Exploring Oriental Design, "Oriental" Aesthetics Exchange Meeting Was Held in Yantai!

On July 2nd, a design aesthetics exchange meeting with the theme of "Oriental" successfully concluded at the Donggong·Suochengli Neighborhood Library in Yantai. This grand event was meticulously organized by Red Star Macalline Jiaodong Global Home Furnishing No. 1 Store, with planning and execution support from Qingge Media. The goal was to bring together design experts and industry leaders to explore new expressions of Oriental aesthetics in contemporary design and promote the poetic return of design in empowering modern living.

01 Guided by the Oriental Aesthetics, Design Integrated

The event started with a small "Lotus", symbolizing the Oriental philosophical concept of "harmony between heaven, earth, and people". The summer breeze gently swayed the lotus petals, while the fragrance of books filled the air. The beauty of the Oriental artistic conception embodied in the inner image and quietly spread throughout the space. In such a poetic atmosphere, participants engaged in deep exchanges and discussions on Oriental design aesthetics.

As the long summer was in full swing and everything was flourishing, many outstanding figures in the design field gathered across mountains and seas. Fang Lei, the founder of One House Design, Mu Dong, the founder of M&N Design, Lu Jie, the founder of Zhihe Architecture Design Firm (Shandong) CO., Ltd, and Cui Haiying, a representative of prominent local designers in Yantai, all responded to this warm invitation for Oriental design. Meanwhile, industry representatives such as Zhou Feng, the general manager of Red Star Macalline in the Yantai-Weihai region and Jiaodong Global Home Furnishing No. 1 Store, Lin Qing, the founder of Jinan Qingge Media, and Sun Xiaojing, the deputy general manager of Red Star Macalline Jiaodong Global Home Furnishing No. 1 Store, also attended the event, jointly contributing their wisdom and expertise to the modern interpretation of Oriental aesthetics.

The mysteries of Oriental aesthetics were explored, and the poetic essence of human living empowered by design under Oriental culture was unveiled. With design as the guiding principle, the profound heritage of Oriental aesthetics and culture, as well as the origin-tracing of the modern design were unfolded one by one at the meeting.

02 Design Empowers the Iteration of Human Habitation

The "Oriental" aesthetics exchange meeting was held at the Suochengli Neighborhood Library in Yantai, an art space carefully crafted by Dong Gong. It not only demonstrated the design concept of the coexistence of the old and the new but also enabled participants to deeply experience the renewed charm of architecture under contemporary culture and design aesthetics, which has withstood the passage of time, while also feeling the original rhythm of life in the community.

As the organizer, at this exchange meeting, Sun Xiaojing, the deputy general manager of Red Star Macalline Jiaodong Global Home Furnishing No. 1 Store, shared a series of ideas and implementations on how design empowers human habitation. She pointed out that, in the context of the ongoing evolution of contemporary living, design has become a super connector linking various categories of home furnishings. Based on this logic, Red Star Macalline has introduced a new concept—the M+ High-End Home Decoration Design Center. By bringing together high-quality designers and design capabilities, and focusing on creative spatial design, it mobilizes all categories of the home furnishing sector. On one hand, it drives the marketing of design solutions, product scenarios, and supply chain collaborations, on the other hand, it helps create ideal living and lifestyle spaces for consumers.

The "Oriental" aesthetics exchange meeting was indeed a concrete and practical opportunity. Sun Xiaojing said that, as a key pilot mall, and under the guidance of the new ecological concept of "linking categories with design and creating ideal homes with schemes", Red Star Macalline Jiaodong Global Home Furnishing No. 1 Store has been constantly practicing this model. The store uses diverse activities and initiatives to connect designers with the platform. While activating all aspects of the home furnishing market, it also continues to leverage its own strength and innovation capabilities to provide designers with a broader platform and support from the industrial chain. Red Star Macalline Jiaodong Global Home Furnishing No. 1 Store welcomes more designers to join, jointly promoting the modern interpretation of Oriental aesthetics and refreshing the diversified paradigms of contemporary Oriental living.

03 Cognitive Thinking behind Design: Timeliness & Modernity

The concept of "Oriental" aims to trace back to the Oriental culture, draw inspiration from the contemporary era, and rejuvenate the Oriental culture. Design, with its overall creative control, integration and concrete presentation of a series of elements such as culture, space, materials, and home furnishings, has become the top priority in the exploration of this theme. In this exploration, Fang Lei, a renowned designer famous for his "minimalist essence", contributed an insightful approach to the interpretation of the proposition of "Oriental".

Centering around "the cognitive thinking behind design", Fang Lei began by quoting the famous words of I.M. Pei, the master of architecture to point out the essence that the spirit of Oriental design and aesthetics is paramount. The Orientalness is the enduring inner spiritual pull in the long river of time, while timeliness enables it to have explicit expressions in different historical contexts.

Under his exposition, the relationships among various elements of design gradually became clear. All the trendy changes in "form", "color", and "quality" will ultimately serve the expression of "charm" and return to the essence of "charm". Only under the guidance of this design thinking can the cognition of design gradually take shape, ultimately being translated into the construction techniques of space, and becoming a natural expression.

Using practical cases, Fang Lei demonstrated how a space evolves from the formation of design thinking to the final presentation in different projects. From the initial analysis, concept formation, plan implementation to detail refinement, the entire system precisely reveals the path paradigm of the integration of Orientalness and timeliness.

04 Clash of Ideas, Propeling Oriental Aesthetics Further

At the end of the event, with the valuable insights shared by all parties, all the designers in attendance, along with industry leaders, engaged in face-to-face interactions with Fang Lei. They learned from the pioneer, participated in open exchanges and clashes of thoughts, sparking new inspiration through mutual communication.

The successful holding of the "Oriental" Aesthetics Exchange Meeting not only facilitated professional exchanges within the design field but also inspired the creative insights from the intersection between design and home furnishings, injecting new vitality and possibilities into the modern interpretation of Oriental aesthetics. Taking this grand event as an opportunity, all forces in the pan-human habitation field will continue to explore and inherit the essence of Oriental aesthetics and jointly promote the prosperity and development of the design industry.

The wind of Oriental aesthetics flows from the "lotus" and heads towards where the "lotus" lies. In the clash of ideas at this grand event, design, with the power to stir time, acts as a thread, guiding the journey from tracing the origins of the Orient to its path of rejuvenation.