James K.S. Tu, chairman of the board of Audi (International) Interior Design

James K.S. Tu, chairman of the board of Audi (International) Interior Design, is a bachelor of architecture and a master of interior design in Chung Yuan Christian University and a lecturer in Tungnan University. He has high requirements for his works, which usually show abundance, delicacy and exquisiteness. He is called “ King of Villas” in the field of interior design.

Growth: treat others as my teacher, and learn more things from them

James K.S. Tu was born into a typical family of civil servants. Not only did his father held the post of civil servant for a long time, but his brothers and sisters also worked in public affairs or teaching jobs. However, James Tu was not the same as them; he liked fantasy very much from his childhood, and he loved drawing a lot. Apparently, one who has fantastic artistic imagination is not suitable for a changeless life. So James K.S. Tu drew a clear line away from a civil servants career when he was a child.

During his school time, James Tu also showed his distinctive artistic talents. When he was in Chuang Yuan Christian University, he felt just like a fish in water. His artistic imagination going back many years acquired a release here. By systematically studying professional knowledge, his drawing skills and design level achieved a qualitative leap. His artistic talent was also highly recognized by professors in the University. They used extravagant praise to call James K.S. Tu “a genius rarely seen for many years”. His drawing assignments were always listed as first in each “drawing comment” match.

After graduation from university and practice in work for many years, James K.S. Tu found that he was anxious to seek quick success and instant benefits. So, he resolutely returned his university, studied again the textbooks which he ignored in those years and acquired a master’s degree in interior design within three years. After finishing his learning career at university, his study didn’t stop there. He treated the buying of books and reading them as his biggest hobby. He stacked books in every corner of his company and grasped time to read and learn the latest trends in the trade.

Starting a business: a sword becomes sharp from its sharpening

In fact, when James K.S. Tu decided to start a business, his relatives and friends didn’t think it to be a good idea. They thought that his personality of not smoking, not drinking and with no social engagements were not suitable for starting a business, and the prospect of the business was rather worrying. Of course, this advice was given with the best of intentions, but James Tu reaffirmed his choice and would pace forward without remorse.

In 1986, James Tu officially founded the Audi (International) Interior Design Company in Taiwan. He found out that his design creativity was outstanding enough to satisfy customers even though he was not good at social engagement. He explained, “because the biggest competition in this trade is from comparing drawings, it means putting the design scheme in front of the customers and explaining what kind of design you can offer; generally, if the customer gives me this opportunity, I can win out.”

In the 1980s in Taiwan, interior design was on the rise. There were not many experts, and James K.S. Tu had few competitors in this field. Therefore, the business of his company was surprisingly good, and it dug the first pot of gold for James Tu in the market in a short time. But unexpectedly, just when he prepared to go all out in the field of real estate, the market in Taiwan suddenly suffered a great crash. Many big real estate developers declared one breakdown after another, and the company of James K.S. Tu certainly couldn’t escape from this. Setting foot in this trade not only brought no money in for him, but put him into heavy debt.

When he suffered a big failure in starting up the business, James K.S. Tu picked up his business of interior design again. It was proven by the facts that, when real estate went from worse to worse, the business of interior design could still survive well. Depending on high earnings obtained from the interior design business, James K.S. Tu made the fame of Audi (International) Interior Design more brilliant as well as paying off all the debts in a short time.

After this, James Tu devoted himself to the business of interior design without distraction. His sincerity and responsibility acquired general consent in the field. In order to produce excellent design schemes, he often stayed up late and revised over and over again, even for a very small business, so as to provide high-quality finished work with good content and style.