Interior designer Zhu Naumann used to scooter between Bangkok and Phuket, at the time when her husband Dirk, the German Honorary Consul, was taking up his diplomatic posting here. She admits that she was a ‘city girl’ and the thought of living in the country terrified her.
That was five years ago. Now Zhu, who has moved to Phuket permanently in 2007, lives and works here happily. Her office, which is on the top floor of the German Consulate, is chock full of fine Asian antique and art objects.
Zhu used to be an antique dealer before she met her husband 15 years ago. Her family owns antique shops in the River City Mall in Bangkok and also at Chatujak weekend market. It was at the River City that she met her husband, who, apart from working full-time, also managed a shop there dealing with fine old prints and maps. He shared his passion in the art of cartography with Zhu and the pair, both being connoisseurs in antique and fine art, found that they had a lot in common.
“Dirk is very knowledgeable. He introduced me to the ancient and modern European art. I already knew something about Asian art, so he filled the gap quite perfectly.”
They got married and lived in Bangkok until in 2001 when Dirk was offered his present position in Phuket. Sensing that her life was about to change, Zhu enrolled in interior design course at Chanapatana International Design Institute in Bangkok, after which she went on to further her study in the same field in London and Milan.
“I discovered that I had a knack for arranging stuff in space. And because of the line of business I was in, I appreciate art and design. Interior decoration was decidedly the profession for me.”
Her first project in Phuket was the couple’s own home, which Zhu decorated in the style of ‘Southeast Asian Contemporary’, where exquisite art objects fill the living space.
“We decided to buy the house behind Wat Chalong because of its proximity to the temple. Every morning we can hear monks chanting. Where else in the world can you do that?” asks Zhu with a smile.
She also received commission works for both large real estates and private homes in Phuket. By her own admission though, Zhu prefers to work on smaller projects designing homes for individuals.
“My design is very much human-oriented; it has to work with the human body and his psyche. For this kind of project to be successful I have to learn a lot about my clients and what makes them tick. The reward is you are connected with your clients on a personal level. To see them happy with the result is another big plus.”
Zhu doesn’t take her work lightly. She believes that interior design is not dissimilar to a good painting, which must have ‘the main focus, good proportion and structure, and a working colour combination’.
When not busy designing other people’s homes, Zhu creates her own work. She is often seen acquiring defunct Sino-Portuguese buildings in town, and renovated them to their former glory. The project is featured in her blog: thezndecor@blogspot.com.
“I’d like to think that what I do is a mixture of business and pleasure: financial rewards has to be countered by one’s passion, and in my case it’s design.”
Both being collectors of fine art objects, the couple makes sure that they see artwork often. In particular, Zhu likes Vietnam for its modern paintings. For 16th Century Renaissance works, Florence is on the top of her list.
For a city girl like Zhu, Phuket has become home and a place, where she can let her creativity and imagination flow.
