JANUS et Cie: The Rock Garden Colllection 2019, 3 29

Born in Hong Kong and educated in England from the age of 14,
André Fu holds a Bachelor of Arts at Cambridge University and
a Masters in Architecture from the University of Cambridge. Fu
credits his idiosyncratic design style—a quietly thoughtful, carefully
considered yet analytical approach marked by a highly refined
aesthetic—to his peripatetic cultural upbringing. According to the
designer, “living, studying and traveling between both countries over
the past thirty years is why my own tastemaker sensibility reinterprets
traditional notions of national identities or ‘East-meets-West aesthetics’
in a new hybrid. For me, it is about combining a seamless alignment
of cultural and design sensibilities, modern luxury, and craftsmanship
to shape the world around us.”
Fu became known overnight when he first redefined notions of
hospitality with his design of the world-renowned Upper House hotel
in Hong Kong, and has since gone on to create forward-thinking
interiors for other leading brands. Fu leads each project personally
from his airy design studio, located on the historic Duddell Street
in Central, Hong Kong.
“I enjoy working on a wide range of projects across the world but none
of these are about me or my personal design style,” he explains. “Each
new commission starts with understanding my client, the brand, and
their specific brief or vision so that when someone walks into the
space—whether it is an Andaz or a Waldorf hotel, for instance—that
is what they see. My signature touches may be there, but it is very
important to me that the design is about telling a story about the brand.”