SAMSON PAU
Founder of RETROPIAN
In 2019, S. Pau completed his bachelor's degree in Urban planning and design at the University of Hong Kong, where he developed his passion for interior design and spatial planning. He further pursued his dream and acquired a master's degree in Interior, architecture and spatial design at the University of Edinburgh.
His journey began as a design trainee in Hendersonland (2019), one of the leading land developers in Hong Kong. During that time, he was involved in many large-scale and high-end new building projects. Such as the high-class show suite and private club of 'The Henderson', one of the iconic buildings in Hong Kong, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. On top of that, he later also acted as the main designer of the place-making projects that aimed to enhance the company's image and revenue, such as the Hcode, Square Mile and Metro Harbour Plaza projects. As a result, he not only excels in concept design but is also familiar with the technical details during the construction phase.
In addition. he is also granted the building quality inspection certification by POLY U SPEED.
Ever since I was young, I have been fascinated by visually stimulating and intriguing objects. Over the years, I have honed my design skills and developed an eclectic design style. Nevertheless, I am drawn to elegant and highly decorative objects. Thus, In my later projects, I strive to infuse the design with neoclassical and traditional elements, since I believe they are a form of elegance. While modernism advocates for destroying ornament and removing excessive decorative features, I, on the contrary, embrace them. Instead of picking a side, I firmly believe that there is a way to incorporate traditional aesthetics into modern design settings, such as art deco, which is a way to display traditional elegance while embracing industrialization. However, practising neoclassicism in Hong Kong is a significant challenge due to the small size of flats, the desperate need for storage space, and low ceiling heights. Therefore, achieving a balance between proportion, functionality, and space is crucial to demonstrate elegance.
I admire the works of artists and designers who challenge the viewer's perception of reality. Maxfield Parrish and Edward Hopper are one of my favourite artists, although they are usually classified as realism. In my eye, they on the contrary depict dreamscapes, the space between reality and irreality, which makes their art surreal and elegant, just as what I crave for my design.