Monthly Archives: August 2014

Home of Eve Mercier founder of INSIGHT school in Design Anthology

The home of Eve Mercier, founder of the INSIGHT School of Interior Design in Hong Kong, epitomises the values of good taste and discernment taught in her institution says Michele Koh Morollo in Design Anthology magazine.

Selecting the best and most suitable furniture and decorative elements for a space takes knowledge and intuition, and the ability to choose wisely is one of the key skills that Eve Mercier, founder of INSIGHT school believes a well-trained interior designer should have. Mercier’s own talent for choosing truly amazing character pieces and creating striking interior concepts is apparent in her own home in Stanley, Hong Kong.

Born in Paris and brought up in Versailles, Mercier founded INSIGHT in February 2013, as an interior design school where students not only learn the theories of design, but get hands-on practice and industry exposure as well.

Mercier’s creative skill set and experience – she has been running her own firm Eve Mercier Interiors since 2008, she worked for leading luxury London interior design house Candy & Candy, designed fashion accessories and clothing for Shanghai Tang; worked at Christie’s auction houses in Paris and London, and wrote about art for a French newspaper – has equipped her with a well-rounded perspective and all the right industry contacts needed to help aspiring interior designers realise their dreams.

At approximately 4,000 square feet, with four spacious and bright classrooms, the INSIGHT “campus” in Chai Wan offers short courses on specific subjects such as “designing for small space” and “concise history of 20^th century furniture” as well as part-time courses, executive courses and a year-long diploma course.

“15 years ago, there was no interest in interior design here in Hong Kong, but now awareness is growing. Unfortunately, most working interior designers in the region are architects, and few are professionally trained in interior design,” says Mercier who believes that there is growing need for skilled interior designers in Hong Kong presently.

According to her, in-depth knowledge of materials, the history of style and sustainable design is essential to a good education. “Our students learn how to pitch, go on site, interview clients and take briefs, meet people and built their own professional networks while they learn from tutors who are all industry professionals at the top of their game,” says Mercier.

The curriculum at INSIGHT includes lessons in construction, ergonomics, circulation, electrical and ventilation planning, historical styles and types of furniture, courses on furniture, fabrics and equipment (FFNE), lessons in business practice, as well as courses on Feng Shui and Chinese antiquities.

Mercier’s own home – a 1,800 square feet, three-bedroom apartment in a 1950s sea facing building in Stanley is a project that could certainly serve as inspiration for INSIGHT students.

“I knew my home was going to be by the sea, so I wanted a fresh and colourful ‘California meets Hong Kong’ look. All the artwork and furniture are from my old homes in London and Provence. I had them shipped over,” she says.

Four vibrant Anish Kapoor paintings, two vintage armchairs, lamps bought in flea markets in Paris, a wool Berber rug from Morocco, a Sori Yanagi butterfly stool, a 1940s yellow lounge chair from an antique market in Provence, a woven stool from a flea market in Beijing and a red Chinese chair bought in Zhuhai enlivens the living room.

Eve Mercier’s Hong Kong home……

…….

“I like mixing and matching pieces from different periods and continents. A good piece of furniture or art should compliment other pieces and work well in any setting, regardless of its cultural or historical roots.”

EVE MERCIER ON INSIGHT SCHOOL OF DESIGN IN SASSY MAMA

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SUPER STYLER: INTRODUCING OUR NEW INTERIOR DESIGN COLUMNIST, EVE MERCIER OF INSIGHT SCHOOL OF DESIGN!

August 26, 2014

Are you looking to decorate a new nursery? Can’t figure out how to mix and match colours, or seeking that accent piece to make your living room pop? Founder of INSIGHT School of Interior Design (and Sassy Mama’s new resident interior design expert!) Eve Mercier is here to answer all your questions on how to make your living space go from drab to fab! We sit down with the stylish, French-born designer to talk about her love for cool spaces, inspiration behind INSIGHT and most importantly, the tips and tricks she’ll be sharing with our Sassy Mama audience in the upcoming months – grab a paper and pen and take note, mamas!

How did you get started in interior design? Can you tell us a bit about your background?
My career actually began in the art scene working for auctioneers in Paris and London (Christie’s) as well as writing for the “Art Newspaper” before working in fashion for a while, designing some fashion accessories as well as collaborating with Shanghai Tang on a tailor-made collection. I then worked for the big developer and designer firm Candy & Candy before setting up my own practice in London. My experience in the art and fashion world helped me train my eyes in a very rounded way and the Candy & Candy job taught me how to navigate and structure massive design projects. It also got me access to the best suppliers. When I moved to Hong Kong, I wanted to stay in the same field but in a different capacity. After a thorough research, I identified a need in the market for some trained interior designers and I launched INSIGHT School of Interior Design.

Tell us a bit about INSIGHT. What do you offer?
INSIGHT is the only school in Hong Kong which is focused solely on interior design, both in the residential and the commercial sectors. We offer a selection of short 1-2 day vocational courses on specific subjects, i.e. Small Space Design, Lighting Design or Feng Shui and Interiors, and part-time Certificates (3 months). We are also launching our 1 year full-time diploma aimed at people who wish to be professionals in the field on 15 September.

All our teaching is done by a team of international working professionals with extensive experience in the region. The training is very practical and done around real case studies brought to the school by the industry (architects, retail firms, hotel chains, property developers, etc.). I teach the Small Space Design, Kitchen and Bathroom Design and Concept and Creative Thinking courses.

Where do you draw design inspiration from?
Not from interior design magazines! I get my inspiration from museums and exhibitions, from fashion, from great architectural buildings (right proportions are for me an obsession) and from craftsmen studios. I love visiting those savoir faire troves and feeling like you always leave inspired by original and quality materials.

How did you decorate your own home? Was it a difficult process?
Quickly! It was my 13th move so I didn’t want to waste time with all the installation processes. I just asked my agent to send me the layout plan and I designed a new sofa in London, chose the furniture needed, had some cushions and rugs made during the summer and shipped everything to HK to create the “California Meets Hong Kong” look I desired – basically a breezy house by the sea!

What are your best places to pick up home furniture in Hong Kong?
Some of my favourite stores include Deem, Lane Crawford, Amelie and Tulips, Casa Capriz and Zhouhai warehouses for Chinese furniture. Mixing and matching is always a great idea. I also tend to design furniture myself and ask my builder to make it. It is often cheaper and more accurate to my requirements.

Do you gravitate to a certain colour palette or design style?
I like saffron and blue tones, as well as 1950s and 1960s Scandinavian and Italian designs. Growing up in Versailles, I also love French 18th-century style.

Can you talk us through your career pre and post babies? How did you get back into the swing of things after having children?
I always stayed active before and after having kids as I am not very good as staying still at home. My longer inactive period was when I was living in Geneva and expecting. I was working on a book aimed at grandparents and grandchildren with a friend of mine (she was the writer and I was the illustrator). It was fun and we even had an appointment with a big publisher in London but it didn’t get through. Nevertheless it helped me not die of boredom in Geneva …

How has having kids changed the way you define work?
I think that when you have kids, you realise that the rest will always fall into second place. You end up having less tolerance for the things that are not essential to your work. You don’t want to spend time on things that are unnecessary or are too political. In a nutshell, you learn to say no which is something that I feel is very hard to learn!

Do you have any tips for aspiring “mamapreneurs” and working other mamas in Hong Kong?
Take risks and yes, you will break some eggs along the process, but as long as you are aware of it and that you manage to find the work / family balance at some stage you will be fine. Your grown-up children will look at you in a better light and so will your husband (once he is finished complaining about your work overload panic attacks!)

What obstacles have you had to overcome over the course of your career?
Having an entrepreneur husband who was very busy with his job and simultaneously having children at a young age was definitely an obstacle. I was quite frustrated in my 20s. But there are always two sides of the coin: having a husband who set up two successful businesses is now a big plus, as he’s advising me on INSIGHT and other business tips!

What are your best time management tips?
I think a lot of mistakes happen when information is not properly explained. I am also quite demanding with myself and people who work around me, but I hope in a reasonable sense. I enjoy learning something new everyday and I intend my team to react the same way. After all, there is nothing more boring than coming to work everyday knowing exactly what is going to happen next. And a good sense of humour is a must! There is so much stress involved with a start-up business that we should all be able to have fun at some point!

Speaking of fun, what is your biggest stress-reliever?
A long walk, followed by a long swim and a long massage.

What topics can we expect you to cover as Sassy Mama’s resident Interior Design columnist?
I’ll be sharing tips and tricks about designing home and work spaces, such as how to design for small spaces, incorporating feng shui, sustainable interior design, lighting tips and tricks, how to mix and match and how to modernise oriental designs. All you soon-to-be mamas out there, look out for my first article on designing a nursery space!

What has been your favourite project to date?
My agency in London transformed into a pied-a-terre into an artist studio for an Italian family in London. It was an architecturally challenging project as we added a new floor, created a staircase and added a kitchen and a bathroom. We did it without the help of an architect, just with our contractor’s team. But the result was great, the client was really happy, and the project was featured in “House and Garden”.

What do you hope to achieve?
Let’s just say I will be very happy if thanks to INSIGHT we can train designers that will inject beauty and quality into the local scene and beyond… Hong Kong is such a beautiful place, it deserves beautiful projects and less salmon-coloured bathroom tiles!

If you could give our readers just one piece of interior design advice, what would it be?
Design an interior that reflects who you are and stands the test of time.

For more information on INSIGHT School of Interior Design, visit the website here or check out the Open Day on 4 and 6 September!

INSIGHT School of Interior Design, 24/F, Federal Centre, 77 Sheung On Street, Chai Wan, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, 2114 2021

INSIGHT DESIGN SCHOOL IN TIME OUT HONG KONG

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Insight design school has opened its doors in newly renovated premises in Chai Wan . See what Time our Hong Kong has to say :

Insight design school in Chai Wan: the eastern creative hub is getting even cooler

East of Central’s white cube spaces and Wong Chuk Hang’s hip workshops, a quirky creative village is forming in Chai Wan. Ysabelle Cheung drops into the area to check out recently opened spaces

Insight Interior Design School

Insight design school Hong Kong

In a photogenic, yet space-constrained city where every square foot counts, conscious interior design can have a rejuvenative effect. Interior design programmes, however, are few and far between in Hong Kong, something Parisian designer Eve Mercier discovered when she moved to the city with her family. To remedy that problem, Mercier opened up the city’s first interior design school earlier this year. “Speaking with architects and designers, they all told me one thing – that there are lots of projects in the region but very few properly trained interior designers,” says Mercier.

The naturally lit space segues into several compartmented areas: three classrooms, a lighting showcase room, a study room, a pantry and an office. Offering a variety of courses, from the popular Designing for Small Spaces to a one-year intensive diploma programme, Insight design school selects esteemed specialists to tutor the students. Currently, there are eight full-time tutors (including Mercier), who all come from backgrounds in architecture, textiles, lighting and more. “I really want to be very thorough in terms of interior architecture – fabric and furniture, history of style, lighting, sustainable design,” says Mercier. Visiting mentors include GOD designer Douglas Young and Joyce Wang, who designed AMMO restaurant at the Asia Society. Although still young, Insight has already drawn interest from students of all backgrounds and Mercier is hoping to move forward with more courses, all tailored to ensure the students are equipped with real-life practical skills, as well as an open mind. “[Interior design] is just a matter of being able to deconstruct and not be afraid of thinking differently,” she says. “An eye for design has to do with the curiosity of a person, not necessarily just with knowledge.”

24/F, Federal Ctr, 77 Sheung On St, Chai Wan; insightschoolhk.com.

Article’s source : Time Out Hong Kong, Insight design school Hong Kong.

INSIGHT SCHOOL HONG KONG IN THE PRESS TODAY

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Insight school Hong Kong in the press today with an article in the Post Magazine of the South China Morning Post.

Design file : Eve Mercier/Insight school Hong Kong in the press today.

A few extracts from the article published in the Post on August 3 :

“What is your design philosophy? I admire strong,creative ideas, a good sense of proportion and quality materials. I am all for concepts that last .

Insight school Hong Kong in the press/ Post Magazine.

What makes the ideal interior design student ? They should be a little bit of an artist and a little bit of a journalist, with an ounce of business sense thrown in. This recipe is even better if the student can learn to develop the skills of a good contractor and…dare I say it, marriage counsellor.”

Who should consider applying to your school ? Anybody passionate about design, wether they are local or expatriate. The school is different in welcoming young students starting out , as well as more mature, change-of-career people. Mature students tend to know more about project management and budget drafting, which are skills very much appreciated by clients. On the other hand younger students seem to master the design computer programs more readily.”

Article’s source : Insight school of Interior design Hong Kong