Interviews mit Martin chow

Yes, I always want to be artist or designer since secondary school. Therefore I wanted to study Fine art or Design course in university. Finally I studied BA(Hons) Interior Design in Hong Kong, further studied MA Landscape and Urbanism in London.

HOT KONCEPTS is an innovative interior design studio based in Hong Kong and Shanghai. We completed variety of projects successfully include clubhouses, residences, show flats, sales offices, retails, offices etc. The projects cover different cities at mainland China like Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou, Ningbo, Chongqing, Chengdu etc. We are pride to get clients’ satisfaction and high percentage of repeat clients. Our clients include, - China Overseas Property Co. Ltd - Cofco Property Co. Ltd - China Aoyuan Property Co. Ltd’ - China Resources Land Ltd - Capitaland Investment Co. Ltd - Vanke Real Estate Co. Ltd

Problem sloving

Anything around our daily life.

An exhibition design that i worked with my wife. As the exhibition was about our ideal home, a story about us. It was a great opportunity to have exhabition design at the city center - XinTian in Shanghai.

Private Apartment

Recycle, reuse materials

Problem solving in a smart way.

Spacial quality

Feel fantastic

I would consider what is the fuctions of the design first, if the design would fullfill the functions in a smart solution. I think that is a good design.

I work with all colleagues as a team. We have daily meeting for all design issues.

info@hotkoncepts.com

The industrial heritage of the former factory provided an expansive, open-volume layout, which we balanced with domestic warmth to achieve the "Home Sweet Home" concept for VB Home Shop Design.1. "House Within a House" StructureTo break down the vast scale and high ceilings of the factory shell, we built structural frameworks inside the open volume. Incorporating pitched-roof canopy structures created an immediate, symbolic feeling of home, establishing intimate dining and kitchen zones while keeping the open-plan flow.2. Softening with BiophiliaWe integrated lush green foliage across suspended trellises and overhead grids to soften the rigid, industrial lines of the original building. This pairing of natural greenery with clean architecture turns a cold, geometric space into a welcoming, living sanctuary.3. Residential ZoningUsing the factory’s generous floor plan, we mapped out distinct domestic settings, from cozy living lounges to premium kitchen layouts. Strategic lighting and drop ceilings define these separate spaces, letting visitors intuitively navigate the premium collections within a realistic home environment.

Balancing Villeroy & Boch’s European style with Chinese retail habits in the 1000-square-meter space was done using three simple steps:1. Complete Room SettingsInstead of using boring product shelves, we built fully styled room displays—like real kitchens and living lounges. This lets local shoppers see exactly how the European lifestyle looks and functions in a real home.2. "House Within a House" LayoutsTo make the huge, empty factory feel cozy for local visitors, we built smaller structures inside it. Using pitched-roof frames broke down the massive space into comfortable, human-sized zones.3. Greenery as a BridgeUsing plants and greenery acted as a natural bridge between Western design and Eastern style, which loves harmony with nature. Weaving plants into the ceiling grids softened the hard industrial building and made it feel welcoming.

1. Cost-Effective Wallcoverings & PaintInstead of using expensive, heavy architectural cladding everywhere, we strategically applied high-quality wallpaper and premium paint finishes. This allowed us to quickly introduce texture, warmth, and luxury to large surfaces across the 1000-square-meter layout at a fraction of the cost, making it ideal for the tighter budget.2. High-Impact Tile PlacementTo create a high-end look without overspending, we used a "smart zoning" approach for tiles. Instead of covering entire walls, we placed premium tiles as focal backdrops or feature areas within our styled room settings—such as mock kitchens—giving the illusion of an incredibly expensive fit-out.3. Focus on Luxury StoneWe saved genuine stone for high-touch, eye-level surfaces where customers could actually feel the quality, such as main countertops and central island units. Combining this real stone with cost-effective paint and wallpaper on surrounding walls achieved a premium, aspirational look while keeping overall material costs strictly under control.

1. Creating a Welcoming Transition ZoneInstead of instantly overwhelming visitors with hard product displays at the front door, the plant-filled entrance acts as a calm, welcoming buffer zone. It cleanses the customer's palate, moving them away from the busy outside world and easing them into a relaxed, home-like mindset before they even see a single product.2. Setting the "Home Sweet Home" ThemeUsing lush greenery right at the entry immediately establishes our core theme of comfort, well-being, and life. It serves as a natural bridge that softens the raw, industrial factory shell, signaling to the visitor that they are entering a living, breathing domestic sanctuary rather than a cold, commercial retail store.3. Sparking Curiosity and DiscoveryBy intentionally hiding the products behind a beautiful, green threshold, we create a sense of mystery and curiosity. This approach invites customers to step forward and explore, transforming the shopping trip into an organic journey of discovery as they pass through the greenery to find the styled room layouts hidden inside.

Villeroy & Boch’s heritage since 1748 is rooted in a balance of German engineering, absolute precision, and timeless European lifestyle. To convey this sophisticated heritage within the industrial shell of the VB Home Shop Design, we translated their history into tactile, sensory design choices:1. Precision via Clean Architectural GeometryTo honor the brand's reputation for German engineering and technical perfection, we implemented crisp, structured architectural grids and clean lines throughout the 1000-square-meter layout. The alignment of the "house within a house" frames, sharp dropped ceilings, and meticulous zoning reflected a sense of structural discipline and high-end craftsmanship, mirroring the precision the brand has maintained for centuries.2. Curated Material Contrast (Taste & Sophistication)We displayed the brand’s refined taste by juxtaposing its history with the building’s raw past. Setting ultra-smooth, premium ceramic and luxury stone surfaces against the textured, industrial backdrop of the former factory created a powerful contrast. This design decision highlighted the sophistication and flawless finish of the products, making them stand out as pieces of functional art.3. A Holistic Sensory ExperienceInstead of a sterile, cold showroom, we captured the European lifestyle through a warm, multi-sensory environment. By combining localized, warm lighting with natural biophilic elements and fully dressed room settings (like active dining and kitchen setups), we allowed visitors to experience the products through touch, sight, and atmosphere. This approach shifted the focus from a basic retail transaction to an authentic experience of European domestic elegance.

1. Breaking Down Commercial BarriersTraditional retail layouts isolate products on cold shelves, which can make them feel disconnected from real life. By merging the open kitchen, dining, and living areas into a unified floor plan, we removed these commercial barriers. This layout allowed customers to experience the Villeroy & Boch collections exactly as they would use them at home, transforming a basic shopping trip into an immersive lifestyle experience.2. Enhancing Cross-Product PresentationThe open-plan strategy naturally encourages cross-merchandising. Instead of displaying premium tableware, kitchen fixtures, and living room accessories in separate aisles, they were styled together within a single, continuous view. This approach demonstrated how different product lines complement each other, inspiring visitors and helping them visualize complete, high-end design solutions for their own homes.3. Creating a Natural, Intuitive JourneyThe open layout utilized the former factory’s spatial freedom to create a fluid, unguided customer journey. Without rigid walls or forced paths, visitors could move intuitively from a cozy living lounge into a premium culinary zone. This relaxed pace increased the time customers spent in the showroom, making the brand feel approachable, warm, and deeply connected to modern domestic living.

1. Seamless Design-to-Execution CoordinationDuring the tight constraints of 2020, close teamwork was essential to translate the ambitious "house within a house" concept into reality. Working collaboratively allowed the team to map out the technical layouts of the 1000-square-meter factory shell efficiently, ensuring that the heavy structural pitched-roof canopies were safely engineered and perfectly aligned without delaying the project timeline.2. Creative Problem Solving for Budget ObstaclesFaced with strict budget limits, the collaboration was key to executing the smart material strategy. While one side focused on sourcing premium stone and tiles for high-impact focal points, the other ensured that cost-effective wallpaper and paint finishes were applied seamlessly across larger surfaces. This coordinated effort achieved a luxury, high-end look while keeping material costs strictly under control.3. Merging Brand Heritage with Local ExecutionSuccessfully balancing Villeroy & Boch's historic European identity with local retail habits required a shared design vision. The team worked in tandem to refine the open-plan lifestyle vignettes and the plant-filled entrance buffer zone. This joint focus ensured that the final space functioned smoothly as a commercial store while retaining the sophisticated, storytelling atmosphere of a premium European home.

1. The "House Within a House" Architectural StrategyInstead of using standard, flat drywall partitions, building independent pitched-roof structures inside a massive 1,000-square-meter industrial factory shell was a major innovation. This clever scaling trick completely broke down the cold, vast emptiness of the building, turning a harsh industrial space into cozy, human-scaled rooms that perfectly fit the "Home Sweet Home" theme.2. Replacing Shelves with Living VignettesThe project rejected old-school commercial shelving in favor of fully integrated, open-plan residential settings (like combined kitchen, dining, and living lounges). Displaying premium products exactly how they would be used in a real home shifted the environment from a boring, transactional store into an inspiring, immersive lifestyle experience.3. A Bold, Plant-Filled Entrance BufferStarting a premium retail store with an abundant green zone instead of a product display was a highly unconventional and creative move. It acted as a sensory palate cleanser for visitors, washing away the outside world and relaxing them into a home-like mindset before they even looked at a single product.4. Smart Material Mixing on a 2020 BudgetAchieving a luxury, award-winning look during a tight budget year came down to smart material placement. Saving real, expensive stone and tiles for up-close, high-touch surfaces while using cost-effective wallpaper and paint on larger background areas proved that high-end design does not require wasting money.

1. The Open Ceiling & Loft NarrativeLeaving the factory ceiling exposed mimics modern European loft architecture, which values historic preservation and raw authenticity. The airy openness creates a sense of unpretentious luxury and grand spatial volume.2. Pitched-Roof CanopiesThe independent pitched-roof frames built under the open ceiling add traditional European architectural shapes. They ground the massive space, providing a feeling of shelter and domestic warmth.3. Suspended Green TrellisesSuspended grid trellises drop the high visual horizon to a comfortable human scale. Weaving lush greenery through these overhead grids softens the hard industrial ceiling into a living canopy.4. Strategic Dropped Ceilings & LightingTargeted dropped ceilings and warm track lighting define individual zones like kitchens or lounges. This creates pockets of light and shadow, establishing an intimate, sophisticated atmosphere instead of a cold, uniform showroom.

1. Architectural Scaling of Vast SpacesLuxury retail in major Asian markets often takes place within large, high-ceiling commercial footprints or converted industrial complexes. The "house within a house" architectural strategy—using independent pitched-roof frameworks to break down vast spaces—serves as a blueprint for future retail. It demonstrates how to maintain a grand, impressive volume while providing the intimate, human-scaled comfort necessary for selling premium home goods.2. High-Touch, High-Contrast Material ZoningAs budget efficiency and smart resource allocation become critical in retail rollout, the project’s material strategy will heavily influence future designs. Moving away from uniform, cost-heavy finishes, the prototype highlights a balanced approach: saving authentic, premium stone and tactile tiles for eye-level, high-touch zones (like interactive islands and countertops), while using cost-effective, high-quality paint and wallpaper for expansive walls and backdrops.3. Integrated Biophilic Palate CleansersTraditional Asian retail environments are frequently fast-paced and densely packed with products. The unconventional decision to replace front-window product displays with an abundant, plant-filled entrance zone sets a new standard for the customer journey. This green buffer zone acts as a sensory palate cleanser, shifting the consumer’s mindset from a frantic outside world into a relaxed, home-like state of discovery before they browse a single collection.4. Cross-Merchandised Lifestyle EcosystemsIsolating premium tableware, kitchen fittings, and wellness products into separate commercial aisles is a dated model. The open-plan integration of fully dressed kitchen, dining, and living lounges creates a fluid, domestic ecosystem. This layout strategy will drive the evolution of luxury retail by presenting products through holistic lifestyle scenarios, naturally encouraging cross-product sales and helping consumers visualize complete design solutions for their own homes.