讀後心得

Luxury home design master 邱德光 (Qiu Deguang) possesses a unique aesthetic vision, with 40 years of design experience, witnessing the transformation of the definition of "luxury" in the Chinese community. He established his personal studio in 1985, focusing on interior design, and founded the original furniture brand 德光居 (Deguangju). His design philosophy emphasizes "the art of space and the life of art," blending Eastern charm with modern design thinking. In addition, 邱德光 (Qiu Deguang) serves as a lecturer at multiple universities and has published several design books. In an interview, he reflects on the impact of social changes on the definition of luxury and shares how to balance the visions of clients and designers. With the application of AI technology, he also looks forward to future design directions, planning to promote the practical use of AI in design to create more artistic works.

Luxury home design master 邱德光 possesses a unique aesthetic vision. Throughout his 40-year design career, he has personally witnessed the transformation of the definition of "luxury" in Chinese society: from the pursuit of a consensus on extravagance to the expression of individual taste.

邱德光 established his own firm in 1985, graduating from the architecture department of Tamkang University in Taiwan. He was mentored by architecture master 修澤蘭 and participated in the design of iconic buildings such as 中山樓 in Yangmingshan. He later founded 邱德光設計事務所 and the original furniture brand 德光居, shifting his design focus to the interior domain. He upholds the philosophy of "artistic space, artful living," skillfully using artworks and decorative vocabulary to evoke emotional responses in spaces, blending Eastern charm with modern design thinking.

邱德光 also serves as a lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts at Tsinghua University in Beijing and at National Culture University in Taiwan. His published works include "邱德光的新裝飾主義," "T.K. CHU Trend," and "新裝飾主義+," making him a significant figure in the Chinese design community. We conducted an interview with 邱德光 to explore how the definition of luxury has changed with societal shifts.

How did you become an interior designer? What experiences did you have before becoming an interior designer? I started with architecture, designing large public spaces and residences. Later, I transitioned to interior design, which was partly due to a call from within. I wanted my designs to be more "human," essentially to satisfy the living, aesthetic, and spiritual needs of a group of people or a family. This "human touch" is more direct and specific in the realm of interior design. On the other hand, with the development of the times and the general increase in societal wealth, there has been a strong demand for personalized living spaces, which provided me with opportunities to grow in the field of interior design. I have been engaged in interior design for over 40 years; my style has evolved with the times, but fundamentally, it has always been about meeting the diverse needs of different clients while merging professionalism with creativity.

You have countless luxury projects under your belt. What is your definition of luxury? I have strong feelings about this. In the past, consumers' pursuit of luxury could be described as "abundance" and "complexity." Some of my early projects reflect this, as people sought opulence to showcase themselves. Nowadays, with material wealth generally improving, culture, taste, and uniqueness have become the new luxury. I believe this is an inevitable result of social development, and I resonate more with this new luxury: transitioning from "the pursuit of consensus" to "showcasing individuality," expressing one's unique lifestyle and aesthetic attitude through art and culture.

What is the design project you are most proud of this year? The two super model rooms and the top-level clubhouse of Xi'an Yongshanfu. This project is located in the ancient capital of Xi'an, directly facing 永安門. We integrated the historical richness of the thirteen dynasties and the "red" elements of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, considering its significance as the starting point of the Silk Road and its past status as a global fashion center. From a global perspective, it represents a unique Eastern oasis. By synthesizing various cultural, environmental, modern artistic, and contemporary preference factors, we created three distinctive yet harmoniously unified charming spaces. We drew nature, history, the world, fashion, and the future into this project, richly and diversely showcasing a contemporary space art that belongs to Chang'an and also the world.

What are the secrets to achieving an outstanding interior design project? Philosophically, I believe an excellent design project is a balance and unity of the client's vision and the designer's vision. This requires the designer to create a distinctive creative space within the bounds of the client's wishes. Specifically in design, I pay great attention to "adapting to local conditions" and "holistic thinking." I believe excellent design is an integrated whole; from the spatial perspective, good design must express the interplay of architecture, gardens, landscapes, interiors, furniture, objects, and artworks. Therefore, when designing a space, I consider the different angles of the space, contemplating composition, structure, and arrangement, linking the space with internal architecture, furniture, and artworks in a combined, multi-character way to form a perfect whole.

Which book, movie, or music inspires your creative ideas the most? I rarely draw inspiration directly from established works; rather, I am more moved by the fleeting moments and events scattered throughout daily life. For instance, a year ago, when Huang Renxun gave a speech in Taipei and created a song on the spot using AI, it shocked me and changed my perception of AI. In our design work, our initial exchanges were limited to a few people within the company, but the use of AI allows thousands to participate and collide ideas together, representing a new understanding of productivity tools for me. Therefore, my creations are influenced not by certain exemplary works but by various factors in life. I remain open at all times, drawing inspiration from life and integrating it through my own logical thinking when needed, creating my inspirations and design works.

What significant meaning does 2023-2024 hold for you? What new design or development directions do you foresee for next year? The emergence and application of AI over these two years are significant, offering designers, including myself, more possibilities for realizing our ideas more efficiently. This year, we worked on an AI-assisted design project for a wedding banquet hall in Taichung.

Looking ahead to next year, while focusing on delivering excellent design projects, I hope to contribute more to the industry's development, especially in the practical application of AI-assisted design. AI is a wonderful tool that helps designers and clients visualize design ideas, but how to implement it is still a challenging problem. This year, we worked collaboratively with manufacturers and completed a case of AI-assisted creative design, namely the Yayuan Hall mentioned earlier, which is regarded as a relatively cutting-edge attempt in the industry. I believe that there will be more AI-assisted design projects in the future, and we hope to leverage our experiences from the Yayuan Hall project to tackle the challenges of implementing AI-assisted design, driving the industry to create more trendy and artistic design outcomes.