Li&Co. Design Limited Infuses Hong Kong Flair Into L’École des Arts Joailliers
Founded by Van Cleef & Arpels in 2012, L’École des Arts Joailliers claims it’s the “first school to initiate the public into the secrets of the jewelry world” through lectures and hands-on workshops. Headquartered in Paris, the institution also has outposts in major cities abroad, such as Hong Kong. That is where Johnny Li, managing director of Li&Co. Design Limited, infused local flair nto L’École’s 7,000-square-foot space, which has earned the IIDA’s annual Will Ching award for a project by a firm with five or fewer employees.
Fittingly, the environment is a luxe mix of French and Asian influences. Li incorporated locally sourced bamboo in rugs, screens, double-height partitions, and even the ceiling, where a particular species of the plant inspired the pattern on a mesh canopy. Its triangles are echoed in the groupings of marble-topped tables below. “We custom-designed much of the furniture,” Li notes.
That goes for the lounge’s sliding screens, the 19 panels of digitally printed washi paper a nod to Chinese scroll paintings. But Li cites a second inspiration: the 1932 Maison de Verre in Paris by legendary French architect Pierre Chareau.
Project Team: Tommy Wong; Wayne Kwong; Esther Van Wijck.
