White Paper: A Blank Canvas for Design

A Unique Approach to Interior Design

A canvas-like interior materializes, creating opportunities for a myriad of exhibitions of the design process. As each project progresses, the walls and boards are covered with research, design sketches, and presentations, recording the evolution and development of every decision. Over time, this accumulation of works becomes a culminated diary for designers.

White floors and a brass door, a unique and daring attempt for robust daily use, collect the footprints and fingerprints from the staff and clients, representing the growth of the company as it ages. What seems to be on display in this office is the effort being spent on any given moment. The office becomes a clean slate after each project, ready for a new one to commence.

Supporting this freedom of display is the installation of plentiful storage. Located behind sliding white boards, the mess created by designers is readily covered up. The criteria for material selection in this design are visual tidiness and orderliness, as well as environmental awareness and cost concern. For example, cable management is done by stringing used plastic capsules from capsule toys, and the worktops are made of recycled wood fiber chipboards. The point of interest lies in the way these materials have been treated.

The office, located in Hong Kong, was completed between August 2009 and May 2010. The design team, led by Lam Wai Ming, included Fanny Leung, Esther Yeung, and Kent Wong.

To arrive at the decision to be a blank sheet, the inspiration does not come from any superficial whim. Working from the brief that has the usual inventory of a conventional office, with a twist of the chaotic routine of a design firm, the design demands a new concept of working disposition. In fact, the programmatic dynamism of a design office cannot be contained by a simple open space. In such sense, an office is never a blank. On the contrary, in an attempt to set free the design from its physical constraints, one has to adopt a multifaceted framework for the design to grow with needs.

The realization of the project depends on achieving ideal solutions for two very contradicting needs: maximum hidden surfaces (the mess concealer) and maximum open surface (the mess promoter). The result is a sensible combination of the two. The lift doors open onto a stripped clean lobby where there is a brass door. Inside, a 300 sq m full of crispy white daylight awaits. It is the light reflected from the white ceilings, walls, pin boards, and floors, just like the glow of clean laundry.

The design for the office of an interior design firm by Lam Wai Ming has been recognized for its excellence and innovation. It was awarded the Silver A' Design Award in the Interior Space, Retail, and Exhibition Design category in 2011. This prestigious award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. Lam Wai Ming's design showcases a remarkable level of excellence and introduces positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.