FRAME speaks with Liyun Hao, founder and design director of Endless Various Design Office (EVD) about how he transitioned from architecture to interior design, the most salient factors in China’s domestic design landscape and how he balances environmental and user concerns.

How did you become interested in interior design? What led you to establish your own practice, EVD Office?          

LIYUN HAO: After graduating, I initially worked in architectural design. Over time, I came to realize the numerous uncontrollable factors inherent in this field, and I preferred work that would grant me greater creative freedom and expression. Having tackled large-scale and intricate architectural projects, I discovered that interior design offered a more unhurried avenue. It provided me with ample room for contemplation and the opportunity to execute my design concepts with greater ease.

Liyun Hao.

The pandemic changed what we need and how we interact with built spaces. Three years after its onset, what are the biggest and most long-lasting changes you’ve observed? Has your role as a designer changed with it?

During the pandemic, we stayed at home for much of the time. Our homes became our sanctuaries that offered maximum safety and the places where we spent most of our time. With remote work becoming a widespread practice, we found ourselves reevaluating our perception of space as individuals and as a society at large. We started to attach more importance to the social experience within our homes and the adaptability of our living environments. As a result, there has been a growing demand for integrated and versatile living spaces.

A client who typically lives alone approached EVD Office with the request to incorporate space for his parents who stay temporarily with him at his home in Taicang. To accommodate the home’s different needs, the designer installed a system of electrically controlled walls and furniture which can be moved to adapt to the two primary living modes.

Homes serve as both physical shelters and mental sanctuaries for their inhabitants. We have paid more attention to the requirements of dwellers that extend from and go beyond the physical structure of living space. Design serves as the bridge connecting the dwellers with their living space. It is our responsibility to address the concerns and challenges that individuals encounter in their daily lives, transforming traditional physical spaces into environments that offer a richer tapestry of experiences and cherished memories for family members. In doing so, the space can answer to the emotional needs of its occupants more effectively.

You’ve completed many living spaces. What issues are clients facing, in general, that you must design solutions for in the home?

In alignment with our personal philosophy, we all have our own desired life scenes. The work of designers is to understand the actual needs of clients through continuous communication and to satisfy their needs to the greatest extent possible.

Cover and above: EVD’s Shanghai office is designed to reflect a traditional garden, with the space’s compositional elements acting as abstractions of paths, stones and plants. The inspiration also seeks to evoke a sense of calm in the workspace.

Clients typically express clear-cut physical requirements when it comes to a space, such as functional layouts, room counts, essential amenities, colour schemes and material preferences. However, their emotional needs often present as less defined and more fragmented. To address their physical requirements, we draw upon our experience and expertise to formulate a layout plan and spatial solutions and offer our professional judgment and recommendations. Yet, it's the mental and emotional needs that pose the greatest challenge during the design process. Each interaction with a client represents an opportunity for our own growth. Their insights into their own life also bring us a deeper understanding about the design of living spaces.

What role does agility play in your designs of homes? How important is it that the spaces are able to adapt to users’ changing needs not only on a daily basis but through time?

A space serves as both a vessel for life and a canvas for stories to unfold. As family dynamics evolve with age, household sizes change and hobbies shift, the requirements for space functionality, room count and privacy naturally transform. To effectively address the multifaceted needs of a growing family, it becomes imperative to explore the inherent flexibility and adaptability of a space. 

We see a living space as a compound of multiple living units, each serving specific functions. Within this arrangement, there exists a somewhat nebulous boundary that both divides and integrates these units. Through the skillful craftsmanship of this boundary, we establish a unique interplay between the living units. By identifying the points where these units intersect or harmonize with each other, new possibilities emerge. This process not only forges connections between individuals in life but also reveals the underlying structure of the space itself. 

 A central staircase at the Qingxi Road villa, located on the outskirts of Shanghai, helps to anchor the mostly open-plan space, connecting private living quarters with shared public space.

In our latest project located on Qingxi Road in the western outskirts of Shanghai, we organized the living units across various levels given the project's significant floor area. The subterranean levels, comprising two floors, have been designated for recreation and entertainment, while the two floors above ground are intended for residential purposes. Expansive areas of walls and ceilings were left blank, offering versatility to accommodate diverse functional needs. The entire space presents a seamless and open platform, providing the clients with the flexibility to adapt it according to their specific requirements. This design allows the users to select from different ways of interaction within the same space.

The need for a space to adapt over time is closely related to its environmental impact. How can designers create more futureproof spaces while still minimizing the need to overhaul space and exhaust new raw materials?

The eco-friendly principle is in fact a philosophy, a way to explore the co-existence of humans and nature. A sustainable environment is beneficial to mankind. But in practice, it’s not easy to design a rational, sustainable space: clients always choose simpler and cheaper solutions when they have to choose between dismantlement, which is a simple move, and renovation and maintenance, which is more complicated. As designers, we must find a balance between environmental protection and the interest of users, maximizing user experience with a sustainable design.