Journal｜Sustainable Innovation: Decoding 3D Printing and Waste Upcycling Design Part I
As interior designers, we have the ability to create aesthetic perspectives for a space, enhance its practicality, and solve spatial issues — these are the definitions that most people associate with interior designers. However, being a designer goes beyond just this.
We aim to view "design" as a layering of various values. It can be a verb, creating tangible forms of satisfaction, and it can also be a noun, telling the intangible story of space. This story becomes internalized into a depth of image, and from that depth, meaning is created. This abstract meaning not only improves life but also offers users a spark of inspiration, challenging the conventional, or providing a slight shift in thinking about life and the environment, opening up curiosity and imagination about the world around them.
Meaning is Not Something to Be Thought Of, but Something to Be Practiced
When you want to create a meaningful space, what you need is a dialogue partner who understands what "meaningful design" truly means. On an afternoon in 2023, the soul of THOMAS CHIEN Restaurant, Chef Chien, knocked on our door, allowing this anticipation to meet its true counterpart.
We first came to know Chef Chien as the "Local Chef," a title that he’s truly earned. Since 2012, when "organic cuisine" was just entering the public conversation, often met with skepticism, Chef Chien was already ahead, linking organic farmers across Taiwan and establishing green supply chains that championed local, seasonal ingredients over imports. He boldly reshaped the Taiwanese palate, increasing the plant-based portion on menus, and advocating for sustainable choices to reduce the environmental toll of livestock farming and transport emissions. Integrating French culinary techniques with the heritage of Kaohsiung’s coastal culture, he created a seasonal menu that celebrates local flavors and promotes the green dining movement in southern Taiwan. His dedication has blossomed over the years into a field of sustainable practice—a journey that reveals its significance with time. We still remember that early design meeting with the THOMAS CHIEN team, where a shared goal was set, a vision cast toward a near future: a Michelin Green Star.
A Shared Philosophy is the Starting Point for Realizing Spatial Concepts
TaG Living includes another lifestyle design brand called TaG, which has thrived for 13 years. Throughout this journey, we’ve committed to using locally-sourced Taiwanese materials whenever possible, overcoming challenges in cost and availability. From raw materials to packaging, our focus remains on reducing carbon emissions and honoring principles that respect the land. This philosophy is carried forward in our TaG Living space design brand, where we integrate sustainability and circularity. By blending traditional, modern, and experimental crafts and materials—including eco-friendly options and reformed reservoir silt coatings—we create diverse green, organic spaces. Through each design, we aim to embody environmental respect and inspire sustainable living, expressing our dedication to giving back to the land.
TaG Living's lifestyle design brand has introduced the Tent Acme tissue box, crafted from sustainable and durable natural wood fibers. It is fully recyclable, reusable, and biodegradable.
The interior of THOMAS CHIEN Restaurant incorporates waste materials from nature, such as discarded fishing nets, repurposed into organic recycled carpets, and oyster shells transformed into a cement-free, natural coating.
Driven by shared values on a sustainable path, we built a bridge of collaboration grounded in doing the right thing, with sustainability at its core. To us, sustainability isn’t a trend or a label, but a meaningful commitment that we’ve embedded by rethinking its impact on a larger scale and embracing it in our own environments. Our journey begins by reimagining everyday waste through transformative techniques. For THOMAS CHIEN Restaurant, we incorporate local elements like oyster shells repurposed into natural, cement-free coatings; discarded fishing nets transformed into organic recycled carpets; and biodegradable materials from Taiwan crafted into lighting fixtures. These elements quietly yet profoundly embody an eco-conscious approach, bringing the idea of “sustainability” to life, one step at a time.
Continue reading: Sustainable Innovation: Decoding 3D Printing and Waste Upcycling Design Part II
THOMAS CHIEN Restaurant interior space
Chef Chien of THOMAS CHIEN Restaurant poses alongside Creative Design Director and Deputy Director for a photo within the restaurant's interior.
This article was published in Interior magazine, June 2024 edition.
Read more: The Taste Journey