Design & Innovation
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Make your home different
Live in style
By Vincent Li
The word ¡§design¡¨ is closely related to, and inseparable from our daily lives. Through design, people can live their lives in a stylish way.
Homeless is a lifestyle concept store located in Yau Ma Tei. With the slogan ¡§Take me home¡¨, it tries to help Hong Kong people make a difference in their lives through interior design and decoration.
The shop specializes in selling stylish and gimmicky products ranging from furniture to small accessories.
More than a usual retail business, Homeless also sells goods designed by its founder, Heyman Poon, who used to work in a local concept store G.O.D.
According to Jan, the buyer and representative of Homeless, Heyman designs most of the furniture sold in Homeless and the number of original products sold is increasing.
In addition, Homeless exhibits and sells the design works of its in-house designer Carrie Chau. Her works of T-shirts and accessories are also sold in the store.
¡§With her drawing style, one can easily recognize her work at first glance,¡¨ said Jan.
Jan admitted that striving to promote Hong Kong design is by no means easy.
¡§We long to specialize in selling local products, especially those designed by us. However, it is a rough ride.
¡§The portion of local design exported is more than that sold locally due to limited demand. Small companies usually can not afford supplying in excess due to low profit margins,¡¨ said Jan.
Mr. Siu Kin Wai, Michael, a professor of the School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University , suggested some reasons for that, ¡§ Hong Kong people in general prefer overseas products with brand names. The words ¡¥Made in Hong Kong ' or ¡¥Made in China ' may discourage people to buy.
¡§Moreover, we can hardly see local features or cultural characteristics incorporated in local design. Perhaps it is too hard to grasp,¡¨ said Michael.
This may explain why Homeless believes it is still not the time to sell only their design products.
¡§We have to sell some oversea products to maintain sales volume. The lamps we sell are imported, and also some of the clocks and other accessories,¡¨ said Jan.
Mrs. Wong, 42, a housewife, is a customer of Homeless. She described the goods as ¡§stylish and special¡¨.
¡§I live nearby and visit Homeless frequently. I do not know much about design but sometimes I simply cannot resist buying goods from here to add colors to my home,¡¨ she said.
Mr. Cheung, 30, an accountant, said, ¡§The goods here are not cheap but still reasonably priced. I am impressed by the unique design.¡¨
One of the interesting goods in Homeless is a projected clock. It is a tiny projector, which displays a large image of a clock onto any surface.
According to Jan, Homeless tries to gather goods from both local and overseas and presents them to Hong Kong people.
Jan said, ¡§As long as the product is funny and functional, we do not care if it is made in Hong Kong or not. We want to convey the message that good design can make a dull life more joyful.¡¨
Regarding the function and nature of design, Michael stated that design and life are interrelated.
Michael thinks that a good design makes life more joyful, or, improves the quality of life. Also, a good design can help mankind achieve satisfaction in different aspects.
¡§In terms of culture, a good design can match the set of values and colors of people. Different colors may have different symbolic meanings in different cultures,¡¨ he said.
In his opinion, a good design may even serve some social functions. For example, a coffee maker in an office may offer chances for social gathering. Hence, the function of a coffee maker is more than coffee making.
It is a kind of latent function and it brings extra pleasure to the staff, and establishes a better working atmosphere.
¡§Design may also help consolidate one's style and identity. People like to gain recognition from their peers. It is a kind of psychological satisfaction.
¡§Ideological needs can also be attained through design, for example, some environmental-friendly products may not be convenient but do share the same ideology of some environmentalists,¡¨ explained Michael.
According to Jan, people in Hong Kong are getting more and more aware of these functions of design.
¡§People want to have their own lifestyle and hope to consolidate it by home decoration. Although it is too early to view it as a trend, we acknowledge the potential of the market of lifestyle design,¡¨ said Jan.
Michael believes that the emergence of lifestyle design is mainly due to human desire to achieve self-actualization. By pursuing one's style, one's self-esteem can be boosted.
¡§When compared with the past, people's taste is widened and they fancy a dream house. Although flats in Hong Kong are generally small, size does not really matter, but style.
¡§People have a preference to customization and do not favor standardized items that much because they want to make themselves different from the crowds.
¡§Above all, a good design works for a better life, but it does not necessarily link with something stylish,¡¨ said Michael.
