Distrito Oficina Feature
Passion in Exploring Spatial Narratives
Lorène Faure, founder of Bean Buro
Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, founder of Bean Buro
One foot in Hong Kong from the origins of France and Japan... What advantages does this multicultural facet bring?
KKT: Our origins are from France and Japan, and we met while practicing in London prior to setting up Bean Buro in Hong Kong. Therefore, the cross-cultural aspect has always been the heart and ethos for our studio.
LF: Now, we are a team of around 15 people in-house, with a wider network of collaborators. However, we prioritise on cross-cultural discussions in every step of what we do. We believe this quality would better inform narratives for our design projects.
Humanistic, refined, and fresh projects... Do these qualifiers define the philosophy of Bean Buro?
KKT: The philosophy for Bean Buro is to create humanistic, refined, and fresh designs. This consistent approach means that while each project is tailored to our clients, there is still a clear philosophical thread throughout our body of work.
LF: This has resulted in a certain aesthetic for our studio’s work: elegant, tasteful, and simple but always with moments of surprise such as playful details of curves and colours.
Can you explain the creation of the studio in a few words?
KKT: The studio is created based on a talented team of people who are passionate in exploring spatial narratives for today’s urban spaces.
Do you consider yourself specialists in any type of space?
LF: Over the years, we have developed our specialisms in navigating challenging workplaces, residential and hospitality projects. We are particularly interested in designing better spaces for the idea of ‘Live + Work’, as the majority of people spend most of their time at their workplaces or their homes.
KKT: I have a background in academic lecturing, research, and writing. I also have recently written “Co-Working Space Designs” for Image Publishing. Such research keeps us at the forefront of our workplace design specialism.
LF: I have been passionate about using create architectural drawings to drive the studio’s research interests. As such, we are often commissioned by our clients to produce artistic drawings as part of our design spaces. Concurrently, our signature Bean Table has been a study in material exploration, and we have been collaborating with wood and resin workshops to investigate new applications for our designs.
How does Bean Buro manage to retain top talent on its team?
KKT: It’s important for us to keep producing beautiful designs and to have our works published, which in turn attracts and retains talented designers.
Moreover, our studio culture is highly sociable and collaborative. Everybody is encouraged to explore and share ideas with each other through frequent design workshops. As a close-knitted team, we hold monthly outings to not only design-related events such as exhibitions, but also participate in charitable activities, enriching our team’s the day-to-day experiences and career development.
Where does the inspiration for your projects come from?
LF: We like to find inspirations from creative sources such as art, literature, and photography.
The experimental method with which we use our design tools also often provides inspiration through ‘happy accidents’. The process itself can directly lead to ideas for our designs.
KKT: Engaging with our clients is also a source of inspiration. Asking questions and understanding our clients is a crucial part of projects.
Lastly, we often gather inspiration from the historical, cultural, and environmental context for each project’s site.
You say that architecture is a spatial and emotional experience shared by the creator and the users. Can you explain this idea?
LF: Architecture is a spatial construct not only through its physical manifestation intended by the designer but also through the mental and bodily experiences of the end users. We believe that is how a space is created and defined.
What is the key to delivering a positive end-user experience?
KKT: Ensuring the space is tastefully and elegant created and comfortable for true engagement by the end-user. One can have all the functional strategies but when they are not put together beautifully then the design would not be positively experienced.
LF: The key to delivering a positive experience should also be driven by environmental and well-being elements so that the creations are sustainable, durable and healthy for the end-users.
What role does creativity play in the process of designing and implementing a new space?
KKT: For us, creativity plays the largest role in the process of all our projects. Even at the initial research phase, observation and data is digested in a creative manner to then drive the design process.
Is it tiring to start with a blank page for each new project?
LF: New projects don’t really start with a blank page, as all our ideas are based on a never-ending set of references intrinsic to the studio’s research; some are external, and others are internally developed. We are excited to always evolve our ideas with each project.
What do the awards that the studio has received contribute to your work?
KT: Participating in (and sometimes honourably winning) awards is a way for us to be actively a part of the profession and design industry. In recent years, Lorène and I have also been invited as judges for prestigious design award programmes, which has allowed us to get insight to the current and upcoming design trends around the world.