Lukstudio was founded by Ms. Lu Yingzhi in Shanghai in 2011. The team members come from all over the world, and they are in this city where China and the West meet and the old meet. They are full of the positive energy of "anything is possible". Lukstudio has the heart to challenge the status quo, believing that each space has its own unique charm, as long as careful observation of the potential of the site, weighing the possibility of each activity function, with the least design intervention can achieve the maximum effect. After mastering the narration of each space, the team enjoys the process of experiment: testing materials, simulating light and shadow, studying details, and constantly pursuing the simple and elegant design scheme that keeps pace with The Times.
Yinji: Young designers are the mainstay of design in the circle. How did you start your design path? What do you want for your future?
Luk: My design career started as a child. I grew up in Hong Kong, where I was spoon-fed, with endless homework and endless tests. As I like drawing, my mother will take me to learn painting every Saturday. These two hours are a release for me and also cultivate my curiosity in art and design. When I chose to major in university, I was not sure which road I would take in the future. I was only eager to be engaged in creation, so I chose three different colleges: art, interior design and architecture. Finally, I went to the University of Toronto in Canada to study for my Bachelor's degree in architecture. I spent five fulfilling years and broadened my horizon. Since graduation, I have been engaged in the design industry, no matter planning, architecture, landscape, interior, furniture have been in contact. However, I have always been engaged in design to serve people in cities. In fact, I am very interested in rural and rural construction projects, and I hope to have more opportunities to practice the construction method integrating with nature in the future.
Yinji: You have experience studying abroad or working in an office. How has this experience affected you? Do you have any advice for students who are about to enter college to study design?
Luk: The experience of studying abroad and living abroad makes it easier for me to absorb and try new things. In my opinion, it is a good opportunity to build independent thinking and communication skills to be influenced by different cultures while growing up. In the past, when I went abroad, the Internet just appeared, and our social interaction was still more traditional face-to-face communication. If we want to find design cases or materials, we will go to the library to read books or make an appointment to visit the site. Now mobile phone can meet all the needs of life and data collection, I think there are both advantages and disadvantages. A lot of the young generation's cognition will be stuck in the image, not necessarily understand the connotation, not necessarily to experience. I hope that if you are lucky enough to go abroad, you can make more friends, travel more and feel the power of design in reality. At this time, you are in the best position to take risks.
Yinji: You grew up in Hong Kong. Why did you choose Shanghai as your studio base?
Luk: After graduation, I worked for a long time in a big company in Toronto. I was involved in some big projects. I used to go through a period of confusion by constantly proposing and revising drawings. In 2007, I was fortunate to be assigned to Shanghai by the company at that time and participated in an interior design project. Due to the tight schedule, the design process is almost thinking while construction, unable to complete each part well. At that time, I began to pay attention to some excellent designs in Shanghai, hoping to learn how to control the completion of the project. Later, I was lucky enough to join Neri&Hu Design Research Office and participated in the project of Le Merideen Zhengzhou, from which I benefited a lot. I met my husband in Shanghai, and in 2010 we got married and decided to have a family in Shanghai. In the six months that I was designing and transforming our family, I began to realize my own shortcomings. By communicating with different construction teams and suppliers, discussing the production and details, and accumulating architectural knowledge day by day, I felt satisfied. I think Shanghai actually chose me. If I had not been in Shanghai, a vibrant city, I would not have been so brave to set up my own company.
Yinji: Your work is novel, simple and pure. Could you tell me your understanding of pure?
Luk: Architecture cultivated my pursuit of light and volume. I don't think beauty is necessarily luxurious, I prefer simple lines and simple materials. I think it's pure focus on doing one thing well. Each site has its potential; Every space has a necessary function; And a pure design is to be able to perfect the relationship between the two. In my opinion, contracted does not equal icy cold, I like "warm" a bit of space, let a person have the will that wants to touch, want to explore, want to stay. Design is even more meaningful if it prompts others to see something from another perspective. In my opinion, successful design is full of positive energy, which can make people feel a kind of free pleasure.
Yinji: What do you like to do in your spare time? What do you think is the relationship between design and life?
Luk: I love small animals. I think having a pet is a daily reminder that we need to be kind to the other species in the world. My staff and I bring puppies into the office to work, and recently two kittens. Sometimes they would run out of control and fight, sometimes they would lie down together tenderly, which became our team's daily routine. I also like to practice yoga and vipassana meditation, but I am still very elementary, the normal mind is still far away from me, and I need to continue to practice hard. Recently, I started sketching with my friends occasionally on weekends, observing things intently and recording them, and spending time in peace is a kind of healing for me. After living in the city for a long time, I have to go to nature to get some air. I can go hiking, see the sea, or go camping. My husband and I go to new places every year. The world is so big that we should see more of it. This year, due to the epidemic, I cannot go abroad, so I can explore some good places in China.。
The relationship between design and life is a bit like the chicken and the egg. It's hard to tell which is which. Being engaged in design is a kind of life style, which is constantly hovering between the ideal and the reality. It needs a balanced mind to relax and freely create and operate. On the one hand, life inspires me, and the experience and interpersonal network accumulated in design also enriches my life. Of course, while design brings me satisfaction, it also makes me upset and anxious, and occasionally I have the idea of giving up. Fortunately, every day just need to live, things have a new development, there is always something to make me feel lucky, stick to go on, engaged in the things I like, and the people I like.
