Jon Stojan
Today, I am pleased to introduce a renowned figure in the design industry, acclaimed in both Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. She stands as one of the most influential contemporary interior designers, a pioneer in Chinese space design, and a witness, participant, practitioner, and promoter of China’s architectural space design industry. She is none other than the contemporary renowned Asia-Pacific spatial art designer, Ms. Wan Jing.
Ms. Wan has always dedicated herself to interior space design, integrating the perfect fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics. This is precisely why as a Western art critique reporter, I had the opportunity to interview her. Over her 20-year career, Ms. Wan has meticulously cultivated her expertise and pursued continuous innovation, emerging as a specialist in residential and space management design. With an extensive understanding of real estate, industry research, and design management, she approaches property analysis from a design perspective with the spirit of a craftsman. Through differentiation in product completion and impeccable presentation, Ms. Wan has led her team to deliver numerous outstanding design works, earning high praise from international professionals as well as clients across Europe, America, and the Asia-Pacific region. Her portfolio includes classic cases such as hotels, entertainment spaces, office environments, luxury villas, model house of clubhouses, large-scale malls, brand stores, and corporate and institutional VI planning and image promotion. Her creative scope is broad, characterized by delicate humanistic care and strong artistic sensibility, seamlessly blending Eastern and Western elements while harmonizing “the grand” and “the delicate”, making her a quintessential all-round designer.
When I came across Ms. Wan’s designs at the Association Internationale des Designers et des Artistes, we were not only impressed by her creativity, but also felt the personality, inclusivity, or warmth conveyed by her works. At first glance, she exuded a sense of “seriousness”, however, as she discussed design, her speech was clear, logical, and articulate. Through in-depth conversations and understanding, we perceived her subtle pursuit of life and work, and comprehended her space artistry.
“Dedicated to discovering beauty, customizing designs for every space, imbuing spaces with unique connotations, humanistic value, and commercial value, presenting a poetic life of the moment, reclaiming spiritual belonging for people, allowing inspiration to flow freely, creating a space of longing for the soul, both design and people should be vibrant and distinct,” this is Ms. Wan’s understanding of design. When asked about the sources of inspiration for her diverse design styles, she attributed it to her experiences from global travels. These experiences have indeed had a significant impact on her design style, but the greatest influence is her pursuit of a harmonious balance between the internal and external. Sometimes, it’s challenging to find suitable projects or clients that allow her to achieve this balance. She said, “I am honored that my projects have achieved excellent results and recognition in international design competitions in Europe and America. I am also delighted to share my designs with the world. These award-winning projects cover different styles and formats, including artistic spaces, commercial spaces, leisure spaces, and residences, among others. I want to demonstrate to potential clients my ability to handle different styles and formats. As a leader of a team, I will evaluate ourselves more rationally, giving us more confidence to do good design. I look forward to our team maintaining the highest standards in future developments.”
We asked her if she had encountered any disturbances in her design work and how she dealt with them. She said, “There are many complex factors that can disrupt the design process, which can be broadly categorized into financial issues, cultural and artistic cultivation of investment stakeholders, and the lack of social reputation and moral values. These disturbances prevent designers from realizing their good ideas and creativity perfectly. Currently, our relationship with clients tends to be one-sided, like that of a god and a servant, which destroys the designer’s enthusiasm for work and hinders the depth of creativity. In this state of mind, good design cannot be achieved. My approach to clients who do not value design is to politely decline their business. Because they fail to recognize the value of design.”
Regarding future design trends, she believes that at different stages of human development, design differs from other fields. It’s not just about practical matters but also about considering the meaning of design within broader contexts such as the Industrial Revolution, the Digital Revolution, and the Biological Revolution. The future undoubtedly belongs to “green design”. We used to think the Earth was vast, but from a cosmic perspective, it’s tiny. We used to think the Earth had abundant resources for us to exploit, but in reality, only the top kilometer is valuable, providing oxygen, water, and the necessities for survival. The continuously growing global population is alarming, so it’s imperative for humanity to sustainably coexist with the Earth, for the sake of future generations. The green revolution is urgent today. As design professionals, while enhancing clients’ aesthetic appreciation and making living spaces more comfortable, we also have a responsibility as citizens to actively advocate for green design and contribute our modest efforts to environmental protection.
Editor’s Note:
In the post-pandemic era, an increasing number of consumers are paying attention to the layout of comfortable systems in living spaces. As a renowned spatial art designer, Ms. Wan Jing has also put forward her own understanding. She stated, “In residential space design, the comfortable system is actually crucial, which is the same concept as the humanized design we previously proposed. With the development and broader application of technological intelligence in homes in the post-pandemic era, the comfortable systems in home design will become more intelligent, convenient, and humanized.”
Adhering to culturally thoughtful, aesthetically artistic, detailed, moderate, and elegant designs is Ms. Wan’s design philosophy.