Wood is at the heart of his designs

When Chinese furniture designer Lu Yongzhong looked for a place to open the flagship shop for his brand, Banmoo, he didn't choose popular commercial areas and modernized buildings. Instead, he set his sights on a hundred-year-old house built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Located on the bank of Suzhou Creek in Shanghai, the building looked dusty, damp and abandoned. Outside the building is a noisy food market, which is full of crowds and vendors, with vegetable leaves and fruit peels scattered on the floor.

"It's a place which enables me to forget about time and to observe life," says Lu, who started the brand in 2006.

The commonplace market became Lu's inspiration of designing windows for Hermes flagship store in Beijing for 2008 winter and 2009 summer seasons.