Hospitality Design - June 2014 - 91

1. A glass façade gives
passersby a glimpse into
Ammo's dramatic dining
room.
2. In the Tangerine
Room at Mott 32,
housed in the basement
of a bank building,
guests dine under a
curved copper ceiling
and walls lined with
Chinese paintbrushes.

1
3
[I love] hospitality because it's a people
business. I enjoy watching people's faces
light up and also recount memories in a
space that I've designed.

3

2

Before starting my studio, I worked for
Norman Foster in London-it was a job
I was naturally excited about because
I admire his work. The highlight was
understanding the science behind their
working methodologies. For example,
I was asked to prepare a PowerPoint
presentation for Foster's pitch in Germany
for an airport project. It taught me what it
meant to tell a story with few slides and to
win a multimillion-dollar project with that
in hand. I was a one-man band for several
years working on small fit-out projects
that required a single vision executed
through branding, interior, uniform, and
visual merchandising. I was responsible for
everything from client-facing to drafting to
fabricating.
I started my own firm because I wanted to
choose the people I worked with-people
who really valued design.
Money is hard earned, especially
with design. My first well-paid design
commission was the first reality check. The
amount of trust and expectations from the
client was overwhelming. It also inspired me
to reach higher.

My big break was designing the Hollywood
Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. Purchasing
the hotel 20 years ago was our client's very
own big break, and he felt it was his honor
to be able to pay-it-forward and commission
lesser-known designers for its renovation.
It was also my most challenging project.
Since we were less experienced at the time,
we were constantly put on the table and
compared with other designers (the likes of
Yabu Pushelberg and Roman and Williams)
who pitched for the same job through
various points of the project. Even though
we were technically already hired for the
project, we were having to constantly prove
ourselves not only as competent designers
but as the best choice for the clients and
hotel.
I am most proud of Mott 32. It's a Chinese
restaurant that we recently completed in
February. Situated in a basement of a bank
building in Hong Kong, it is devoid of natural
light or straightforward access points. We
capitalized on these issues to curate our
own lighting scheme and dramatic entry
experience.
The most challenging and rewarding part
of the job: empowering individuals and
learning together.
Although in a very different kind of
business, my father has taught me the
importance of human values in design.

3. Bronze mirrors, black
leather, and ebonized
wood floors outfit a
Cabana suite at the
Hollywood Roosevelt
Hotel, which won Wang
the Hospitality Debut
award at the 2013
HD Awards.

My design style is surreal, cinematic,
timeless. My personal style is androgynous,
and I appreciate the elegance of a welltailored white shirt. Fashion icon: Tom Ford.
Less for what he wears but being daring
enough to venture into the field of film.
My guilty pleasures are chocolates and
candles paired with a bath.
Spaces I love but didn't design: Soho Houses.
Designers/architects I admire are Carlo
Scarpa, Adolf Loos, Frank Lloyd Wright;
they were ahead of their time in innovation
of materials, in achieving classic and
timeless forms, and for being stringent with
their own principles of design.
I thrive on a sense of fear of projects I
don't see immediate solutions to as well as
working with individuals whom I admire on
a daily basis.
Success is waking up excited.

Recently Completed Projects:
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles
Ammo Restaurant & Bar, Hong Kong
Mott 32, Hong Kong
Projects on the Boards:
Haymarket, Hong Kong
Police Married Quarters restaurant, Hong Kong
Ritz-Carlton residence, Singapore
Mandarin Oriental residence, Bangkok

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