Uno Chan is a Chinese designer and the founder of TOMO Design, an interdisciplinary practice based in Shenzhen. Founded with the ethos “TO MORE, TOMORROW,” TOMO Design bridges narrative, emotion, and spatial innovation to create projects that are as strategic as they are atmospheric. Under Uno Chan’s direction, the studio has developed a distinctive approach grounded in deep intellectual exchange with clients and a rigorous process of insight, innovation, and implementation. Chan leads each project by drawing out the unique DNA of a brand or program, crafting immersive environments that deliver emotional resonance and commercial value.
Key projects include the MASONPRINCE Store in Guangzhou, where a 1931 Western-style house was reimagined as a layered narrative of temporal disruption and brand identity; the SAVHE Hotel for Atour Group, shaped by natural textures and an Oriental reclusion philosophy; and the MASONPRINCE Shanghai Flagship, which dissolves conventional retail logic through a “dreamcore” spatial language rooted in virtual futurism and liminal nostalgia. Uno Chan’s work has been featured on platforms including ArchDaily, Interior Design, and Architecture Lab, and TOMO Design continues to expand its reputation as one of China’s leading studios in experiential design and forward-thinking spatial strategy.
What inspires you?
As the name of our company, TOMO, which means “TO MORE, TOMORROW”, has always been my core driver. Deep intellectual exchanges and co‑creation with clients continuously fuel my inspiration, while the unique DNA of each project ignites my passion for exploring innovative solutions.
What inspired you to become a designer?
I can freely express my thoughts and induce flow states through design. From initial curiosity to deep exploration, I discovered my ability to visualize ideas with increasing clarity and boundlessness. This process delivers focused tranquility and profound fulfillment – an intrinsically magnetic experience.
How would you describe your design philosophy?
My philosophy forms a closed‑loop system with three core stages:
Insight: Deep‑dive analysis to identify the essence of the problem and the core demands of the clients.
Innovation: Restructuring frameworks to discover unconventional solutions and possibilities.
Implementation: Rigorously transforming the most valuable ideas into feasible, effective designs.
I am particularly skilled at cutting through superficial layers during the “Insight” stage, and expanding solution boundaries during the “Innovation” stage, ensuring each project begins with depth, thrives on creativity, and delivers authentic value.
What is your favorite project?
My favorite project is The MASONPRINCE Dongshankou in Guangzhou. It’s an old Western‑style house marked with the year “1931.” Collaborating with MASONPRINCE, we crafted new experiences by creating a narrative with an interrupted timeline, incorporating a design language that “transcends the present,” and building a work scenario of “MP Studio” in the space. With an avant‑garde perspective and via a unique medium, the design creates a dialogue between the past and the future. It connects the brand’s classless concept with the space, brings out unbounded dynamics, and showcases a multi‑dimensional time‑space realm of the MASONPRINCE universe.
What is your favorite detail?
The building’s historic “1931” façade marker is intrinsically aligned with our “past and future” concept.
Do you have a favorite material?
Beyond favoring specific materials, I thrive on tailor‑developing materials for unique projects. This zero‑to‑one creation process not only solves distinctive design challenges but delivers unparalleled satisfaction through breakthrough innovation and project‑specific value.
What is your process for starting a new project?
I prioritize crystallizing the project’s strategic foundation—establishing precise positioning, distilling core design concepts, and ultimately crafting spatial‑brand differentiation to elevate commercial value.
How do you fuel your creativity?
Work is life, Life is work.
What inspired the MASONPRINCE Shanghai Flagship Store?
We drew immediate inspiration from the “Backrooms” concept, merging it with MASONPRINCE’s ethos to create a surreal, multi‑layered “dreamcore” of subconscious fantasy. Across three floors, familiar‑yet‑alien nostalgia collides with virtual futurism, dismantling conventional retail paradigms. This liminal space triggers intense emotional resonance, enhancing product appeal through atmospheric novelty.
How did materiality shape the SAVHE Hotel?
As ATOUR Group’s premium brand, SAVHE Hotel embodies “breathing,” conveying its unique and refined urban humanistic atmosphere through an Oriental reclusion philosophy. Embracing SAVHE’s brand essence, TOMO Design infuses new interpretations into the space, harmonizing Eastern sensibilities with contemporary art. Straw‑textured plaster and natural wood express primal authenticity; raw concrete and patinated bronze frame modernity; soft‑lit membranes with greenery instill poetic warmth for the space.
What advice would you give a designer?
Aesthetic sensibility will be the ultimate competitive advantage.
