Press Release
Guoqiang Feng and Yan Chen Receives the Bronze A' Design Award for The Upper East Suite Residential in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
The international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Guoqiang Feng and Yan Chen of Feng and Chen Partners Design New York for interior space and exhibition design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 19, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that The Upper East Suite Residential by Guoqiang Feng and Yan Chen of Feng and Chen Partners Design New York has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category. The award was conferred within the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
About The Upper East Suite Residential
The Upper East Suite is a residential interior design set in a 1924 apartment hotel building in the Upper East Side Historic District of New York. The apartment was renovated for a couple who collect 1930s Art Deco lighting and furniture. Full height woodwork, including bookshelves, storage cabinets and wardrobes, was prefabricated in a millwork shop and assembled on site. Textured glass sliding doors and wooden partitions allow rooms to be opened or closed. Mirrored surfaces make the interior feel more open. The plan adds storage and a study within a fixed historic layout.
About Guoqiang Feng and Yan Chen
Guoqiang Feng and Yan Chen are keen observers, patient explorers, and in-depth thinkers. They believe that design is a means of communicating between them and the world, and that everyone is a unique and valuable part of biodiversity. fengandchen | Feng and Chen Partners Design Shanghai, founded by them and partners in 2001, pays great attention to creating a space with a unique touch of personality, emotion, and humanity. They hope to convey love, truth, and beauty through their design, and let people feel happiness in the space.
About Feng and Chen Partners Design New York
Feng and Chen Partners Design New York, Founders Feng Guoqiang and Chen Yan are the winners of the Italian A'DESIGN AWARD and US IDA AWARD. They have a good reputation in the local area and have won great trust from customers.
Award Record
Guoqiang Feng and Yan Chen of Feng and Chen Partners Design New York is a winner of 8 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. The awards span the editions from 2017 - 2018 to 2024 - 2025 of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award
The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Entries typically include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. Awarded interior designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/interior
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/171623
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/171623
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!171623
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/194591
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://fengandchen.com
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- The Upper East Suite Residential
- Function
- Residential
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Gainsboro, Rosy Brown, Gray, Tan and Silver
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Guoqiang Feng and Yan Chen
- Country
- United States of America
- Brand
- Feng and Chen Partners Design New York
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #171623
Credits
- Team
- Yan Chen and Yicheng Feng
- Image Credits
- Copyright belongs to Feng and Chen Partners Design New York.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This apartment is located in New York's Upper East Side Historic District. Built in 1924 as an apartment hotel and later converted into a residence, the building bears a French name inspired by a renowned wine region. The owners, a middle aged couple passionate about art and design, collect 1930s Art Deco lighting and furniture from New York, Paris, and Shanghai. The design harmonizes their interests with the building's history while optimizing space with custom storage and a study for a refined modern lifestyle.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the rich history of this Pre-war apartment on the Upper East Side of New York, the designers sought to revive the elegance of the 1930s. Encouraged by the collection of lighting and furniture from that era, carefully curated by the residents, they seamlessly integrated these pieces into the newly acquired residence, creating a functional yet refined living space. Their approach was guided by meticulous spatial planning and historical research, balancing period aesthetics with modern comfort.
- Research
- Located centrally in the Upper East Side, surrounded by classic pre-war buildings and completed in 1924, the owners aimed to capture and preserve the atmosphere of that era. The team conducted targeted research into iconic 1930s Art Deco interiors nearby, including The Carlyle, The Mark, and 740 Park Avenue.
- Challenge
- As a protected historic building, preserving its architectural heritage was essential. Originally designed as an apartment hotel suite, the layout imposed spatial limitations, making it challenging to adapt the apartment for modern urban living. The key challenge was maximizing functionality within these constraints - integrating storage, privacy, and flexibility without compromising the building's historical integrity. Balancing heritage preservation with contemporary needs required careful planning and innovative solutions.
- Realization and Technology
- The design required high precision due to extensive full height woodwork, including bookshelves, storage cabinets, and wardrobes with seamless linear designs. These elements were prefabricated in a millwork shop for precise cutting and assembled on site. Full height glass mirrors required exact positioning and seamless integration. Additionally, the installation of a single slab marble backsplash in the kitchen and large format marble in the bathroom demanded meticulous craftsmanship.
- Operation and Interaction
- This residence was transformed from a former apartment hotel suite, with the design maximizing flexibility despite the fixed layout. Textured glass sliding doors were added to the kitchen and bedroom, while the study features wooden sliding partitions. When open, these doors create a fluid, interactive space; when closed, they provide privacy. Strategically placed mirrored surfaces throughout enhance the sense of space, making the interior feel more open and dynamic.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in June 2024 in New York City and finished in February 2025 in New York City.
- Specifications
- Historic Hotel Apartment Suite Renovation Design
- Keywords
- New York, Manhattan, Upper East Side Historic District, Pre-war Apartment, Art Deco, Contemporary Living, Feng and Chen New York, Guoqiang Feng, Yan Chen, Yicheng Feng
