The Chinese ideogram 迎 is pronounced Yíng and literally means “welcome”: it is the name that Steve Leung, Hong Kong based architect, interior and product designer has chosen for his door collection designed for Lualdi, as a subtle tribute towards the Italian welcoming culture of greeting and hosting guests.
The upper part of the door emphasizes the flexibility of the design and its ability to adapt to different interior contexts, thanks to a wide range of colours and finishes.
Steve Leung took inspiration from the rich symbolism of colours found in the traditional Chinese culture: he chooses a palette of red, the colour of happiness and good fortune, a brighter shade that is almost yellow, a symbol of imperial virtue, and black, for a more understated appeal.
For Leung, the coloured door represents the cultural heritage of profound traditions, where the colour of the entrance symbolized the social recognition of ancient Chinese households; Lualdi here presents a complete range, characterized by leather finishes, lacquered models and versions in wood, for a versatile and timeless product.
The lower part of the door is instead the result of an elaborate woodworking process that is inspired by the ancient traditional Chinese technique known as sǔn mǎo (榫卯): characterized by a geometrically sculpted surface, the base of the door is always in mocha oak and enhances the two sidepieces, which have a canaletto walnut finish for the wood or lacquered doors and a bronze-coloured metallic finish for the leather models.
Yíng beautifully combines world-renowned Italian knowhow with a flawless aesthetic inspired by the timehonoured Chinese legacy, revealing a continuum between tradition and modernity, handcrafting techniques and industrial solutions, design and timeless elegance.
