A Designer in Shanghai
2019-08-09
Ng Mun Yee
interior designer
KLC:Hello there! Thank you for agreeing to participate in our interview. Can you briefly introduce yourself?
Ng Mun Yee:My Chinese name is Wu Minyi and I am from Malaysia. I have been working for Lukstudio, a design company in Shibasaku for almost a year, and have done nearly 5 projects so far.
KLC:Are all these 5 projects in China?
Ng Mun Yee:Some are Chinese projects, some are in Beijing and Guangzhou, the project that is currently being done is in Chengdu, and there is also an American project.
KLC:Which of these projects do you think is the most challenging for you? What impressed me most?
Ng Mun Yee:Ah, that is my first project since I came here. This one is my favorite and least favorite. (Laughs) Because there are too many things to learn, it is the American project. Here (Lukstudio) is a little different from my original company, and I need to finish it quickly. I don't have time to learn slowly, and I have to force myself to finish it quickly every day. I started to explore since I didn't understand anything, and I couldn't do it slowly. So this project left a deep impression on me. Another challenge at work is naturally language. After this American project is over, the next project requires me to communicate directly in Chinese. Fortunately, I have learned some, so it went smoothly. Of course, there are still some things that need help from colleagues. I usually talk a lot with my colleagues and learn a lot from them.
KLC:Then I am curious, what did the first American project do?
Ng Mun Yee:That is a Show Field. It was originally an old building. After a company in the United States took it back, it wanted to put many brands of products into the display, which was to make a comprehensive display. The whole building is about 3 or 4 floors, each floor has a different theme. The first floor is Living Style, the second floor is Home and Living, the third floor is Fashion, and the fourth floor is a large living room, in the form of Loft, which can be borrowed for parties and is generally not open to the public. This style of design is very different from what I have been in contact with before. In Malaysia, I used to design a house with a tall interior space, which suddenly became a building, and the feeling was very different.
Showfields exterior view-New York, USA
KLC:What was the biggest difficulty when you designed this project?
Ng Mun Yee:In Lukstudio, the key word of design is simplicity. But the simpler it is, the harder it is to design. My previous company also mainly made simple style design, but the pursuit of simplicity here is more-simple, high-level, and fast-customers have actually waited for a long time when I officially took over. So the company only gave me one to two weeks to complete the entire design.
KLC:Is the design of the whole building?
Ng Mun Yee:Oh no, it's just a small part, but it's the core part of the entire display. Because this building will enter stores of different brands, American companies think that each store is different, but they don’t want the entire venue to look messy, so they think that each store can design 3-10 display cabinets. The appearance of the display cabinet can be different, but the overall color is uniform. The difficult point is that you need to hang the display cabinet on the wall while keeping the entire wall from being messy. This effect is actually difficult to achieve.
KLC:Do you need to design these display cabinets for each store?
Ng Mun Yee:No, this is a concept, because the specific display cabinet needs to be determined according to the nature of the product. If it is a clothing store, you may need hangers or wall shelves to hang clothes; if it is a Home Living store, you may need another display form. My job is to consider in advance what they might need. We have designed 3 to 10 different display cabinet ideas, rather than specific products, so that the store staff can choose which one best suits their product nature. In this way, the whole site has a unified feeling, but not exactly the same-the sense of unity is unified by color.
In the future, we may need to help some brands to design the details of their stores, but that is another matter.
The white wall forms a zigzag-shaped gallery, changing the scenery step by step, arousing the curiosity of customers to explore. ——Lukstudio design
Simple beauty in a fashionable area
——Lukstudio design
The spiral slide leads to the lower level. This floor can be used to hold fashion shows, and models can exit the slide channel after finishing the show. ——Lukstudio design
Surprises hidden in every corner
——Lukstudio design
KLC:This is really an interesting project, and you can see that you enjoy working here.
Ng Mun Yee:Yes, it is much better than my previous job.
KLC:Oh? What are the specific aspects?
Ng Mun Yee:The company I used to work for is also very famous, but the working hours are from Monday to Sunday. The company will also ask you for things on weekends. Although the work here is relatively busy, they pay more attention to the efficiency of the working day-if there is delay, overtime will also be required on weekends. In Malaysia, the boss will not specifically come to see your progress. Here the boss will often come and ask you every 3 days. This is what I like better. If there is no supervision, it will be more troublesome if problems are found when the manuscript is delivered. Now I feel more at ease.
KLC:I found that your environment here is also very special. Is this a pet-friendly company?
Ng Mun Yee:Yes, we can bring dogs to work here. There are 4 dogs that come here often, haha too many, now I need to stagger to bring to work. We also rescued Oreo, a stray cat, but he is not independent of a stray cat at all, so he is very clingy.
Handsome Oreo
Lively office
KLC:Your Bailey, originally a stray dog, can you briefly talk about why you decided to raise his mother?
Ng Mun Yee: I have had dogs since I was a kid. After I came to Shanghai, I felt very lonely without a dog. I envied others with dogs, and felt that I was missing something. My boyfriend had already planned to come to Shanghai at the time, so he had to wait for him to pick up a dog together. After waiting for 8 months, I was alone for 8 months. When he came, we immediately adopted a dog.
Bailey just got home
Bailey on duty
KLC:Why did you choose to adopt?
Ng Mun Yee:I have never bought a dog since I was young. In fact, many dogs are waiting for help. If no one adopts them, they may be comforted. So I didn't think too much, saving them is better than buying a new one.
KLC:Is Bailey coming today?
Ng Mun Yee:Bailey cannot come today because I am going to Shenzhen, so I put him in foster care at a friend's house.
KLC:Is going to Shenzhen to travel?
Ng Mun Yee:Yes, because my boyfriend is on a business trip in Guangzhou, I want to stop by there. In fact, I also really want to go to other places. I must go, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing.
KLC:Have you not been to Beijing yet? It's rare. Generally, foreigners who come to China will look for opportunities to visit Beijing as soon as possible.
Ng Mun Yee:I know haha, because my parents and sister always say they want to see me, I have to wait for them to come and then go together, but they can't come, I can't go. The same is true for Disney. The first time I went to Disney, I played with my sister in the United States, so we decided to go to Disney in Shanghai together. It is our common memory, so I can't go there by myself. I must wait for them. Wait and wait, I can't wait (laugh). But I will definitely go! I will go to the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and many classic places!
KLC:Are you currently in Shanghai, or what is China's plan?
Ng Mun Yee:I will stay longer for now. It was originally planned for 2 years, but now more than a year has passed, and I still want to leave a little more time. We think the biggest feature of Shanghai is that there are many new things. Almost every week, my friends will say that there are new things to watch, exhibitions, new stores and so on. Doesn't make people tired.
With friends
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