City's first interior design school looks to fill gaps in the job market
The city's first dedicated interior design school has been set up to meet growing demand, writes Kate Whitehead
Hong Kong now has its first dedicated interior design school. Opened a month ago, the school is currently offering short courses and in September will launch a one-year diploma.
Insight School of Interior Design is the brainchild of Eve Mercier, a qualified interior designer and art historian. This is her second stay in Hong Kong, having lived here 14 years ago when she set up her own fashion design company and worked for Shanghai Tang.
After a stint in London where she set up her own interior design agency, she returned 18 months ago. While renewing her contacts in the industry, she says she kept hearing the same message from architects and developers.
Employers want to see you being savvy and practical and having a strong portfolio
"They were all telling me that there are massive projects happening in Hong Kong, but there are not enough properly trained interior designers to meet the demand," says Mercier.
It's taken just a year from conception to securing a site in Chai Wan, outfitting the school and lining up a stellar team of tutors and visiting mentors. That's fast work.
"That's Hong Kong," laughs Mercier, and her understanding of how the city works as well as her contacts have helped her create a school inspired by the ones in Europe.
The 4,000 sq ft school occupies the top floor of an industrial building and has plenty of windows, flooding the space with natural light and offering a harbour view. Smart partnerships means the facility is well equipped. The European lighting specialist Zumtobel has kitted out the lighting studio, giving students the opportunity to get first-hand experience with colour temperature and the impact of lighting on a space.
The course tutors have impressive industry backgrounds. Côme Remy, who teaches the history of style and the history of 20th century furniture, was head of the 20th Century Decorative Art department at Christie's for four years and Ulrich Geissler, who teaches the sustainable design short course and works on the diploma programme, works with Foster and Partners design services in Hong Kong.