Hugging Root, a design by Miracle Hui, Kenneth Hung and Sam Hui, year 2 students of BA(Hons) in Design (Environment & Interior), has recently received “The Most Innovative Use of Space Award” at the Nurturing Interior Design Talents competition organized by The Mira Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Interior Design Association. The competition was organized to provide a platform for future designers to showcase their talent in hotel furniture design.

Hugging Root is a furniture design project that demonstrates the most imaginative and interesting interpretation of spatial arrangement. It was selected among the projects from subject SD3531 E&I Design Studio 2.2 earlier in Oct. Special thanks to the teaching team: Horace Pan, Peter Hasdell, Sjoerd Hoekstra and Manfred Yuen.

The Hugging Root together with other award-winning projects can now be found on the 3/F of The Mira, Tsimshatsui, until tomorrow (21 Nov), and will then be showcased at the Asia Pacific Interior Design Awards gala at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 22 Nov.

Mr Horace Pan (bottom left) and the award-winning team

Concept and Story of the Hugging Root

Being in the Hugging Root is like living in your mother’s arms. It will always give you protection and warmth, there always feels safe. The root surrounding them will give them a feeling of being enclosed, wrapped and hugged. When they play inside the root’s openings, rest or sleep there, they can always feel embraced.

The Hugging root concept is developed with orphans in mind. The structure of the root is like the mother’s arm keeping many orphans under her arms and her arms link all together to become a big family. The Hugging root provides many spaces, pockets and places you can snuggle in, each one different and each one giving the feeling of hug whatever they are doing. It can be used as an indoor play structure or children’s furniture piece.

The Hugging root uses felt to provide a soft feeling for its users. The system of construction is developed as a soft structure through the folding of felt, layering and stitching provide strength and flexibility and allow each sitting space or pocket to be folded in a way to squeeze in or hug when someone sits there through the action of the persons weight.