Founders of EFM Group, Emanuela Frattini Magnusson and Ricky Lai unveil their contemporary showroom at K11 Atelier North Point, introducing their vision and quality brands to the architecture and design community

The tranquil serenity and elevated design at EFM Group’s showroom enveloped architects, designers and the creative set, as they ventured into the inspiring space over two consecutive evenings on March 18 and March 19, 2024, aptly themed Timeless Design and Material Wonders. They were warmly welcomed and hosted by founder and president of EFM Design, Emanuela Frattini Magnusson and general manager of EFM Group, Ricky Lai - two former colleagues who share an appreciation for designer furnishings and high end construction materials, and after years of working together, decided to bring a curated collection to the market. 

On their vision for EFM Group, the founders share that they wanted to create an inspiring resource for the local architectural and design community, who are their first interface for the business. Explains Emanuela, “we want to establish a resource they can look to for their projects, both in products and materials. In terms of collections, there are many wonderful companies that are already represented in Hong Kong, so we tried to fill a niche in smaller or lesser known companies internationally, that have a very strong reputation in Italy and Europe yet do not have an exclusive representation here, to introduce them to the local design community. These are companies I personally have worked with, so I like the products obviously - this is a very curated and personal collection. We want to start within our capacities and grow organically, and as this is a relatively contained space, we can’t show everything but the relative collections are much bigger. So we can introduce those to our clients based on the samples they see here.”

Throughout the compact showroom space, the quality of design, fittings and balance of proportions are perfectly composed, establishing the ideal user experience. Timeless chairs and coffee tables by Tacchini set a comfortable, welcoming corner, while refined furniture creations ranging from desks, chairs and lighting by Luxy, Acerbis, Spinneybeck and Gubi are stylishly staggered throughout, mingling with an array of intricate fabrics by Torri Lana and inspiring, colourful materials by FilzFelt. These brands inspire the viewer to engage and really experience them. 

Ricky reveals. “We started off in this business by insisting on the highest quality, and that’s how we came together as business partners - in our years of collaborating, we came to a synchronisation of our visions of what we think a commercial/ hospitality space should look like. For the design of this showroom we’ve also tried to showcase a partner that we’ve worked with - a general contractor that we trust and we know their quality can be fully depended on.” 

This is truly experienced when one ventures around the showroom, and the contractor did such a fine job with the fitting and installation, that even Spinneybeck voiced their admiration. Ricky continues, “This shows the marketplace really does need the quality that isn’t so easily found and if we bring this insistence [on quality], then I think that’s a wonderful thing.” 

The founders share their views that the present time is a very interesting time for commercial spaces, as the workplace is really changing. Elaborates Emanuela, “We see in the real estate market that buildings that are doing well are the Grade A+ buildings - people are willing to spend for the quality buildings and that’s in line with our philosophy that quality always wins. So even if the footprint of offices might shrink, the expectation is to offer more, so that they become a place where people don’t mind commuting to. That’s also the big debate right now - do people really need to go to the office to work or should they be remote? Personally, I feel it’s important for company culture  to communicate a sense of purpose and bring people together, at least part of the time. And to do that successfully, you have to design great spaces.”