Wen-Hsueh Wu
1. Congratulations on winning the London Design Awards! Can you introduce yourself and share about what inspired you to pursue design as a career?
Thank you — it is truly an honour to receive the London Design Awards. I am deeply grateful to my clients for their full trust and to the jury for recognising the works of VVU Arterior Co., Ltd.
Looking back, I believe that a sensitive perception of life combined with passion is what led me to design. Every meaningful design begins with understanding real needs and transforming them into something functional, aesthetic, and emotionally resonant. This mindset naturally guided me into this profession.
2. What does being recognised in the London Design Awards mean to you?
Being recognised as the Gold Winners of two projects by such a highly regarded international award is a great encouragement. It validates our design philosophy and motivates us to continue creating with confidence, curiosity, and responsibility.
3. How has this achievement impacted your career, team, or agency, and what opportunities has it brought so far?
This award marks an important milestone in our journey. It strengthens our visibility within the design industry and helps us build connections with multidisciplinary professionals internationally. We hope it will open the door to broader collaborations and new opportunities in the future.
4. What role does experimentation play in your creative process? Can you share an example?
Experimentation is essential to our process. In A Fusion of Nature and Culture, we initially planned to keep all bedrooms. Through continuous discussion and revisions, we chose to remove one bedroom to create a more open dining area, improving circulation, spatial connection, and practical functions.
5. What's the most unusual source of inspiration you've ever drawn from for a project?
Inspiration often comes from responding to what exists right in front of us — a phrase, a natural scene, a colour combination, or even a random moment. These impressions stay in memory and sometimes reappear unconsciously, later transforming into design ideas.
6. What’s one thing you wish more people understood about the design process?
Design is the result of logical evaluation shaped by emotional reflection, interpreted needs, and individual character. A good design should convey an idea, create positive change, or resonate emotionally — first with the designer, and then with others who share similar values.
7. How do you navigate the balance between meeting client expectations and staying true to your ideas?
Rather than creating conflict, we integrate ideas. By building genuine partnerships with our clients — sharing experiences, values, and perspectives — we combine their expectations with our professional methodology, often achieving results that exceed both sides’ original expectations.
8. What were the challenges you faced while working on your award-winning design, and how did you overcome them?
Imagination and reality do not always align, unfortunately. Challenges such as subjective preferences, budget constraints, and functional requirements are inevitable. We address these by returning to the project’s core values, allowing understanding to guide solutions. To us, challenges are not about compromise, but about clarity and alignment.
9. How do you recharge your creativity when you hit a creative block?
Sometimes, creative blocks make me feel constrained. In those moments, I choose to slow down- to reconnect with nature, explore new activities, observe the city from different perspectives, and listen closely to the world around me. These quiet pauses help me reset and translate fresh insights into a renewed design language.
10. What personal values or experiences do you infuse into your designs?
I believe inspiration exists everywhere- in people, environments, and human behaviours. I’m deeply aware of how our actions affect others and the places we inhabit. Through observation and respect, I aim to translate these experiences into designs that give back, encouraging mindfulness, balance, and a more thoughtful relationship between people and their surroundings with sustainability and preservation awareness.
11. What is an advice that you would you give to aspiring designers aiming for success?
Be authentic to yourself and to the industry. Stay curious and passionate. Strong belief, consistent execution, and deep understanding are the forces that sustain long-term growth.
12. If you could collaborate with any designer, past or present, who would it be and why?
There are many designers I truly admire, but Frank Gehry stands out to me. His sculptural and iconic approach, combined with structural clarity and feasibility, represents a balance between artistic expression and practical realisation that I deeply respect.
