Yen Min-Shen & Huang Jia-Le
1. Congratulations on winning the London Design Awards! Can you introduce yourself and share about what inspired you to pursue design as a career?
We are designers focused on spatial narrative and life experience, with extensive experience in interior, landscape, and soft furnishing design. We believe the essence of design lies in creating emotional connections between people, space, and the surrounding environment.
Our inspiration comes from observing the subtle details of daily life. We enjoy integrating a sense of livability and a touch of playfulness into rational spatial planning, allowing spaces to be not only functional, but also emotionally engaging.
To us, good design is more than aesthetics; it is an extension of emotions, memories, and lifestyle. Design is a continuous journey of exploration. Seeing the lines on a drawing transform into comfort, emotion, and meaningful experiences for clients is the most rewarding part of the process.
2. What does being recognised in the London Design Awards mean to you?
Receiving this award is a meaningful encouragement for both our team and us. It inspires us to continue creating thoughtful, heartfelt, and human-centred designs.
3. How has this achievement impacted your career, team, or agency, and what opportunities has it brought so far?
This achievement brought more confidence to our team and allowed us to connect with more international perspectives and opportunities.
4. What role does experimentation play in your creative process? Can you share an example?
Experimentation is an essential part of our creative process. We enjoy exploring the relationship between materials, light, texture, and spatial atmosphere to create spaces that feel layered, thoughtful, and emotionally engaging.
5. What's the most unusual source of inspiration you've ever drawn from for a project?
Many of our inspirations come from subtle and genuine moments in life. A quiet atmosphere, the interaction between people, or the emotions experienced within a space can often become the starting point of a design concept.
6. What’s one thing you wish more people understood about the design process?
We hope people can see that design is not only about appearance, but about creating spaces that genuinely respond to people’s lifestyles, emotions, and everyday needs.
7. How do you navigate the balance between meeting client expectations and staying true to your ideas?
We believe the best design outcomes are built on trust and communication. By listening carefully to our clients, we transform their lifestyles, emotions, and needs into spaces that feel thoughtful, warm, and deeply personal.
8. What were the challenges you faced while working on your award-winning design, and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges was finding a balance between creativity and practical considerations, such as budget and construction constraints. Through close collaboration and communication, we were able to develop the most suitable solution together.
9. How do you recharge your creativity when you hit a creative block?
Whenever we encounter creative blocks, we return to the quiet rhythms of daily life. Slowing down helps us observe, reflect, and rediscover inspiration.
10. What personal values or experiences do you infuse into your designs?
We value warmth, comfort, and emotional connection in design. Over the years, we have come to realise that a home is not only a well-designed space but also a space that reflects the emotions, memories, and lived experiences of the people within it.
That is why we always approach design through the lens of the people who inhabit the space, with the hope that every space feels thoughtful, comfortable, and emotionally connected to everyday living.
11. What is an advice that you would you give to aspiring designers aiming for success?
Our advice to young designers is to remain true to your original intentions and continue learning through both observation and experience. Design is not only about creativity, but also about understanding people and creating spaces with sincerity, warmth, and emotional connection.
12. If you could collaborate with any designer, past or present, who would it be and why?
We would love the opportunity to collaborate with a designer like Peter Zumthor. We deeply admire his ability to balance minimalism, materiality, atmosphere, and human experience in ways that create spaces with lasting emotional impact.
13. What's one question you wish people would ask you about your work, and what's your answer?
If there is a question we hope people would ask us, it would be: “What kind of emotion and value do you hope your designs bring to people?”
Our answer would be that we hope design can go beyond aesthetics and create meaningful connections between people, space, nature, and daily living.
