LW Designs is one of those design firms that I enjoy working with. It’s not only the design work itself they do that I enjoy. Although it is very nice. It is working with the people at the company. People who already have a solid plan and idea for what they want out of their photography. Relaxed and easy shoots. Spending time with the team or the lead designer on any project with LW is an enjoyable experience.
The first time we worked together was on a dual space project in Saigon, Vietnam. A project you can read about here. This time we headed to Cheng Du, China! Aside from my excitement about shooting another project for LW. I was excited as well about returning to China. A place I live and worked back in 2002 to 2003. I did actually visit Cheng Du on my original time in China. However, China in 2003 and China in 2019 were very different places. Sadly on this trip I would not be able to explore the city as the entire time I would be photographing.
This time round the project brief was for three or four areas of a shiny new Fairmont Hotel!
Fun! The spaces designed this time around were F&B Venues as well as a bar space. The hardest part of the shoot was definitely the main restaurant. Heavy contrasting elements made the shoot a challenge. Dark lacquer walls and furniture combined with white or lighter artistic elements. All made this property a test of skill.
Add in the natural light from large windows in some areas and we have some tricky shots!
The F&B areas had a lot of highlights from a design perspective. My favourite elements were the traditional Chinese instruments used as display pieces. As well as curious cermaic dolls placed around the property and near the bars. In other areas of the property, the use of oversized plastic babies was an interesting choice. One that seemed simply to scare the crap out of you.
The sushi restaurant was elegant and simple. With interesting geometric patterns to move you through the space.
The Chinese restaurant was open and bright to the human eye. But the heavy use of lacquer panelling made some shots tricky. Lacquer is deceptive. Its shiny, but it seems to absorb light in odd ways.
The bar was lush and reminded me of the private dining area in Prime XXI we photographed a year earlier in Saigon. Think lots of low leather sofas and dimmer lighting. While it was a slightly crowded space to shoot in. The furniture was large and heavy leaving very little space between the pieces.
additionally there were some private dining / group use areas to photograph. These consisted of large U shaped sofas with massive TV’s. Presumably for karaoke sessions. As well as large soft overhead lights.
Of course, I couldn’t resist wandering around the rest of the property when given the chance. Mostly to hunt down all the massive plastic babies.
There were more that I expected.
All in all a fantastic 3 days spent exploring a property and it’s design quirks. On top of spending quality time getting to know a client a bit more.
