Interview with Elyn Lin from China

Interview with Qinru Zhang from United States
June 26, 2023
Interview with Adrian Schaub from Switzerland
June 27, 2023

Elyn Lin

Both an interior designer and a curator, Elyn Lin, the founder of MOZ Space has over 10 years of experience in home decor where she aspires to create a space of warmth with a unique aesthetic vision and international no limit life-perspective!


Interview With The 2023 MUSE Design Awards Winner – Elyn Lin

1Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your design background.

I am an interior designer and a curator. I have more than 10 years of experience in home decor and has designed overseas. I founded MOZ SPACE in 2015. With the design concept of giving warmth to space and a unique aesthetic vision, an international perspective and a "no-limit" life perspective.

MOZ SPACE has won many awards in multiple fields such as high-end residence design and imported home furnishings. Our expertise lies in new art of residence for property owners with emotions and warmth with the idea of people-oriented.

I’ve been wanting to explore the design and art practice with a crossover thinking. So I keep my fingers in many pies, from interior design, imported home furnishing, contemporary art, finance, fashion as a life aesthetician. I’ve been guiding the integration of resources in MOZ DESIGN, MOZ CASA, MOZ ART and other diversified sectors.

With my creativity and rich experience in interior design, I have created personalized homes with warmth, emotion and memory for many high-end luxury real estate developers and high-net-worth clients who are trendsetters themselves.

2What made you become/why did you choose to become a designer/artist?

The desire to create beauty and a sense of accomplishment. I am crazy and even obsessive, when it comes to fashion and design. At the same time, I like to take risks. The exploration of beauty in the design process is very interesting which challenges me to tap my unlimited perception and imagination.

Such an aesthetic adventure is constantly stimulating my desire to explore and go into action to try. Also, the results of such adventure, aka "beautiful" designs, also make me feel very fulfilled and determined to continue on the path of being a designer.

3Tell us more about your business/company, job profile, and what you do.

I am the founder/director of MOZ SPACE which is more than a brand showroom in the traditional sense. It is a multi-faceted, curation-style home living aesthetic art space. To me MOZ SPACE carries an understanding of people's emotions: it is an aesthetic link between life and art, giving life a warmth through space.

The store has the world's top aesthetic furniture and art exhibits everywhere. At the same time, it holds events on a regular basis where famous contemporary artists from home and abroad can gather to jointly present diversified art exhibitions, creating a lifestyle that coexists with art.

MOZ SPACE integrates three major segments: design, home, and art. Currently it has three brands: MOZ DESIGN, MOZ CASA and MOZ ART. Through interior design, imported home furnishings, soft furnishings customization and art decoration services, we provide comprehensive, one-stop space decoration services for a high-net-worth clientele.

Adhering to the design concept of giving warmth to space, we customize personalized spaces with "emotional memory" to meet the perfect expectations of high-net-worth individuals for their ideal lives.

4What does “design” mean to you?
Design is not about the external form but about creating a space with emotion especially with us. We focus more on the private house and home segment. Rationality is the foundation of our design. That is, its design technology must be rational, for the form, the sense of space size and proportion; but the core such design presents should be the human emotion, the creation of human and space atmosphere.
5What’s your favorite kind of design and why?
I like the design with emotion and vitality, which has the emotional value for both the eyes and the mind. Because it doesn't need any explanation or lecture. It tugs at your heartstrings at the first sight, rather than just showing off technical skills.
6To you, what makes a “good” design?
A good design has its own life. And such design cannot be achieved without the designer's passion, accumulation and philosophy. Just like my design philosophy: "To create a space with emotion and warmth, like love at first sight between lovers. It is a sense of belonging and the mind's solace."
7Describe your design style and its main characteristics.

Modern and stylish, textured, and elegant.

My focus is residence space. I believe that each space has its own unique DNA and temperament that it inherits from its owner. So I often provide suggestions to help the owner express their feelings about life in their home space: their present life, their history and their collections will all find their proper place in my design space.

8Tell us about your design process.
Determine the business objectives - Preliminarily unlimited private communication like friends - Content conception - Develop design ideas -Visual elements -Determine media of expression -Breaking the balance – Final execution.
9Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your design process?

Definitely. The traditional Chinese cultural content system has "benevolence" at its core, which is the same philosophy of people-oriented I mentioned earlier. We also focus on harmonizing the inner peace, the harmonious relationship between people, and the smooth relationship between people and nature.

In my design, I embody such philosophy by emphasizing the relationship with “people” and then the relationship with “space”, before I use professional design language to turn ideas into real design. Thanks to the influence of China's profound traditional culture, my design incorporates many different cultural elements from the East and the West.

10Congratulations! As the winner of the 2023 MUSE Design Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?
First of all, I would like to thank the organizers for their recognition. Actually we spent much of our time and efforts on design and clients and we have gained a lot of accolades and reputation among our high-net-worth clients. But this award is a different kind of recognition and motivation for me and our team in the society and it will be a source of design for us to persist and continue to breakthrough and innovate.
11Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2022 MUSE Design Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?

It’s vintage classic meets Italian modernity aesthetics. Through rational structural design and a laid-back white space, the contour of the overall architecture is outlined in stark contrast of black and white which also allows the residence owner to express their absolute rational control and desire for the world.

At the same time it gives a simple, pure aesthetic sensation and visual enjoyment. But on top of the black and white, the emergence of retro-romantic green art furniture and artwork harmonizes the absolute cold space, so that the home presents a warmth, a coziness and ease. It’s a blending of art into life.

In this soft furnishing case for a minimal and rational space, we were not bound up in fetters of traditional ways to go with minimal furniture. Instead we use classic and modern mix and match style to inject a different vitality. In terms of furniture selection, we did not want to use those common furniture and art pieces on the market. There wasn’t a lot, but we hoped that each piece was meaningful and classic, and each piece of furniture was a work of art in itself.

12What was the biggest challenge with this project?

We needed to create a luxurious yet subtle, unconventional interior full of textures and a sharp collision with interior soft furnishings against the backdrop of a minimalist hard furnishing style.

To achieve such results we used a lot of discontinued furniture of designer brands such as Kenzo sofa, Cerruti chair, as well as custom-made artworks and art carpets directly from the artists, all to give the space a unique taste and temperament.

13How has winning an Award developed your practice/career?
It's more of a sense of recognition and motivation. It’s like a loud cheer on my way to create good design.
14What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?
  1. Being in this industry allows me to constantly improve my capacity to find beauty and my sensitivity to my surroundings.
  2. I have been able to connect with property owners from all walks of life who have made great achievements in their fields, as well as my excellent business partners who are at the forefront of art and fashion trends, I have also built a personal relationship with them. It is nice to meet such a group of people who can resonate with me.
  3. The industry has been pushing me to keep learning, to keep my curiosity, to challenge myself to recreate to make unique and out-of-the-box design aesthetics which has overthrown the traditions. Also I get to share this beauty to my friends who like me, which gives me a sense of joy and fulfillment.
    15What makes your country specifically, unique in the design industry?
    The long history as well the culture I think.
    16Where do you see the evolution of design industry going over the next 5-10 years?
    I guess it will be designs with vitality that’s close to the raw nature. This kind of design will be purer. It will link people and nature, thus improving people's health in both soul and body, and the overall ecological balance of living.
    17If you were a student entering this industry or an aspiring MUSE Design Awards submitter, what advice would you give them?
    Try to live a life of purpose, to perceive all the beautiful things around you. Design comes from real life and real life is the source of good design. Like I said, design is alive. There is no other shortcut to get such vitality. The only way is to live your life so that you can draw inspiration from it when you design and output and process it continuously.
    18What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the design industry?
    In addition to following fashion, art, and design information websites, I hope you can go out more often to explore some excellent architectural spaces with your own eyes, and communicate and interact with different industry groups which will be sources of ideas for your future design.
    19Tell us something you have never told anyone else.
    We are working to release a line of lifestyle products in collaboration with artists from different industries and fields.
    20Who has inspired you in your life and why?
    It's rather a group of people than any particular individual. Those who are gentle, kind, and appreciate the beauty of life. They are the reason I can understand the rapidly changing world, new emotions and people's inner world with the greatest kindness and turn all these perceptions into the design of one of my new spaces.
    21What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
    Love and persistence. My love for life and my dedication to my passion are the reason I have come so far. I wouldn’t say words of wisdom. This is just what I’ve been believing: there is only one ending in life, but the process can be varied, and it all depends on yourself. So stay sincere and enthusiastic, and live your life to the fullest.

    Winning Entry

    PRIVATE RESIDENCE ON THE TOP FLOOR OF SHANGHAI GUBEI | 2023

    MDA-moyan-shi-moz-space-private-residence-on-the-top-floor-of-shanghai-gubei-moyan-shi-jpg

    The project as a whole uses black and white sharp contrast to outline the outline of the building, giving …
    (Read more at MUSE Design Awards)


    Elyn Lin

    Both an interior designer and a curator, Elyn Lin, the founder of MOZ Space has over 10 years of experience in home decor where she aspires to create a space of warmth with a unique aesthetic vision and international no limit life-perspective!


    Read more about this interview with Ryan Bennett from the United States, the Silver Winner of the 2023 MUSE Design Awards.

    Muse.World