Kai Farzad Lee

Kai joins as an Experience Consultant with over five years’ experience as an architectural designer in London and Beijing, having worked on cultural, residential, and workplace projects from concept to construction. With additional training in service design, he brings an eye for detail, a head for strategy, and a heart for the people and stories that give spaces meaning.

I’m an Experience Consultant at Charcoalblue, supporting clients in the design and delivery of event spaces across corporate workplaces and cultural venues. Trained as an architect, I believe thoughtful spatial design should be more than solving operational challenges, and can define how people experience meaningful moments, individually and collectively. I consider beauty as an essential function of design and not an added layer. From early strategy to the smallest details, I value an intentional and considered approach that brings clarity, coherence, and a sense of care to every stage of a design project. While I care a lot about whether the end result genuinely improves someone’s day, I also value close collaboration and see the design process itself to be just as important as the outcome. The design process itself should be designed as much as the end product.

What Excites You Most About Your Work

What excites me most is collaborating with various design teams across countries and regions, supporting each in pursuing design excellence throughout the design process. Being part of a global team at Charcoalblue also means that a wide breadth of knowledge is constantly being generated, shared, and accumulated, and it feels like we’re contributing to something that evolves and lives on beyond ourselves and the work that we contribute.

What Brought You to Charcoalblue

In my former job as an architectural designer, I worked on remodeling a Grade-I listed concert hall in Westminster, and we collaborated with the Theatre and Acoustic consultants from Charcoalblue- who gave me a lasting impression of being super fun to work with, while being extremely competent experts in their field. I grabbed the chance when CB was looking for an Experience Consultant as I was looking to pivot in my career into a more strategic role.

What Does Great Design or Experience Mean to You

Great design means coherence between and among form and function. It means all users (be it frontend or backend) of a product or space can achieve their goal with minimum friction and maximum joy. It also means innovating and creating something new, that pushes the boundaries of what has been done and setting a new precedent.

What Are You Learning About Right Now

Currently reading Marshall McLuhan’s “Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man”- a book that feels quite relevant to the current AI race the world is going through, considering it was written in 1964.

A Book, Podcast, Building, or Creative Work That Inspires You

“Dark Matter and Trojan Horses: A Strategic Design Vocabulary” by Dan Hill, also the podcast of Sarah Wilson interviewing Indy Johar.

Cultural Value You Most Identify With

I identify the most with the value of Creativity and Innovation. It implies an openness to new and wonky ideas, to be unafraid of failing, and to push for excellence. It’s about constantly questioning if there’s a better way of doing something, and it gives me a sense of freedom to know that I’m encouraged to explore, iterate, and have fun in the process. The ability and urge to create something is something I cherish a lot in myself and I’m really happy that it’s part of our company’s values.