For the past four decades, Steve Leung has built a career defined by clarity of purpose and an unwavering commitment to human-centered design. Born and raised in Hong Kong, his early exposure to architecture—sparked by a family influence and reinforced by parents who valued quality of life over material success—laid the philosophical groundwork for a practice that consistently privileges balance, restraint and relevance. After studying architecture at the University of Hong Kong and gaining multidisciplinary experience across architecture, surveying and property development, he founded his own practice in 1987, later evolving it into a global design group spanning interiors, products and lifestyle ventures.

Widely credited as an early advocate of the mainland Chinese market, Leung has played a pivotal role in shaping contemporary notions of Asian luxury, notably by challenging entrenched stylistic conventions in high-end residential design. Rejecting rigid labels, his approach is instead guided by a philosophy of appropriateness—an adaptive framework that seeks equilibrium between esthetics and function, culture and context, client needs and environmental responsibility. Rooted in Chinese philosophical principles, his work reflects a nuanced synthesis of simplicity, elegance and cultural resonance, positioning design not merely as a visual discipline but as a strategic tool to enhance everyday life and address broader societal challenges. During Milan Design Week, together with Italian designer Andrea Bonini, he will unveil a new brand, Liang Living, with the Yingliang Group and present the Landscape collection with Yardcom, in the exhibition “Ode to Nature”, running from April 20 to 24, 2026.

How does your Chinese heritage, including “The Golden Mean”, inform your work?

My works and the way that I design never conform to a specific style. Instead, it is all about my attitude. It is about my philosophy. I always say that the most important word in my design philosophy is to be “appropriate”. But what is appropriate? We should do the right thing at the right time in the right context. Everything should come together. If you do the right thing, but not at the right time, it is wrong. I find this approach to be particularly true in my own definition of “good design”, which always aims towards an “appropriate” balance between esthetics and functionality. To be able to materialize this design vision, I naturally rely upon my own cultural roots and background.

Tell me more about your definition of “good design”.

To me, “good design” has to be human-centered (以人為本)—a balanced harmony between esthetics and functionality to serve people in the best way possible and improve the quality of our everyday life. Harmony between humans and nature (天人合一) is also another important element that exemplifies my holistic approach. My designs are also characterized by what in ancient Chinese philosophy is described as “The Golden Mean” (中庸之道), which could be roughly translated as the “beauty of moderation between two spectrums”. Drawing inspiration from Asian culture, I always combine or at least refer to these macro concepts within my architectural, interior and product designs, which appear to be profoundly tied to the essence of traditional Chinese philosophy and principles.

What criteria do you use to decide which brands to work with or which projects to accept?

We are always keen to engage and break design boundaries in a rich variety of quality projects—from luxury residential developments, high-end hotels and resorts to multifaceted restaurants and exclusive product collaborations with internationally-acclaimed brands. Every project is unique to its own style, and my teams and I always strive to deliver exceptional work with aligned values. Before taking on each project, we carefully evaluate the client’s brief through the lens of what “good design” represents to us.

Describe your creative process from the time a client commissions you to the final design.

Having reviewed the client’s brief, we carefully analyze their requests and meticulously consider the project’s positioning, geographical location, target users and the specific space’s features. These fundamental steps allow us to identify the best solutions to maximize the advantages and minimize the weak points of each project. In my opinion, a designer should never start his creative process without a logical understanding of the project at large. It is crucial to be fully aware of your client’s needs, especially the limitations and strengths of each project. Constant attention to detail is another key attribute for good project management, and this is true for every stage of the design process, from scheme design to development, and from production to material sourcing, furnishing and construction supervision.

What is the hardest thing in design for you?

I believe the hardest thing in design is achieving balance—in the sense of staying true to your own design vision and language yet keeping a flexible mindset towards the client and final user’s needs by providing a design outcome able to cater to these specific requirements whilst holding solid esthetic value.

SLD encompasses multiple brands providing a total lifestyle offer. You are also a restaurateur through your company 1957 & Co. Why is diversification and extending your entrepreneurial footprint so important to you?

Embracing the design vision of “Design Without Limits” as the core value of Steve Leung Design Group (SLD), which envisions design as a powerful tool that breaks physical and cultural boundaries, my teams and I are always on the constant quest to create more possibilities through multidisciplinary collaborations and design interactions among different creative fields. Our mission is to bring design to its full power by outlining diversification, specialization and internationalization as the key directions of the Group’s business development.

To execute at best these three objectives, SLD set 12 specific brands showcasing multi-dimensional thinking on living and design and, at the same time, providing high-quality design solutions in different categories: architecture, interior, product, interior decorating and furnishing, wellness design, arts and gallery, and so on. In April 2022, the Group announced the debut of the SL2.0 design brand targeting the mid to high-end residential market in mainland China. Tailored to the lifestyle demands of new generations and urban professionals, SL2.0 provides high-quality home design solutions dedicated to presenting distinctive environs of contemporary taste and refined esthetics that embody today’s way of living.