We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Iun Lung Lu ("ILL").
Iun Lung Lu's designs are always faithful to a material's true nature and assembled in a way subtle and elegant. Most of his works are residential designs and sometimes cross the border into architectural space design. He insists that a good design is closely linked to meaning of life, and presents his work with the least intervention of furnishing objects. He has won many international awards such as the A'Design Award from Italy.
Iun Lung Lu Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Iun Lung Lu.
Iun Lung Lu Design - Piccola Enoteca Restaurant
Designer Interview of Iun Lung Lu:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
ILL : Having had to reinvent a room in my home, my interest in alternating and finding different ways to utilize a space grows from there. After my first project, I started learning all about interior design by myself, going from no prior knowledge and formal education to opening my own interior design company.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
ILL : OSLO International Co., Ltd. originated in Hsinchu, a county with a fusion of culture and technology. Starting with interior design, visual work, and building exterior, it has contributed to creating premium living spaces for 20 years. Recently, inspired by Italian art and design, OSLO also expanded to furniture, kitchens, bathrooms, and building materials’ categories. Providing high-quality furniture and building materials for construction companies, designers, and customers with one-step professional service, it expects to break the traditional norm of Taiwanese interior and architectural design industries.
DI: What is "design" for you?
ILL : For me, design is more than improving appearances. Especially when it comes to designing homes, I believe design should be a combination of the realization of the owner's vision and pragmatism. Design should prioritize meeting the owner's needs and not only pursuing shallow facades, it is in place to allow people to have a better time after all.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
ILL : I lean towards luxurious building materials imported from Europe, those that are extracted from nature. For example, stones, woods etc. are among many of my preferred materials. They convey a sense of warmth within elegance and beauty in my opinion.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
ILL : I'm inspired by others' works, I find new ideas popping up in my mind when I look through different design project whether on the Internet or in magazines. General beauty inspires me as well.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
ILL : I put emphasize on the ratio of a space as well as the comfort created.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
ILL : Mostly excitement. Excitement of knowing I could put a smile on the owner's face with my design, and excitement for bringing in an innovative and different angle of interior design to the Taiwanese market, introducing unseen European brands into local market.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
ILL : Excitement and a sense of fulfillment, there's nothing like knowing what I've created has a positive impact on a person or a family's life over a period of time.
DI: What makes a design successful?
ILL : A design that is timeless, not blindly chasing after trends. Trends might change but the building still stands, what I try my best to do is to make sure my design still leaves people in awe even when what's considered in style at the time has changed.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
ILL : The arrangement of colors, if the used colors are in harmony, generally an un-conflicted look of the design.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
ILL : From travelling, from seeing different designing styles from all over the world. Whenever I go to a different place, a different country, I check out the buildings there, how they look, how do they make me feel, the little elements that make each and every places unique.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
ILL : Natural and minimalistic would be how I'd describe my style. Using less to create more is the main characteristic, I don't think a space has to be filled with extravagant furniture to be stunning, leaving some room for people to take in the full effect of the design comes more naturally to me.
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
ILL : I'm born and raised in Taiwan. There are a lot of designing styles in Taiwan, so pros would be diversity. On the other hand, designing in Taiwan lacks a certain sense of innovation, it's mostly being repeated and modularized. That's why one of my philosophy and goals is to introduce foreign designing concept and materials into the local market.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
ILL : Sensitivity to ratio and never-ending training of the sense of beauty. Like many other walks of life, designing requires designers to have an open mind to receive and absorb new concept constantly, to stay sharp, and to be better.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
ILL : My design pays a lot of attention to details, so in most cases it would take more than a year from start to finish.
DI: What was your most important job experience?
ILL : Piccola Enoteca.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
ILL : Because the materials I use are more quality-oriented, a lot of them also incorporated green technology and/or some sort of environmental-wise beneficial techniques, the costs of them are relatively high, which inevitably leads to my customers having to have a higher budget. My works are mostly consisted of mansions and business spaces.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
ILL : I enjoy projects I can build from scratch the most. Being able to design every aspect of a space allows me to finish it with the least restraint when it comes to creativity, and it'll be done with the most consistency.
DI: How can people contact you?
ILL : People can find me at: marketing@oslo.com.tw.