A trained architect and interior designer, Eunice Cheung founded 513 Paint Shop in 2014 to contribute positively to the environment. She talks to us about her eco-conscious business and the need for Hongkongers to express themselves creatively in times of the pandemic.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
Born and raised in Hong Kong, I left for the US to study when I was 16. I studied architecture in the US, then did my master’s in architecture in London. I came back to Hong Kong and started working for a small architecture firm, but I was doing a lot more interior architecture. A few years later, I started a design firm with a few partners, and after almost 10 years, I shifted into something more intimate in scale, focusing on special paint finishes and effects for interiors. In 2014, 513 Paint Shop, a boutique eco-friendly paint shop, was started in PMQ.
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What inspired you to start 513 Paint Shop and what it offers?
My years as an interior architect inspired me to be a contributing force in protecting the environment instead of being one contributing to adding pollution to it. So, we focus on providing solutions and options for our customers to choose eco-friendly, high-quality paint products that are safe for the environment, as well as our health. Over the years we are representing more and more eco-conscious, beautiful quality paint and wall covering brands, like Farrow and Ball, Isidore Leroy. We believe that one should not sacrifice aesthetics while being conscious of sustainable living.
What is your favourite memory while running your business?
We’ve had so many great fun moments! We are very lucky to be able to collaborate with many different parties, from NGOs to big commercial brands to artists and designers. One of my favourites was hosting a summer workshop with my son and 10 other kids – it was a messy but fun day! We also had a very unique workshop where we collaborated with a sound healer and she led a meditation with her Tibetan bowls, and then we drew mandalas together after. These kinds of group collaborative creative experiences are truly precious.
What are your business and personal goals for 2022?
For 2022, we’d for sure offer more creative collaborative workshop experiences for creative and therapeutic experiences, which will restore Hongkongers with a sense of freedom after having been cooped up since the pandemic for so long. Personally as well, addressing this need for freedom, to feel free, free in expressing ourselves creatively, as well as free in travelling and enriching our life experiences. My goal for this year is to really step up in sharing what I’ve learned through writing and teaching.
How do you make yourself happy and ritzy in life?
Definitely travelling! Just breaking out of my daily routine and having different life experiences is so enriching. My new thing is going on retreat or training, which is absolutely life-expanding! On a daily basis, meditating with my crystal alchemy singing bowls is like taking a trip to my own inner world, which is so essential in these crazy times to find balance and serenity – and know that life is not all about doing, sometimes it’s just about being, being with ourselves especially.
