A heart-to-heart with André Fu, one of the hotel industry’s most sought-after interior architects, forms the latest chapter in our series of interviews with leading creatives. As seen in the June 2023 Travel issue of Wallpaper* and accompanied by his iPhone snaps of his Hong Kong home, we discuss seafood, safaris, shoji paper artworks and cinematic inspiration.
Interview: at home with André Fu
André Fu
Wallpaper*: Where are you as we speak? What can you see from your window?
André Fu: From my apartment in Hong Kong, I can see an oceanfront panoramic view of Deep Water Bay and Middle Island.
W*: Can you tell us about your neighbourhood?
AF: It’s on the southern side of Hong Kong Island, with a small community of residential buildings and houses in between beaches.
W*: How would you describe your home?
AF: An urban retreat.
The view of Deep Water Bay from Fu’s dining room, which features pieces by Hans Wegner alongside Fu’s own designs
W* What’s your favourite piece of furniture, and why?
AF: Claude Lalanne’s ginkgo leaf bench. I am intrigued by the way it expresses genuine sculptural beauty, while being functional.
W*: How do you start your days?
AF: With a cup of green tea on my terrace.
W*: What do you do to relax?
AF: I sketch and draw.
W* What are you reading at the moment?
AF: In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki.
Ginkgo leaf bench by Claude Lalanne
W*: Where and when do you find that you are most productive?
AF: I tend to focus best when I am alone at home on my terrace. It is where I can absorb into the surroundings and reflect with a clear mind.
W*: If Wallpaper* came for dinner, what would you cook for us?
AF: I'd make a bouillabaisse, using live seafood bought from local markets.
W*: Where do you find inspiration?
AF: I tend to get inspiration from the most unassuming places, like small cafés and markets. I love to observe how people interact with spaces.
W*: What are you working on at the moment?
AF: A duplex penthouse suite for Claridge’s Hotel in London, and a flagship shop for tech accessories brand Casetify in Osaka.
W*: What trip are you most looking forward to taking this year?
AF: A safari holiday in Nairobi in June.
‘Art Deco Garden’ screen with silk panels, by André Fu Living, designed in collaboration with De Gournay
W*: What are ideal conditions for creating?
AF: When I can spend a few days observing the ways of life and fully immerse myself in the soul of each destination.
W*: What was the last object you bought?
AF: A 1950s bar trolley by Ico Parisi.
W*: What was your most recent design or art discovery?
AF: The intriguing shoji paper artworks by Japanese artist Shiho Fujiwara.
W*: What’s on your playlist?
AF: The soundtrack to In the Mood for Love
W*: What’s your next big launch?
AF: I’m working on a new lifestyle collection, named Skyline Collage, for André Fu Living, which is inspired by the silhouettes of urban cityscape. It will capture the bold geometries and profiles of architectural forms, and the range will include furniture, decorative lighting, tableware and carpets.
A sketch by Fu of his first hotel, The Upper House
W*: What do you collect?
AF: I enjoy collecting books – anything from monographs to books about photography and architecture.
W*: Do you have any rituals?
AF: I like playing cinematic music while I work as it can provoke imageries in my mind.
W*: What surprises you most when you revisit your past designs?
AF: When lighting is not properly focused and somehow hitting the wrong spot.
W*: Where was a place you visited recently that had a big effect on you?
AF: Kyoto, for its mystical quality and its feeling of stillness.
W* If you hadn’t become a designer, what might you have been?
AF: A horticulturalist.
André Fu’s new lifestyle collection, Skyline Collage, will be available at the two André Fu Living standalone boutiques in Hong Kong and online at andrefuliving.com
A version of this story appears in the June 2023 Travel Issue of Wallpaper*, available on international newsstands now, in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
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