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The Homecoming King | A Chat with Edward Tan of Spacemen Studio

December 13, 2023

TEXT MONISHA SIVANESAN
IMAGES COURTESY OF SPACEMEN STUDIO

Heavy is the head that wears the crown, so they say, but the always cool, calm and collected Edward Tan of Spacemen Studio defies such gravitational force in his noble quest to revolutionize the design sphere—from one out-of-this-world masterpiece to the next. 

Triumphantly embarking on a courageously solo voyage around the globe and back to his childhood backyard in pursuit of professional, and perhaps even personal, bliss is Edward Tan, founder of Spacemen Studio — the multi-award-winning architecture and design practice based in Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur. Taking geographical coordinates out of the equation, the acclaimed designer remains relentless in leaving a blazing trail of glory with each step thanks to a winning concoction of unencumbered perseverance, passion-driven competitiveness and childlike curiosity. Never one to retreat from a perplexing nor herculean challenge, he strongly believes that “An idea can exist by itself and can define its own dynamic. The reason for an idea never has to be justified, what matters is its potential.” 
 
Building brand architecture that metamorphosizes strategies and ideologies into one-of-a-kind spatial journeys that portray well-imagined stories, and imprint an emotional impact, is his forte. “My unique design language embodies my personal fascination with organic forms and a careful consideration for the human experience. With each new project comes an element of discovery and a sense of unpredictability,” expresses the finalist for the 2019 London WIN Awards’ Emerging Interior Designer of the Year. Inspired by anything and everything under the sun, or around it for pun’s sake, the multidisciplinary designer often finds himself innately drawn to the natural environment.
From Shanghai-based Icha Chateau’s undulating gold planes inspired by the topography of Longjing’s luscious tea fields to the green moss-andmarble blend for Braun Buffel’s IOI City Mall flagship store entitled ‘Urban Bloom,’ Mother Earth has been a prosperous fountain of creativity for him; this second venture is actually a favourite of his seeing as how it is the firm’s first signature project completed in Malaysia. The very foundation for each is built by carefully listening, understanding and translating the client, brand or product’s unique story in order to strike a greater emotional impact. Not just serving as another avenue for inspiration but as a powerful catalyst for holistic self-development is the act of travelling. Immersing in other cultures, and new aesthetics, has cultivated a deeper sense of creativity, connection and compassion within the designer.

So, where did it all begin? Whether it was constructing imaginary space stations with LEGO® sets or sketching anime characters on school exercise books, Edward was born with a natural flair for the arts and an affinity for making things with his bare hands — much like another Edward, but without razor-sharp scissors for hands. His teenage years were largely spent competing as a scout where plenty of invaluable experience in designing and building campsites out of bamboo was gained, introducing the Penang native to the intriguing world of architecture and interior design. The switch from the former to the latter was pure happenstance as the Taylor’s University graduate received the golden opportunity to undertake an internship for a retail design and build specialist in Shanghai right before convocation. What intended to be a two-month stint quickly morphed into a three-year stay upon falling in love with the creative freedom and frantic pace that came along with the region’s commercial retail scene.
Not too far down the line in 2014, the ardent follower of Neri&Hu, along with Japan-based Wonderwall and Curiosity, decided to spread his wings with the establishment of Spacemen Studio – a double entendre name signifying a devoted love for the cosmos and the firm’s bold, futuristic and experiential direction – to fulfil a beloved childhood ambition; opting to do so in a foreign country is no easy feat too, mind you. Feeling the desperate need to freely explore and experiment with different types of approaches and concepts, he says, “I needed this journey to learn from my own mistakes, to find my own path and design language that was signature to Spacemen.” Since then, Edward has gone on to complete extraordinary tasks of all scales around China, ranging from commercial office towers and exhibition centres to high-tech experiential centres as well as luxury retail and hospitality projects.

Immediately altering the course he had planned was the pandemic, of course. A blessing in disguise, it led to the designer’s first extended stay in his native land after spending a decade abroad which in turn rippled into a warmly received, prosperous business expansion in Kuala Lumpur. Over the past three years, the Spacemen team have wrapped up plenty of local retail and commercial projects including the Braun Buffel outlets, Bonia flagships and the Clef Experience Store. Most of their work has not only graced numerous international design platforms such as ArchDaily, Dezeen, designboom and Yellowtrace but have also attained multiple prestigious awards such as the Asia Pacific Interior Design Awards 2018, 2019 Shanghai Design Awards, FRAME Awards 2020 and many more. Fair to say, successfully running both his Shanghai and KL offices during such a tumultuous period in mankind has been his proudest achievement.
In terms of the toughest challenges overcome, two particular projects truly put his wits to the test. Client meetings during the full design process for the Joyoung Experience Centre in Hangzhou, the company’s first architecture and interior design project completed entirely during the pandemic, had to rely solely on WeChat and Zoom while video calls were used for all site inspections due to the tight lockdown restrictions back then. Shifting from a technical to creative issue, the team faced a difficult time in convincing the client to sign off on the eye-catching anodized gold chains, a completely new material application, used to create the iconic, approximately 35,000 feet spectacle for Icha Chateau’s interior. The client actually wanted to switch to a different consultant but eventually returned to them after three months of evaluation; it was a fortunate outcome for all parties involved as this has gone on to become one of Spacemen’s most successful designs to date.

When flexing those creative muscles, Edward encourages emerging designers to walk a proverbial mile in their client’s shoes by “Always imagining the person who’s using the space; this will allow you to truly understand what you need to create for your clients.” Having just recently completed an experiential store located within an abandoned Boeing 747 in Melaka, the man recognized as 2019’s ‘Hotshots, Emerging Designers’ by New York-based Interior Design magazine looks towards the future with clear eyes and a full heart. From a yacht to a space station, Edward is always down for a whirlwind of new challenges to check off his bucket list. He also hopes to continue materialising more globally recognisable projects, consequently catapulting the Malaysian design scene and all those within it to meteoric heights.
“MY UNIQUE DESIGN LANGUAGE EMBODIES MY PERSONAL FASCINATION WITH ORGANIC FORMS AND A CAREFUL CONSIDERATION FOR THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE. WITH EACH NEW PROJECT COMES AN ELEMENT OF DISCOVERY AND A SENSE OF UNPREDICTABILITY.”

EDWARD TAN,
Founder of Spacemen Studio
For more information, please visit www.spacemen-studio.com