A CONVERSATION ON DESIGN

Five minutes with Mr. André Fu

How has your design approach changed since working on The Upper House?

I rarely try to analyze it too much. The Upper House was a very interesting opportunity because the owner wanted to do something different from the start. The vision matched my personal aesthetics at that time and place. Now, 10 years after the hotel opened, it still remains an amazing property with amazing guests. I think in that context, it has opened many doors for me and it has allowed me to tap into many other design journeys to realize other properties in different parts of the world and not limit myself.

Was there an instant design connection when you took on the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok project?

Admittedly, it was more of a challenge than an instant connection. But I think it’s because of that disconnect that I found it interesting on a personal level. It made me ask important questions like, “How do we interpret heritage in this kind of setting?”

How do you approach designing for a luxury property today?

Thanks to social media, a lot of people are becoming more aware of design. Travel is also no longer a luxury commodity – it’s almost part of our everyday. By seeing it constantly on your phone, you aspire to go to a certain location and try to experience that firsthand. For a designer like myself, it’s not a matter of saying, “This looks great, let’s put it in.” We don’t create just for the sake of creating, but instead, we think of the “essence” of what we want to create and we follow our heart towards its realization.

There is this phrase I love: “It’s about offering a point of view.” So through what I’m doing, I’m offering a point of view of a particular brand, which is my personal take on it. Even if I work in the same city on more than one property, we have to take many things into consideration: The brand, the neighborhood, and the people we are targeting.