André Fu, the Hong Kong Designer Who Treats Hotels as Houses

André Fu was born and raised in Hong Kong, spent 14 years at school in the United Kingdom, and holds a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Cambridge. He runs the Hong Kong studio AFSO, and his first hotel project, The Upper House, was the break that made his name. We describe its suite in the André Fu suite.

A way of working

He puts the guest’s experience ahead of decoration, argues that a sense of place demands more thought than surface style, and distrusts spaces that photograph well and disappoint in person. He prefers what he calls elegant functionality, and mixes different backgrounds and aesthetics to arrive at something particular to the place.

Hong Kong and beyond

In Hong Kong he worked on the food hall of the Kerry Hotel, alongside the local architect Rocco Yim and the Bangkok office of AvroKO, and on Guo Fu Lou, a 90-seat restaurant for the Fook Lam Moon group, at The Murray. In Singapore, Andaz drew on shophouse architecture, from its lobby façade to the yellow doors of the guest rooms. In Provence he designed the restaurant, bar, library and spa of Villa La Coste. He has also designed pop-ups for Louis Vuitton and COS, light fittings for Lasvit and carpets for Tai Ping.

Capella Taipei

His largest recent hotel is Capella Taipei, which opened on 1 April 2025 with 86 rooms and suites in the Songshan district. He describes it as a modern mansion. It has five restaurants, including Ember 28, for cooking over fire, Rong Ju for Cantonese cuisine and Mizue for Japanese omakase, and a pool terrace on the 14th level. Our report on the opening is in Capella Taipei Opens as a Modern Mansion.