The Lim + Lu co-founder talks ambition, design inspiration and the worst advice he’s ever been given
I Am Generation T is a series of Q&As with some of the extraordinary individuals on the Generation T List 2018.
Beg, borrow or steal your way into Vince Lim’s Happy Valley apartment for dinner. He and his wife and business partner Elaine Lu, a fellow Generation T honouree, have turned their Hong Kong home into a showroom for their beautiful designs—it will make you envious, but it will also inspire you. Swathes of bright colour combine with patterned ceramic tiles, while soft pink and jade green walls are broken by floor-to-ceiling windows and lots of mid-century furniture.
But this couple aren’t merely stylish. They’re changing the aesthetic of Hong Kong apartments through their design studio, Lim + Lu, which has grown into one of the city’s most celebrated furniture and interior brands. Think grid-like coffee tables, geometric day beds and soft-hued sofas.
The concept was born in New York—where the couple met—but has now migrated back to Lim’s hometown of Hong Kong, where he grew up helping his father, William Lim, the director of CL3 Architects. Lim + Lu’s focus is global, and they provide architecture, interior, branding, furniture, and product design services.