Why Hong Kong's a challenge for designer Sean Dix
The designer behind Dix Design + Architecture says the problem of uncontrolled rents and short leases will crush creativity in the city
What led you to interior design? “I started because I moved away from home when I was really young and ended up in southern California. I had an apartment to furnish and no money. Back then, if you went to the Salvation Army, the junk shops, you could find some pretty cool things. And this was before anybody was into design at all, including me. I just thought it was kind of neat stuff, and cheap. And it grew into an interest in furniture.”
Tell us about the Copine table, which you took to the recent Singapore Indesign event. “Copine is inspired by my favourite typology of furniture – anonymously designed furniture for factory workers, hospitals, police stations, elementary schools; designed thoughtfully by somebody with direct personal knowledge of materials and means of construction, and a deep suspicion of applied decoration. It’s an approach to design that is largely forgotten.”
How did the collaboration with Sheung Wan’s Yardbird restaurant come about? “Through a series of coincidences, Yardbird was the first restaurant we did here. They saw some furniture I designed and wanted to buy it and we got talking. Then they said, ‘Wait a minute, your office is right around the corner from this new restaurant we’re opening.’ So we agreed to meet and hit it off. The rest is history. We ended up doing more than just the furniture.”