Hong Kong-born architect Lo Chi-wing lives in Greece, where he runs a small architecture studio in Athens with Panagiota Davladi. He received his design education in North America: a degree from the University of Toronto and a master's from Harvard. Lo's first collection for Giorgetti in 1994 was the start of a long, productive relationship with the Italian brand, and one of his beds, Rea, was selected for a Wallpaper magazine design award last year.
How do you describe your furniture?
'People say my work is simple, almost minimalist, but if you look closer the [designs] are very complex. Take NYN [a corner cabinet, right] - it always stays back in a room but once you start opening it or trying to understand the structure, [you see] how it reveals and hides certain things. I'm always trying to make sure people understand simplicity rather than simplification.'
Which culture of design has influenced you the most?
Lo believes his Chinese heritage is subtly present in his work, as a quietness uncommon in American design. 'In the US it's an open landscape, open to everything. But being Chinese gave me more inclination to look at things from afar. I don't get into things quickly,' he says.
'There are some American artists I like a lot, like Edward Hopper and William Bailey. They draw simple things in a quiet way that conveys a sense of solitude and is never pretentious.'