010?
Lin Wenge: Let us integrate the more elite team. Strengthen cooperation with the brands, get the better works. Our development plan, is not bigger, but stronger, and make high quality works.
Reporter: What’s the design look like in your opinion according to your ten years design experience?
Lin Wenge: Hard, but fun. If you use it as a tool of bread earning, you will feel very painful. It is subject to many conditions, and you have to work overtime day and night. But if work as an interest thing, it will be fun. Just as hooked as a game or sport. For example, when doing layout, like a child playing blocks, there are limitless possibilities, once you find the most reasonable way, you will be very excited, this is not the fun money can buy. After the project finished, you will feel particularly comfortable, just like you look at your child. (laughs).
Wenge Space Design company office is a single-family house, the window of the branches covered with star fruit, it is tropical winter Lifestyle. Our interview is in Mr. Lin Wenge's office. Turning professional, he was seriously like a teacher, comes to life when he humor as a friend. Each exchange will let reporters interview benefit. This time, we had the dialogue, was a true love of design, people who love life, is a conquer with Chinese elements of the international design world, so proud of the designers in Shenzhen.
--Jing newspaper interview Mr. Lin Wenge in November 2009
It is said that interior design is like writing a suspense novel, full of human relationships in the space, the author is always very calm, but the readers are very obsessed. In such situations, interior designers Lin Wenge try to decode spatial imagination by the core cultural elements. White walls and black tiles of the floor homes, new planting of tall bamboo, the traditional flower windows, huge stone ink stone desktop, an old pottery outside the gallery, are harmonious coexistence with in his work "1921 South Lake Resort".
The core of Chinese culture, adding a modern expression, the "1921 South Lake Resort" project designed by Lin Wenge won the first place of the luxury hotel space design contest / upscale hotel category, became the only highest honor award-Asian designers in this category this year. He also became the Chinese winners following the well-known American designer Tony Chi, Hong Kong designer Steve Leung.
Enter into the "South Lake 1921 Resort", walk by a fine waterside, towards the lobby, you will see water come out of the wall, at the foot is the clear water, the antique containers filled with jumping water. Enter into the two ancient black and red sandalwood carved wooden doors you will be in the lobby. There are simple and dignified style of Ming Dynasty furniture. The copper covered by the edge of the table shows delicacy through rough. All the imagination about South China are showed here.
South Lake is located in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang. We will think of the establishment of the Communist Party in 1921 and the old fishing culture whenever we mention it. The biggest mystery of this hotel is that Water Street was originally a commercial planning, turned into resort hotels. The process is just like a magic.
Lin Wenge said that the most thing need to be consider is that integration of the space design and surrounding environment of space, the old building itself, local culture and holiday hotel of modern life and culture. Therefore, he focus on "1921" . 1921 Communist Party of China was established in South Lake, which is adhering to the concept red boat voyage advantage. First the hotel logo is two-digit cube combination of traditional Chinese architecture in the shape of a flower-shaped panes with number 19 and 21. It means the perfect combination of the concept of traditional culture and modern life. And this Logo is widely used as an element for hotel decoration and upholstering. Knowing what's to focus on, Lin Wenge use traditional-style to maintain the form of traditional local architecture, highlighting the Jiaxing unique "fishing culture", "boat culture" and "south water culture." He use southern mansion garden hall space concept, taking axial symmetry composition methods, build more foyer, lobby, hydrophilic corridor and other space concept, and to learn from traditional gardening techniques - "the King by King, no King landscaping," " walking King differences, small in the large "in the lobby and corridor area with fully integrated into the South Lake" waterside "shape, in the open space design in the layout to achieve a blend of man and nature.
Walls of the hotel western-style restaurant was from the century-old building of southern town. It has modern atmosphere permeated with the ancient. In Lin Wenge's opinion, the Chinese elements have been ignored by designers. "China's interior design is not confident, always emphasize on the minimalist style, European style and the new modern Western style. In fact, the national traditional culture to the world of creativity and design is a very rich resource library.” Lin Wenge remembered London Threadneedles Hote. It was a boutique hotel changed from a classical architecture bank; it is both classical and stylish. He experienced BVLGARI HOTEL In Bali Island. It was built on the cliff, has the best position to see the sea. Each villa has an equal excellent scenery. "In fact, the best hotel is grown out of the earth." Lin Wenge said.
Listening to Lin Wenge talk about all kinds of hotels, I suddenly think of a job position i heard before. People experience new hotels, which can be described as the world's most comfortable work. The daily job is to constantly change the hotel, and then seriously experience, and write the hotel analysis. Lin Wenge says, his work is somewhat similar, but more difficult. Once there is a new hotel, he will fly to live at the first time. Every time he tried a hotel, he used to draw sketching and size up it, which is like an occupational diseases. "To do interior design, you have first to be a 'hotel experience person". When the long front of the computer drawing and osteoarthritis, I find myself more critical of the details. This is the designer's mental illness. " Lin Wenge said.
Geomancy, psychology, human engineering, hotel management work together between the relationship of people and space. Interior design is ultimately the relationship experience between people and space. So even if the end to the suspense of the novel, there are always empty, leaving readers to eliminating.