Andre Fu, purveyor of ‘New Asian’ design, offers a refuge from the hectic world
Purveyor of 'New Asian' design offers privacy and refuge from the world that allows hotel guests to feel at home
For one of the fastest-rising stars of modern hospitality design, architect and designer Andre Fu is surprisingly unassuming and reserved. He speaks slowly, softly and distinctly, and often takes a few moments to answer questions, making it difficult to gauge what he is thinking. We met before and after the completion of his new supersuite for London's sumptuous Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge and, both times, he is friendly but inscrutable, yet clearly keen to make sure the ideas behind his latest project are understood.
"In a competitive market like London, high-end hospitality design is always about how embellished and luxurious it is; it's more about the decorative quality of it, the lushness of the materials," Fu says. "We've created an environment that envelops you and finished it in a very pure and architectural way. Then we embellished it with artwork and bespoke furnishings." At one point, he calls this a "more Asian approach", then corrects himself: "my Asian approach".
His new Opus suite at the Berkeley is less overtly opulent than some of the most expensive suites in the city, yet more choreographed and layered. Every room builds on the last one and adds to an atmosphere of refinement by using a blend of precious and unusual elements and materials. There are solid onyx marbletops in the kitchen and bedroom; brushed-brass pendant lights and lighting fixtures throughout the suite; flamed Turkish marble adorning the kitchens, bathrooms and living areas; and a marble-clad island bathtub with sculpted headrests in the master bath. Bamboo panelling is used throughout and is sculpted and curved to create niches with intimacy; the main bedroom features a cascading fabric waterfall, and most rooms feature a tactile and sculptural work of art. It's theatrical but warm, with space for private contemplation and social interaction.
Fu peppers his conversation with the word "intimate", and repeatedly stresses the importance of creating "intimate spaces" that provide privacy and refuge from the world. His design for the 52nd-floor Gong Bar in London's upcoming Shangri-La hotel involved "carefully crafting intimate pockets of spaces that make guests feel welcomed". The bar - which will be the highest in London and offer 360-degree views - shares the footprint with a swimming pool that Fu has incorporated into the space. He will not reveal much about the design other than that cinnabar red will be a recurring colour theme. "At the same time, the whole space will feel quite rustic because we've juxtaposed galvanised steel and hand-hammered stone with these slick, high-gloss lacquered panels," he says. He has "infused some ancient Chinese architectural elements" into the design with an international, contemporary twist.
It's because of his ability to meld East and West with such clarity that Fu is often called the purveyor of "New Asian" design, a term he accepts but doesn't feel particularly represents him. "Ultimately, every project is unique in its own way; I don't like to describe myself as one type of designer. It really depends on where we are doing the project," he says.
His studio completed two restaurant projects in Istanbul that reflect the locale and the richness of its culture. "The space planning, the architectural quality in a lot of the detailing - these are the core values of a lot of work that I do," he says. In the same way he believes the "New Asian" label is overused, Fu feels there's no need to reiterate his background - that he went to boarding school in Britain and studied architecture at Cambridge before returning to Hong Kong. "I've no problem sharing it with you; there's nothing to be ashamed of," he laughs. But later he adds: "I just worry because I don't want people to feel that I've been in the business for 12 years, and yet I'm still talking about how I started out, what my first project in Hong Kong was, what I think of the Upper House … it's been done."
Fu and his team are working on projects in London, Seoul, Bangkok, Phuket, Bali, Singapore, Tokyo and Guangzhou. They are offered more work than they can take on, and therefore can afford to be selective, he says. What sort of project might he turn down? "The most important thing is the client behind the project, whether they are there with the intention to innovate and with the aim to create something that's special. That's particularly the case in China, because there are so many empty buildings or new buildings going up that often clients are looking for the superficial association with a named designer without understanding what it takes to create something that becomes a destination in its own right."
Still in his 30s, his love of sketching makes him stand out in an era of computer rendering. "When I present projects, I still present with my hand-sketches," he says. His passion for architecture started in his childhood, when he liked to draw mazes in his spare time. Did it give him a particular affinity with space and spatial awareness? "I'm not sure, but it certainly trained my hand in terms of drawing straight lines," he says.