Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu, Founders at Neri&Hu

Where in the world do we find you?
We work and live in Shanghai, China.

What is your favourite room at home?
It would have to be our dining room, which has a very large dining table where we all gather. The window facing the yard has the most sunlight during the day, and we work together in the same space with our kids around there too.

Any must-read books?
We would recommend A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf, The Stranger by Albert Camus, and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Where do you like to eat out?
Social Commune by Jason Atherton in Shanghai. It’s close to our office, situated on the ground floor of Design Republic Design Commune.

What is on your playlist?
We are particularly fond of Andras Schiff, Daniil Trifonov, and Sviatoslav Richter.

An up-and-coming designer to watch?
We are extremely encouraged by the new wave of architects, interior designers, and product designers. The world is experiencing an unprecedented explosion of creative energy, on all fronts. We are also teaching at Yale and Tongji, impressed by our students, anticipating a potential change in the face of the world’s architecture by our next generation.

Some of the designers or movements that inspire you?
That would be the Bauhaus movement. Bauhaus’ claim to fame is not just on its own German soil, but in the US when Gropius, Mie, the Albers, and Breuer started to build and make what they were teaching in Weimar then Dessau, proving the explosive power that comes with an attitude of openness and cross-cultural exchange.

Mi drinks trolley by Neri&Hu for Poltrona Frau.

Your favourite building or architect?
Carlo Scarpa is one of our favourites and we just presented our solo exhibition at MAXXI, Rome as an interpretation of his works. He is a craftsman revered for his obsession over detail and is known to be heavily influenced by his visits to Japan in his late career. His notions of the architectural thresholds and explorations of materiality, voyeurism, and circulation flow provide inspirations for our design and practice.

A piece of furniture you own and love?
We really enjoy our Neri&Hu Zisha tea sets, and also our Solo chairs for De La Espada are always a favourite.

An important iconic furniture piece you covet?
Grcic stools. Being angular and fluid, the design delivers the fine balance between rough and smooth, parochial and worldly, and ultimately luxury and punk.

Three designers you would take with you to a deserted island?
Le Corbusier, Castiglioni, Charlotte Perriand & Prouve.

What first comes to mind when you think of Australia?
Primitive culture and beautiful landscape. We actually have an ongoing project in Sydney, hopefully we can visit Australia soon.

Can you share what you are working on at the moment?
We just released our architecture project Nantou Guesthouse in Shenzhen and will release our residential project in Singapore soon. We are currently working on a series of products for Ariake, Ento, Poltrona Frau, Very Wood and Wittmann, which will be launched at the 2022 Salone del Mobile. We are also teaching at the Yale School of Architecture this term and Rossana has just been appointed as Chair of the Department of Architecture at Tongji University.