When will Hong Kong start taking interior design seriously? When the profession is regulated, an expert says

Hong Kong Interior Design Association vice-chairman says it is embarrassing that the city lacks a well-defined body of knowledge interior designers can tap

The association has published online textbooks it hopes will form the core of a standardised professional qualification in interior design

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A page from Body of Knowledge, a textbook series for interior designers. The lack of a well-defined body of knowledge in interior design is embarrassing, says the vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Interior Design Association, who thinks it’s time to give the industry the recognition it deserves in the city.

Published: 7:15am, 18 Jun 2020Updated: 10:44am, 18 Jun 2020

Hong Kong does not take interior design seriously. That’s according to Horace Pan, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Interior Design Association (HKIDA).

“Most people in Hong Kong wouldn’t be able to name you a single interior designer, unless they’ve hired one. Not even a famous one,” says Pan, who is a driving force behind the industry’s push to be recognised as a profession in its own right – distinct from architecture but every bit as skilled and rigorous.

Pan – who in 2003 founded brand and design company Panorama, whose focus is large-scale commercial projects – is also a senior teaching fellow at his alma mater, the School of Design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Bridging the academic and business worlds is a challenge in a city where working interior designers seldom teach, but a bigger issue is the lack of local support for home-grown talent. He laments the fact that award-winning designers in Hong Kong, who enjoy global renown, are virtually unknown in their home city.