Interviews with Yen, Pei-Yu

I started my journey as an interior designer when I was still a teenager – I studied interior designing since high school. After I finished my undergraduate training, I worked in Joe Shih Architects for six years, where I learnt about how to manage complicated construction projects. In 2012, I established my own studio with my partner, providing service in commercial and residential interior design.

As far as I can recall, it was a photo about interior design that gave the thought that ‘I hope I can design my home one day’. This idea then made me decide to become an interior designer.

I think to create a good design, one has to first consider the user’s needs and preferences as well as the spatial constraints. I always begin my design by visiting the space I am commissioned and also conducting several in-depth discussion with my client to understand their preferences and expectation. I will then bring the concepts I got from the initial visiting and discussion into the design, and have another round of discussion with my client after the 3D sketch is created.

I think it all goes back to the user when we talk about design. This applies to interior design as well. I like to throw some crazy ideas when chatting with my clients so that I can get a better idea about what they truly want. After I have sufficient understanding about their expectation and preferences, I will then create a tentative design based on the information for my clients.

The start of the designing process always brings some anxiety to me - will my ideas look nice and meet the user’s expectation? But once I begin drawing down my idea on the paper, I usually can finish the whole drafting quickly. I always feel exuberant when the first draft is done.

I’ve been working in the interior design industry for 15 years. My goal is always the same, that is, I hope that one day I can have my team and have my work recognized by the international community.

It’s important to enhance the skills one has already possessed, but it’s also vital to challenge oneself by taking up tasks one is less good at. Also, getting more life experience and travelling are both highly beneficial.

I begin my day by reading and yoga. After the breakfast, I will be in the company to organise tasks I am going to do in the day. During the afternoon, I may be in the site to check the progress of the project with the workers and see if there’s anything that needs to be changed. After all of these, I will go jogging and update the progress of all of the ongoing projects. I usually end my day by chatting with my families.

I think there’s no short-cut in the area of design – one has to keep learning from all sorts of channel. There is always a trend, and it’s fine to be part of the trend, but one has to be careful not to become a drifter.

A good design pleases its user.

I live in Koahsiung, Taiwan. This is a beautiful harbor city. There’s less than one kilometer from our studio to the Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts. This proximity allows me to enjoy world-class performance easily. The subtleties exhibited in the performance often become a source of inspiration for me. I didn’t realise that art performance can bring such a huge influence on people until this Center was established.

My partner and I set up Tetto Studio in 2012. We provide our clients with a holistic design consultation and service – my partner offers his insight in web development, helping the client build a stylish virtual space in this ever-growing virtual world, whereas I am responsible for realizing the client’s idea in this real world.

Currently I am the only one who’d responsible for the interior design sector. Although sometimes I’d be overwhelmed by the amount of the work, I am very proud that I always manage to handle all the communication and planning beautifully and create a great design for my clients. I do have an ideal of setting up a team, but I think it’s more important to find a partner who shares the same set of values and who can become friends. The synergy created by this sort of relationship, I believe, will be stronger.

I would be very interested in designing a shelter for stray dogs if I have the chance. I hope they can have a home to live in, not a cage to be locked up.

There are many issues we have to consider while preparing for a design project. To make a good design possible, we have to think about the building, environment, the user’s character, and so forth.

The design of the Revival Cafe, for example, is under the constraints such as the expectation from the art museum and the building’s heritage status. One cannot begin the design without taking these conditions seriously.

I wanted to bring in a style that cannot be defined, a style that can respect the building’s heritage status and also echo the modernity of the new art museum. I want to use this cafe to demonstrate how a dialogue between the past and the future and also between the East and the West can be possible.

I will share this news with people who are involved with this project and announce this news to the general public.

The concept itself took around a week and the drafting was about one day.

The design was commissioned, but the client left plenty of room for me to decide the style of the cafe.

This is an interior design project which will only be used in this cafe.

The constraints on the floor area and space turned out pushing me to come out with interesting design.

Shigeru Ban and Joe Shih.

public sector

The conditions related to the space are what make the design unique.

It’s mainly from the special constraints and status of this project – a café that bears the memory of the past but has to serve for the customers who look for the future. This reminds me of the Chinese idiom from the Analects, new knowledge can be discovered from reviewing what one has known. For me, the cafe is like an instance of revitalization, and hence Revival Cafe.

The most unique part of the interior design is the the curve shaped chairs of different size that brought in smooth movement and beautifully solved the challenges such as the irregular flooring area and multiple entrances. They also offer the visitor of the cafe opportunities to enjoy the details of the heritage from different angles.

The design was solely done by me, but the construction was outsourced to other professionals.

The most challenging part of the project is related to its heritage status. Due to the regulations in Taiwan, all of the main structure of a heritage should not be altered – this includes the ceiling, floor, and the wall. Besides, the irregular shape of the space also creates extra challenge to the project.

Besides, the construction must not be in conflicts with the art museum’s opening hours; it also be very carefully planned so as the collections in the museum won’t be damaged by the construction. This was part of the reason many of the interior decorations had to be done outside the building and then assembled in the room later on. It’s really challenging to move around huge pieces in a heritage.

I want to share my hard work with others and hopefully gain some opportunities for future collaboration.

It gave me a priceless opportunity to have an in-depth research on the traditional methods people used for constructing architecture in Taiwan. Without knowledge like how to keep the terrazzo floor’s horizon levelled, I wouldn’t have been able to overcome the challenges I faced during the implantation of my design.

My taste and view about art were influenced by my mother – an art teacher who’s enthusiastic about bringing art to everyone’s everyday life. My upbringing then made me very interested in interior design and led me to pursuing a career as an interior designer when I was in my high school.

As far as I can recall, it was a photo about interior design that gave the thought that ‘I hope I can design my home one day’. This idea then made me decide to become an interior designer.

I decided to become an interior designer when I was in my high school.

I want to challenge myself by designing projects for various use.

I don’t think I’ve become a design legend. But I think what matters for anyone who would like to be a good designer is to keep passionate about design. Always remember what motivates one to become a designer – this helps, especially when facing up challenges and frustration.

A good designer designs good work, and a great designer designs great work.

It all comes back to the user – if a design is good, the user will feel it and understand why a good design is worth investing.

I would be very interested in designing a shelter for stray dogs if I have the chance. I hope they can have a home to live in, not a cage to be locked up.

Luxurious, trendy, and posh club.

Listen to your heart.

Ieoh Ming Pei, Andou Tadao

While many of my achievements came from my hard work, my family’s support is vital for me.

Keep learning from other excellent designers.

Finding a niche that allowed me to express my uniqueness a was very difficult when I started to work as an independent designer.

I would like to showcase my design to people around the world and work on overseas projects.

We cannot live without out design and art. A great design can brighten our everyday life with aesthetics. I think this is already a great improvement of the society.

I am trying pottery now.

I hope the society can appreciate and trust designers’ professional opinions more.

It depends on the project, but generally speaking it takes around 6 months to finalise the design.

Listen to the user.

Work for yourself; don’t let others define you.

I haven’t got the chance to work with others. If possible, I would like to collaborate with other designers so learn about how they foment and crystalise their ideas.

Designer friends and also those who are highly imaginative about the possibility of lives.

Ieoh Ming Pei and Tadao Andou.

I am a bit surprised and feel encouraged – it feels like someone understands what motives me to be a designer through all this time. This award is a recognition of my hard working. It doesn’t come easily. I will keep working hard to create better work in future.

I love the colour black, cafe that surrounds by a forest or the dinning room at my home, the chilling early autumn and the awakening spring, and Boucheron and Celine.

While doing the Revival Cafe at Tainan, one of the constructors told me that he had been locked up here due to a car accident once when the building was still used as a police station.

I think designing is to create beautiful life and things. One has to immerse themselves into all sorts of life experience to be a good designer because this experience is a great source of inspiration.

Yes, I dreamed to become a famous designer when I was young.

My taste and view about art were influenced by my mother – an art teacher who’s enthusiastic about bringing art to everyone’s everyday life. My upbringing then made me very interested in interior design and led me to pursuing a career as an interior designer when I was in my high school.

My partner and I set up Tetto Studio in 2012. We provide our clients with a holistic design consultation and service – my partner offers his insight in web development, helping the client build a stylish virtual space in this ever-growing virtual world, whereas I am responsible for realizing the client’s idea in this real world.

Design is an essential that is not always tangible by its user, yet constantly shapes the user’s experience every now and then. A good design helps people enjoy more convenient and aesthetic lives.

Work that has unique characters and echoes the idea of environmental symbiosis.

I enjoy a wide variety of design style, but work I like the most usually is particularly strong in the choice of colour and overall presentation.

Quiet mid night.

The needs of the user.

Energetic.

Feel in love.

Answering the expectation of the user.

Reasonableness and overall balance.

Creating great design that helps the user understand that aesthetics and design are indispensable for modern life.

As AI is gradually taking over many tasks we thought computers cannot handle, I think designers around the world must dedicate more energy in innovating the field to discover the unique human elements that cannot be captured by AI.

Interior design is an interactive way to present a design. I gain much inspiration from discussing with my clients because they help me envision what sort of experience the user of this space would like to have and allow me to use my language to vitalize the space.

There’s no one single way to describe my design style because, for me, the most important thing in interior design is to make sure that design can meet the expectation of the user, not the designer’s personal views. Nevertheless, overall, I prefer minimalist style more than other styles.

I always begin my design by visiting the space I am commissioned and also conducting several in-depth discussion with my client to understand their preferences and expectation. I will then bring the concepts I got from the initial visiting and discussion into the design, and have another round of discussion with my client after the 3D sketch is created.

Custom-made iron table, dinning environment, wall of pictures in the living room, dressing table, and office room.

I begin my day by reading and yoga. After the breakfast, I will be in the company to organise tasks I am going to do in the day. During the afternoon, I may be in the site to check the progress of the project with the workers and see if there’s anything that needs to be changed. After all of these, I will go jogging and update the progress of all of the ongoing projects. I usually end my day by chatting with my families.

Believe in yourself, your design is priceless, not worthless. Never accept unreasonable request. (laugh)

One of the greatest issues brought by my professional training I’ve noticed is that it’s sometimes very difficult for me to take a rest without thinking about design. The training requires me to maintain a very critical attitude about all sort of design around me. I often find myself wondering how the interior design of the cafe can be improved when I was trying to take a rest and stop thinking about anything about design.

Ergonomics, proportion, aesthetics.

Besides design, communication skills are also very important. Communicating with the user and workers are essentials to produce a good design.

AUTOCAD、SKETCH UP、PINTEREST

I like to begin my drafting on paper. I will then use SKETCH UP to generate a 3D rendering to examine my idea more carefully and help my client envision what the project will look like.

I also use websites like Pintrest or Archdaily to learn about new design ideas from all over the world.

I do time budgeting to help myself be on top of my project. Every project has its expected deadline. Dissecting the project into smaller chunks helps check and manage the progress very much.

It depends on the project. Generally speaking, it usually takes about 6 months to complete the design alone after the first meeting.

What’s the ideal way of using this space in your mind?

I will continue learning about new knowledge and enhance my design skills. In the following few years, I will also set up my own team to reach out more clients.

Currently I am the sole designer of the interior design sector in my studio. I hope I will be able to lead a team in future.

I am currently working on a self-build project commissioned by a couple.

They can contact me via the website of the studio: https://tetto-design.com/interior/inquiry