Lien-Wu Chen

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Lien-Wu Chen ("LC") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

LC : I graduated from the Department of Architecture at Tamkang University in Taipei and was recommended to the institute in the first place. I later went to New York, USA, for a year of study experience and cultivated his unique design style. The award-winning experience includes Taiwanese interior designers with four major global design awards (German IF Design Award, German Red Dot Design Award, Japanese G-mark Good Design Award and American IDEA Outstanding Industrial Design Award)

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

LC : I'm a designer, born in an artistic family, And my father is Mr Chen Tao Ming, one of the founders of the Ton Fan art Group.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

LC : I chose to be a designer, it was natural.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

LC : I believe that design should not be restrained by style, but challenge past creativities and subvert existing forms and ideas. As such we focus on the comprehensiveness and fluidity of concepts.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

LC : Be brave and pursue your dreams without giving up any opportunities .

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

LC : good designers borrow , great designers steal .

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

LC : I have been promoting art through various projects to aspire higher standards of aesthetics and quality. And also provide professional art purchase and consulting services to clients who feel unfamiliar but would like to learn more about art. Our latest venture also extends to artist management and exhibition collaborations with major art galleries to further infuse art into daily life.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

LC : I have strived to embrace challenges since the beginning thus is always pushing boundaries through innovation and creativity.That is a spirit of design !

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

LC : I actively seek the opportunity to experiment with a diverse range of assignments. No limited!

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

LC : To be master's teacher!

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

LC : I think the most important task of an interior designer is to thread the needle. Part of it is to enable the homeowners who entrust their homes to us to gain more happiness and strengthen their happiness through our designs. The second part is the relationship between people. In too many cases, we met clients at different times and through different channels. They actually knew each other, and through me, we deepened their relationship with each other. I would like to say to my younger self: Your job is to thread a needle and thread. You must cherish your fate and keep all the threads from falling. Only in this way can the string become longer and longer, and there is no guarantee that you will have bigger surprises. Don’t cut any thread easily.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

LC : Most of the people I get inspiration from are great people from different fields, such as painters, musicians, and novelists.

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

LC : Duchamp's urinal, because he opened up the thinking about what art is, and also made it possible for design to enter the art museum.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

LC : The best is always next.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

LC : Go to various places to give lectures and promote my design concepts.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

LC : Being a designer is my only choice ！

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

LC : To break market formula and advocates "post-stylism," because we believe that design should not be restrained by style, but challenge past creativities and subvert existing forms and ideas. As such we focus on the comprehensiveness and fluidity of concepts.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

LC : my clients

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

LC : Obstacles come from myself. Face the difficulties directly and seek solutions. I believe that all the power of the universe will help me!

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

LC : Being well-known can certainly help in communicating with customers, because from another perspective, being well-known is actually a kind of affirmation of professionalism. It is a positive record and image when talking to customers. On the contrary, sometimes high visibility makes the design itself become a vassal of fame. You may become obsessed with fame-focused management, but the improvement of design capabilities is restricted, and you become incapable of listening and understanding other designers. Well, it may become a bit conceited, and you may care too much about other people's evaluations and ignore self-precipitation and inner improvement. I believe that when the work reaches a certain level, is enough to convey its own concept, and is affirmed by a certain proportion of customers, then marketing will be effective.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

LC : A 2,700-square-meter office and factory design is a plan to remodel the corporate image of a fifty-year-old brand.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

LC : As designers, we can not only create a physical space, we can also create happiness.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

LC : A curious and unconstrained heart is the artistic force that drives a creator to move towards a broader sky.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

LC : The function of design is to amplify some details in life and make people see things that are originally invisible. Because of certain connections, people have feelings of happiness and beauty.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

LC : Be a teacher and spread happiness

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

LC : I once received a design request from a "four sisters"... It was a house left behind by their mother after her death. They hope that their mother’s memories can always be preserved in that house. When he heard such design requirements, he felt stressed. When it was finally finished, there were some structurally unreasonable parts. People who couldn’t understand it might think it was beautiful. Those who understood it would see a blessing left by Chen Lianwu to them: “Everything you make is an illusion. It’s good to keep this memory in your heart, the important thing is to face a better tomorrow.”

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

LC : Let AI-assisted design become a more positive development

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

LC : Cross-domain design integration with AI

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

LC : one to three years

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

LC : I will make myself think like an onion, which is layer by layer, so one layer of thinking may be very rational and professional, while the other layer is irrational and can be unconstrained, and then try to do something. some collisions.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

LC : Go with the flow, so that it will be natural and leave no traces. No need to say anything, you can understand it in your heart. And every small step forward is a small step towards the inner truth.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

LC : Both，because we do work related to people

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

LC : Tools to assist with creation and communication

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

LC : Any software that can assist with drawing and rendering effects is used, as well as multimedia applications.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

LC : Just like condiments and ingredients in a delicious plate of food

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

LC : When you see my design, you will understand it without further explanation.

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

LC : What concept does he want to explain?

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

LC : We are a professional design team that specializes in serving high-end customers and has a good understanding of each other. The design process is also as smooth as a cloud!

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

LC : Every client has a different philosophy of life. Learning from the clients will open up more possibilities and make your own designs broader and more innovative!

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

LC : Father's Biography: Intangible, Light Sense, Chen Tao-ming

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

LC : Keep seeking new knowledge and trends, and always stay curious!

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

LC : my father

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

LC : I would like to quote Steve Jobs's famous saying: "stay hungry, stay foolish." In fact, popularity is external. As long as you work hard to do what you believe in or are good at, in this field If you study deeply, ask for advice humbly, and communicate and learn from all kinds of clients, manufacturers, and even competitors or fellow employees, you will definitely become better on the road to professionalism. Image and popularity are not achieved through marketing, but through recognition from others.

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

LC : It's hard for me to say which color I like best. Maybe I can choose a transparent color. Light is transparent, and a beam of light can illuminate all colors.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

LC : Often I'll go back to an client's home a year or two later and I'll see something that makes me really happy. Sometimes I understand it from the perspective of design, such as arranging a sink. We make the top and bottom of the sink transparent, just because we don’t want the light to be blocked by the sink. When I went there again, the client planted green plants under the sink. Then she told me: "Do you know how great it is? After I wash my hands, I just pour water down there. Most people have to wipe their hands with a towel after washing them, but I just water my beloved flowers directly. My water can also nourish my flowers. "I can begin to imagine her scene and mentality at that time, living another life. But this life was not given to her by me, but by them. And I just rationally wanted to give her more light sources, So this is the part that moved me. I saw this part in many cases, and it also made me understand what life is. I realized that what I really want to know is this aspect, not just light... (Of course these are the basics) But what is the most important thing about light? It's still that person, not a line or the beauty of light and shadow.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

LC : The fun thing about designing is that you can constantly absorb interesting things while working. Some people may find it difficult to absorb, or may think that in this era of information explosion, I have not absorbed enough. But if you treat it as a hobby, it will become a pleasant thing, and you can also draw inferences from one example. You will string together many things, and it will become a more fun thing.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

LC : I believe that this ability comes from God and is also one of my missions in this world.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

LC : Human beings can complete the design with their own consciousness

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

LC : You can think that a certain person's design is good, but don't worship idols. Think more about what you want?