Partners in life as well as design, Hung-Ming Chen and

Chen-Yen Wei relocated from their native Taiwan to

Sweden in 2006, where Hung-Ming studied design at

Konstfack in Stockholm. Their adventure turned out to

be more permanent than first planned, and the couple

have since settled in the Swedish capital where they have

established Afteroom, their award-winning design studio,

which marries Hung-Ming’s tech-savvy background as an

industrial designer working with 3D software with Chen-

Yen’s intuitive and creative approach to aesthetics.

When did you first become interested in

design? Hung-Ming: “My high school

major was electrical engineering, but it

didn’t take me too long to realise that I

wasn’t cut out for it and quickly needed

to find another profession before it was

too late. Luckily, I discovered industrial

design.” Chen-Yen: “I was a business

college student with no passion for

the subject, but really enjoyed fashion.

After graduating, I took a sabbatical.

During that time, I realised that being

a designer was the hidden dream I’d

been wishing for.”

Which aspects of your background and

upbringing have shaped your design

principles and philosophy? Hung-

Ming: “I grew up in an industrial area

where my parents ran a small factory.

When I was little, I was fascinated by

how things were made so I guess that

environment influenced me a lot.”

Chen-Yen: “As a child I often travelled

with my family, which I believe is a

really natural way to open a child's eyes

to the world. Although I grew up in a

crowded city, my parents tried their

best to put us in contact with nature.

Since then, I’ve had an appreciation of

beauty. I think my creative influences

mostly come from nature and

companionship with my parents.”

How would you describe your

design aesthetic? Elegant,

thoughtful simplicity.

Tell us a bit about your design process.

Hung-Ming: “We start by discussing

ideas, and I sketch them out and

make 3D models. Chen-Yen takes

charge of the overarching appearance,

proportion and colours and selects

which projects we bring to life. I’ve

worked as an industrial and interior

designer for such a long time and know

how to operate CAD software and

navigate the mass production process.

However, I easily get blinded, so

Chen-Yen takes on the responsibility

for the aesthetics.”