Tjip Studio is a Belgian design firm founded in 2012 by Jakob Vyncke and Thomas Meesschaert. As a professional interior architectural design studio, Tjip has always adhered to the belief of "obtaining fresh ideas and creating respectable designs through endless creativity".
In this open class, the co-founder Thomas Meesschaert, shared their design philosophy and process with the theme of "Interior VS Environment". Thomas believes that designers should pay attention to the environment and learn to feel the impact it brings; remember the principle of form following function; let the people in the space not feel the 'work' you have done here, but rather the harmonious integration of all things together. At the same time, in the project analysis part, he mentioned that the combination of materials and shapes should be considered, and the final result presented should be the natural coexistence of indoor and building surroundings, rather than the eye-catching existence of a certain part.
Yinjispace：You said that form follows the function. May we understand it as function creates the form?
Thomas Meesschaert：Everyone may have a specific design approach. When you start designing with the correct method, you will find that form follows function or function follows form, which will make people think about how to design space. The most important thing is to pay attention to the overall design and not overly focus on details. You can follow the form or function, then delve into details and re-balance the design. So in my opinion, there can be a shift between form and function’s order.
Yinjispace：How do you think the light design of the space?
Thomas Meesschaert：Lighting is usually the last part in design. The design is based on natural light, which cannot be changed. After the floor plan design is completed, we will reconsider the design based on artificial lighting. For example, in the absence of sunlight at night, facing the space is like facing a blank area, and then you can start designing again from here. We will reconsider the design focus to create a unique feeling. By setting soft light, bright light, light focus, and highlights to soften the space, candlelight can also add a sense of naturalness. Because this is artificial lighting, you can create an atmosphere at will and create the suitable design of the space, so lighting has always been the last part in our design.
Yinjispace：After the epidemic situation, is there any difference between the clients and designers in Belgium? Does the designer care more about the space effect towards human wellness?
Thomas Meesschaert：There are many important regulations that need to be followed in public design, such as hotels and offices; and there is not much difference in the work of our studio before and after the pandemic. At the beginning of the epidemic, we divided our work into two groups and assigned tasks. After the epidemic, Belgium resumed normal life, and the office maintained ventilation. During the two years of the epidemic, work methods have changed. People could not meet offline, but in the era of internet, we can continue to work and increase meetings and communication with customers. This is beneficial to our work. Therefore, we have overseas customers and will use online meeting application to communicate with each other, making our work more convenient. In terms of design, we focus on natural ventilation and natural light. We believe that whether it's a project, interior design, or architecture, health is the most important thing. Especially after the epidemic, a well-ventilated environment requires additional technological details. Adding technology products appropriately in interior design can help create an unique atmosphere.
