LANDMARK
My Life On A Plate with Laura Cheung
Photography by Andrew J. Loiterton, Styling by Kate Jones, Summer 2016
Lala Curio specialise in embroidered and hand-painted wallpaper, cloisonné tiles, and bespoke hand-crafted furnishings. The founder Laura Cheung makes old crafts fashionable for contemporary living. Having trained as an interior designer in New York before going on to complete a Master's in fine and decorative arts in London, Cheung launched her home décor and lifestyle brand two years ago in Hong Kong and recently opened a store in Landmark Prince’s.
Filled with items that artfully bring ancient artisanship into the modern design world, her collections range from chinoiserie hand-painted wallpaper to boxes and tables featuring beautifully worked cloisonné tiles, with many of her playful products characterised by bold colours, striking patterns and strong graphics.
How did Lala Curio come about? It’s really a three-generation story. My grandparents are in antiquities, my father is in manufacturing, and I come from an interior design background. After studying in New York and London, I came back to Hong Kong and worked briefly in mass-production manufacturing before starting to explore the different crafts of China. I discovered all these forgotten arts practised by skilled hands and old artisans who were not passing their craft onto the next generation. I felt that there was so much more we could do with them so I came up with fashionable, modern and fun ways to make these old crafts popular again in the hope of reviving them.
How did you discover these artisans and their crafts? I spent two-and-a-half years travelling to the most remote parts of China. There’s a misconception that China can only do mass production, when in fact there’s a lot of beauty to its crafts and a long, rich history. Thanks to my grandparents’ existing relationships with some of these artisanal workshops, doors were opened, particularly to cloisonné craftsmen, of which there are few left in China.
How do these crafts translate into your offering at Lala Curio? We have created modular tiles using the artisanship of the cloisonné workshops and we also do hand-painted wallpaper and embroidery on silks. Lala Curio is a response to 21st-century minimalism. It embraces what was fashionable long ago but makes it relevant to today through the use of different colours, subjects and applications. There’s a whimsical and playful element to it. I think people are tired of things being too simple and too clean. We want to produce something precious – for every collection piece there’s a story to tell.
Does Lala Curio reflect your own style at home? My home is fun, with different pieces collected from around the world and bold use of colour. I’m starting to build my art collection, too. I like ink paintings a lot, and for prints I like the British artist Victor Pasmore.
How do you spend your time when you’re not working? I travel a lot and I draw inspiration from that. I’m a very visual person, so seeing things, whether it’s movies, going to the theatre or visiting museums, means I’m constantly building on my own visual library.
Founder and interior designer, Laura Cheung Wolf’s house is an art itself. This place is a combination of love, family, and her view of art. Laura decorates every corner precisely by using refined decorations, chinoiserie furniture, and hand-painted wallpaper.