Even though he was once named "the most talented local designer in China" by the international design magazine Icon, Chen Min did not create a personal furniture brand. Eleven years after returning to China, he preferred to engage in design as a furniture service provider. Chen Min is not uninterested in brands. On the contrary, he thinks it is a great challenge because it is a concept of Total Design that faces not only forms, but also people, spaces and situations.

▲ Designer, Chen Min

Like Chen Min, Bea Wu, who has studied in Australia for 10 years, also came up with the idea of launching a home furnishing brand by chance. Because her father's generation was in the real estate industry, Bea keenly captures the current changes in living space. A house is not just a living space, but a life history constructed from trivial daily life. Her major in interior architecture design gave her a broader understanding of home lifestyle. As a young person born in 1993, she infused her innate Generation Z genes into her expression.

▲Jianze’s manager, Bea Wu

In 2019, Bea and Chen Min co-founded the home furnishing brand Jianze. Although this seemed like a belated opportunity, they fortunately had a consensus: we are not making products, we are providing users with home furnishing services.

Chen Min believes that from a brand perspective, a brand created from scratch needs a more closely linked logical design, from vision to product, from production to market and even sales. They are not just making do and filling in the gaps. , but the one and the other complement each other. In the current situation where the domestic design industry chain is not yet complete, it is even more necessary to formulate policies for each link by envisioning the final effect. This is both a challenge and an opportunity, and it is also the main insistence of Jianze along the way.

▲ Jianze’s brand blockbuster “Amphibian”

As a designer, Chen Min is more like asking for directions and collecting different echoes during this process. Christoph, one of the founders of the Dutch design group Raw Color, was Chen Min's classmate when he was studying in Eindhoven. He joined the brand's "brainstorming" from the very beginning. "Mutual stimulation" was his feeling when he and Christoph collaborated. "Generation Z" is not only their design and service subject, but also the source of the transliteration of "Jianze" (Gen Z). This "homophonic stalk" is very clever. It means "the rules of space" in Chinese, and it happens to be Chen Min. Understanding of furniture.

The changes in new social media and the changes in communication methods between people will become important design clues. Traditional home space separation is no longer applicable. Instead of silently enduring the traditional order, it is better to try to create new rules. A piece of furniture is not only a component, but also a participant. How to use it represents how to understand its existence.

▲ Jianze’s brand blockbuster "Interstellar"

The bold use of Raw Color brings a highly saturated visual impact to Jianze. The element of "0" (Zero) appears and becomes an origin that can be disassembled and combined. The complete 0 is like a top view of a table. If cut vertically, it may become a sofa. If cut along the middle, it may become a chair. This deconstruction worth pondering has also become a logic in the design of Jianze furniture products. Modular pieces can be combined into new furniture, leaving the opportunity for secondary creation to consumers.

▲Jianze’s brand blockbuster "Zen At 17"

An equally exciting creation is Jianze's creative advertising shoot this time. The images shot by fashion editor Chow are like a multi-faceted collage, showing the diverse story blueprints of Generation Z. Whether it's "Amphibian", "Zen At 17" or "Interstellar Lab", under the theme words, in addition to the existing emotions, there are also characters and attitudes. Home and people maintain an imaginary tension.

▲ Jianze’s brand blockbuster "Fetish"

In addition to these creators, Chen Min will even consider the use of suppliers and manufacturers at the beginning of the design. With this magnet-like openness, he will continue to attract partners who resonate with the same frequency, connected but comfortable with each other, " At this point in time, I feel that meeting them has inspired all the work experience I have accumulated in the past.”

Jianze focuses on (architectural) space and changes in people's behavioral habits, researches and implements design details, allowing people to witness the creative process, not just a single result. The understanding of the group gives Jianze many layers. From it, we can see the shadows or traces of different creators, entwining and stacking, colliding and retreating. This is the most exciting thing about Jianze.

Changeable, enthusiastic, and embracing virtuality, the young people of Generation Z, as technology natives, have entered a new communication mode. Space has long transcended geometric meaning, and scenery can also be at home. Modern homes are no longer tightly centered in front of the TV. Flexible home combinations are available to dissolve the boundaries between work and life. Jianze releases the same signal as the young people of Generation Z - "NEVER DEFINED", hoping to provide de-stylization and inclusiveness. And environmentally friendly home design makes home decoration a stress-free and self-expressive thing.

The Blossom sofa is the first piece of furniture in the newly released product range to be finished in floor-standing form. Although the sofa is an "imported product", its important position in the family actually comes from its versatility. Family memories and stories are born from this. The cave of home and the bastion of parties, where young people spend the most time on the couch. What needs to be paid attention to is how to find the most comfortable position for the body trapped here.

▲ Blossom Sofa is the designer’s multi-dimensional exploration of the form, material and flexibility of soft furniture. It uses a modular minimalist structure to give users great flexibility in creating space, and can adapt to different spatial scenarios through the adjustment of the soft package. "Becoming a sofa that grows with the family", Blossom Sofa finds a habitat for the body and memory.

▲ Blossom Sofa's external and replaceable soft bags bring a relaxing sitting and lying experience. The rich color system gives the space more colors and usage possibilities.

The pet home is an "accidental creation", and the initial inspiration came from the packaging of the new product. The irregular "0" element on the carton is like the entrance to a cave. Once hollowed out, it will undoubtedly be the cat's favorite.

Different from pet furniture that is deliberately cute, Jenga has a simple appearance. It can not only meet the needs of cats to hide in corners, shuttle in corridors and sharpen their claws, but also create a castle for cats that extends in all directions through simple stacking.

Best of all, this is not a piece of furniture “just” for cats, it can also be used as a small side table or bedside table. When a cat does not have "privileges", it is precisely because it is already a part of our family.

▲ Jenga is not only a cat’s playground, but can also be used as a small side table or bedside table.

Bea, a cat lover herself, was the first to fall in love with the piece. Just like the picture in the advertisement, the girl is crawling on the ground, and the cat is standing on the top. They are the other before they become each other. Cats want to drill when they see it, and people want to put things away when they see it. Chen Min firmly believes that good design can be integrated into life, it can be invisible in space and shine with details.

This unintentional but precise observation also extends to the design of Yǎng Chair. Nowadays, the concept of "ergonomics" is widely discussed. Yǎng Chair focuses more on people's habits of sitting on a chair.

▲ Yǎng Chair, with its natural materials, advanced processing technology and simulation of the interaction between living things, meets the support required by the human body in various dynamics, while creating a unique light and organic temperament, bending down to pick up, and chatting reflexively. Sitting sideways, leaning, or resting your arms, the little habits of young people are completely recognized by this chair. The wide backrest of the Yǎng Chair is encircling, making it a confidant for long-term sitting. The interaction between people and the chair comes from the sense of trust in the furniture. This lightweight "reclining" chair also won the 2021 German Design Red Dot Award.

Chen Min was shortlisted for the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize 2018 with his "Hangzhou Stool", which was also the only work from China that year. Layers of corrugated bamboo skin form a natural arch. The sitting height varies from person to person, and the comfort level also varies.

▲ Chen Min’s work: Hangzhou Stool

This subtle change permeates Chen Min's design: interestingly, compared to the "invisibility" of the design, the advertisement shot by Chow for Jianze strives to capture the audience's gaze. The Yǎng Chair can be hung upside down in a tree or flashed in the base of the "Interstellar Office". Whether it is the ever-changing real body in "Amphibian" or the human-cat swapping game in "Fetish", this kind of advertisement that breaks through the traditional presentation of furniture is considered by Chen Min to be a secondary creation. Christoph, who received the picture, was also surprised by this bold shooting technique. Although the strong contrasting colors brought challenges to his layout design, the conflict between colors can also strike a balance. For the Dutch, who are accustomed to experimentation, concepts, and improvisation, this is not a problem.

Generation Z consumers grew up in an environment that was inseparable from various social issues, including awareness of equal rights, climate change, surreal life and class differentiation. They are naturally keen to express themselves and follow the worries in their hearts. Bea believes that “the selection and placement of furniture and household items will be integrated into the lifestyle and life preferences of the space owner. Especially users in the Z era will be more pursuing distinctiveness. They not only want to arrange the home space to look good, but also care about the space. Does it represent 'my' aesthetic, and does it show 'my' unique personality? This is also the concept that Jianze wants to convey, to encourage and support everyone to express themselves more confidently."

As a native of Hangzhou, this affectionate and graceful city has given Chen Min an Eastern romanticism. Since he was a child, he has traveled around the world, studied in Europe and developed his personal design practice. What he has gathered in him is an unquestioning Western style. The exploration and pursuit of the East.

“Rather than saying that I chose it, it’s better to say that it chose me.” Chen Min, who is deeply involved in the home design industry, also started with a project that others were unwilling to take on. For Chen Min, "I will never go back on my decision, and it doesn't matter if I get hurt sometimes, because most of the time it's just trying." The creation of "Jianzhi" is a process of repeated trials and verifications.

Christoph recalls the time-lag-ridden collaboration without feeling uncomfortable. On the contrary, everything is like going back to the student days, working together to promote the design and getting closer to the desired work step by step. As a Dutch designer, I understand Chinese furniture brands, and then use this set of visual language to showcase to the world. This process of constant flow and feedback makes the Jianze project more like an imagined community.

In Dutch, there are two expressions for "Design". "vormgeving" means "to give form" (shaping), while "ontwerpen" tends to be rational and functional-oriented "design". This kind of integrated and two-sided response does not hinder the growth of creativity. On the contrary, a design that combines function and form is what Chen Min pursues. "Good design can be reversed. If it does not hold true, then the design may not be in place." When faced with a work, why is it such a design, why is it this process, and why is this material chosen. Chen Min wants to get a confirmation among the many "whys". "Besides this choice, there is no other better choice." Let cause and effect be linked to each other. This rigorous industrial design thinking finally gives these seemingly romantic, casual and chill furniture a formula that can be studied.

Chen Min, who is fluent in multiple languages, calls himself a translator of design and creation. He constantly adjusts channels to communicate with all parties and convey deep and shallow ideas.It is also Chen Min's great sense of trust that allows every participant to contribute their most dynamic ideas without hesitation.

The concept of Generation Z is fluid and changing, and cannot be controlled or defined. Chen Min fully agrees with what Li Mubai said in "Hidden Dragon and Crouching Tiger", "Hold your hands tightly, there is nothing inside; loosen your hands, you have everything." These traditional meanings and philosophies of blank space are unknowingly hidden in In Jianze’s philosophy.

Even though he has created many classic furniture categories, Chen Min believes that every creation is a new journey, contacting different people and environments, with different goals and objects, but time is always the condition for selecting good works.

Style is closed and exclusive. What this anti-styler pays more attention to is a set of language patterns hidden in design. “I feel that there is language in my works, but I use different words every time. What I say is Different texts and environments. If everything I design has the same tone, it will definitely be a failure and it will only prove that I do not understand the design.”

Paying attention to the object itself does not affect the understanding of space and place. Chen Min's design will also use an architect's thinking to create a system, re-examine the connection between the city, society and individuals, and then return to daily life. Observe and think about what Generation Z really needs, what they leave behind, and what they pass on.

Even though Jianze is full of co-creation across many countries and fields, Bea believes, “I would not simply classify it as a ‘fusion of Chinese and Western’, but rather encourage users to use Jianze to summarize the most suitable product usage and life. way. "Users are creators, which is the best "label" for Generation Z.

▲ Bea Wu, manager of Jianze

IDEAL: From the perspective of a partner/friend, what feelings and stories can you share with us in the process of cooperating with Chen Min since the founding of Jianze?

Bea: What I feel most intuitively recently is that the compatibility between us is getting better and better. In the early days of cooperation, my understanding of some brand-related suggestions and proposals would be vague. However, after nearly two years of cooperation, my thinking and understanding of Jianze became clearer and clearer, and I found that many of my thoughts and ideas about design and branding were unclear. He fit in perfectly. Sometimes I doubt whether some of my ideas are the most suitable for Jianze. When the outside world cannot understand what I want to do, I will find that most of the suggestions given by Chen Min are also things that I follow deep in my heart.

IDEAL: From planning, communication to final realization, how do you feel about the current appearance of Jianze?

Bea: In fact, the current Jianze, according to the words within the team, is still a "baby" and there is still a lot of room for growth. The current state is actually within my expectations. I hope she is versatile and bold. From time to time, I will look back at the first brand proposal made by Chen Min Studio for Jianze in the summer of 2019. At that time, the brand name Jianze did not even exist. The first page of the proposal had a big "Brand X" written on it. I think I I also hope that Jianze can truly become a Brand X, a brand with unlimited possibilities.

IDEAT: How do you understand the current generation of post-90s and even post-00s generations in terms of understanding different groups, and how does Jianze’s design fit in with their demands? How to communicate with them?

Bea: When I try to understand the current post-90s/00s generation, I’m actually more trying to understand my own thoughts. Our generation has grown up with the popularization and development of Internet technology. As we grow up, we can more easily come into contact with things that were previously out of reach, understand different cultures, and while our horizons continue to broaden, You can also discover your own preferences. Although it will be more or less affected by the general environment, everyone has the courage to express and loves to express their unique personality.

Through our own experience and observations of contemporary young people, we have discovered that when it comes to decorating their homes, “it’s better to have less than to have more” has become everyone’s motto. Even if they have a certain financial strength, instead of leaving the entire project to the designer, everyone would prefer to be deeply involved in the entire home decoration design process, and would decorate their home based on meeting their own needs.

It seems that young people like to show and express their differences. Jianze hopes to discover the real needs behind these commonalities and implement them into our designs. In the early product and design planning stages, we will consider the adaptability of a product in multiple scenarios and define the product from the perspective of lifestyle. We will also study the mainstream fine decoration design elements in the existing market, so that Jianze The design not only meets the aesthetic needs of users, but also does not appear obtrusive in the home.

IDEAT: In our understanding, Jianze tries to be the person who breaks the rules and creates a new order. Can you describe to us the new order of the home in your understanding?

Bea: Nowadays, more and more people’s lifestyles are very different from before. We think that simply defining the classification of homes based on space is no longer suitable for contemporary society. It is the original intention of Jianze to truly define home categories based on people's needs and make home decoration a stress-free and self-expressive thing. We found that in contemporary society, some furniture in many people’s homes has begun to gather dust due to lack of use, and we hope that the furniture designed by Jianze can be “good friends” that users are willing to interact with. Our current classification method is defined based on the interaction with users: support, storage and accessories. From the perspective of appearance, we believe that home products should not be defined by market-defined design styles. We hope to provide de-stylized and inclusive designs.

"My room is a mess, but I always know where the things I'm looking for are." This is a saying that I have always liked, and it also has something in common with my understanding of the new order at home - which is centered around The placement method based on the needs of space users may seem a bit confusing and difficult to understand to outsiders, but this order must be accepted by oneself.

IDEAT: What new attempts will Jianze make next? Can you share them with us?

Bea: The brand has just been launched, so everything is still unknown. From the brand perspective, I hope that we can first verify our brand concept through feedback from the market and industry, so as to carry out the next challenge. We will continue to explore cooperation with outstanding designers at home and abroad, and this is not limited to product design cooperation; we will also try to cooperate with our parent company, a real estate company, in the early stages of product design and planning to bring furniture Design is connected with the complete design process of a home.

"The home is the original universe that shelters dreamers. The world pulses outside the door, and a good home should allow people to see through the clouds and find their own island."