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Hong Kong design duo on why they choose function over form

Nicol Boyd and Tomas Rosén, founders of Office for Product Design, talk about the importance of fixing things that are broken

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The Ray baby monitor by Office for Product Design. Pictures: Office for Product Design

How did you start working together? Nicol Boyd: “It started with studying together at the Royal Academy of Arts, in London, and getting to know each other really well by hanging out and discussing design at the pub.” Tomas Rosén: “Our first project together was a chair. It was meant to be a showpiece and was picked by Tom Dixon as part of a British design stand at the Milan Furniture Fair in 2004.”

Why did you base your studio in Hong Kong? Boyd: “It really was an accident because we turned up with two bags thinking we’d stay here for a few weeks and soon it would be 10 years.

“Our first client in Hong Kong was the company that set up JIA Inc. They source and manufacture products for high-end brands and they were looking to step out of that world and create their own brand. We were involved at a very early stage on the product side. One of the projects we became known for was the JIA Inc steamer. That really seemed to resonate with people and, when it was launched, it became an icon for the label.”

Nicol Boyd (left) and Tomas Rosén.
Nicol Boyd (left) and Tomas Rosén.

How do you fuse your Western sensibilities into everyday Chinese objects? Rosén: “We’re not trying to be interpreters of Chinese objects or culture in any way, but we look at things with different eyes, not only as designers but also coming from different cultural backgrounds.”

How has living in Hong Kong informed your design? Boyd: “Here, there’s still this idea of fixing some­thing that’s broken, people repair and adapt things to their needs. In Europe or North America, something breaks and they go out and buy something new. In the process of repairing something, there’s adaptation so it’s never exactly as it was before.”

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