Forum focuses on innovation in home design

Ti Gong

A design and innovation forum was held at the second China International Import Expo to encourage global furniture designers and brands to conduct business in China.

Over 100 designers and experts in furniture and home decoration, lighting, art and new materials from across the world shared innovative products and concepts at the forum, which took the theme "Better Design, Better Life," at the National Exhibition and Convention Center.

The forum, which was initiated at the first CIIE in 2018, was hosted by the China Furniture & Decoration Chamber of Commerce, organized by Putuo-based Yuexing Group and assisted by the Italian Trade & Investment Agency.

Chen Weisen, a veteran in architecture and interior design, demonstrated the design software Vidahouse to forum attendees.

The founder and president of startup company Vidahouse showed how the program can turn two-dimensional designs on paper into virtual 3D spaces.

The innovative software can be used to create a home and furniture design ecosystem, Chen told the forum. The software was built to connect designers, clients and suppliers through technologies like virtual reality and data analysis.

Technologies such as intelligent manufacturing and big data have changed the profession of design. Consumers are also demanding tailored home decoration and designs, said Li Yiwen, professor with School of Industrial Desgin of Nanjing University of the Arts.

He encouraged more Chinese designers to develop their own brands and take part more actively in brand promotion as artificial intelligence takes over more of the work of designers, he added.

The AOTU Design Institute was also launched at the forum to offer guidance and incubation services for innovative designers. Professionals such as Chen and Li have been invited to serve as mentors at the institute for young designers.

The first design and innovation forum at the CIIE last year helped to attract outstanding teams and designers from abroad to create new, flagship and premier stores in Shanghai, said Liu Min, deputy director of the city's commerce commission. Many of the stores are located at the Global Harbor mall, the city's biggest downtown shopping complex, located in Putuo District.

Ding Zuohong, president of the chamber and the group that owns Global Harbor, said the CIIE has helped to drive the integrated development of industry and consumption in the design and innovation sectors.

The chamber has already hosted two international home decoration and construction material expos in Foshan City, in south China's Guangdong Province, to promote the efforts and concepts of the CIIE to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, Ding said.