More than merely holding you and your possessions, Pak Man Lee believes that furniture should command your attention too.
Pak Man Lee comes from a long line of furniture entrepreneurs: his great-grandparents ran a furniture shop on Hollywood Road in the 1950s, while his parents were among the first to introduce Italian-made fine and branded furniture to Hong Kong through their multiple shops in Happy Valley, selling everything from mattresses and settees to lighting through much of the ’90s.
Today, Lee leads the family business from his Central gallery, a modern space that – we can be sure –looks nothing like his parents’ shops. During our conversation, which is at once hilarious, intriguing and inspiring, Lee candidly shares the many phases of his life, from goody-two-shoes violin-playing Catholic schoolboy to rebellious long-grey-haired, drum-playing teen, even admitting to being a ridiculously fashionable narcissist at one point. He moved past those phases long ago and is now embracing his latest role of disruptor, who’s shaking up Hong Kong’s traditionally safe and conventional furniture scene – which he admits might be his most compelling (and daring) chapter yet.
As CEO and creative director of Nuovo, Lee carries the weight of his family’s legacy but also brings with it a fresh creative vision, shaped by his love for fashion and the vibrant, artistic scene he experienced in Los Angeles in his youth. His mission? To create a space wherein functional and decorative objects go beyond their practical purposes to become forms of personal expression and, perhaps, coveted collectables.
When his father took over the family furniture business from Lee’s grandparents, he was determined to elevate the business by injecting design and creativity into the mix. “He was struggling a little with that desire, because design isn’t as straightforward a business as simply selling furniture,” Lee says. In an almost serendipitous moment in the 1980s, his father was invited by a friend to a furniture fair in Milan, at the time a place described by Lee as largely unfamiliar territory for an Asian entrepreneur. “He was likely among the few, if not the only, English-speaking Asian there,” he says. This opened doors. Italian furniture brands, intrigued and eager to enter the Asian market, sought partnerships with his father, who then launched Nuovo Collection, focusing on modern furniture. The business grew rapidly, with as many as seven shops in Happy Valley at its peak.
At 15, Lee moved to Los Angeles, which, with its creativity and diversity, aligned well with his developing sense of identity. “I’ve always been interested in style. My parents joked that my first words were ‘Yohji Yamamoto’. Everyone wants to be unique, and when I arrived in LA I found plenty of creative, unconventional people I could relate to,” he says. His guardian in LA was Collin Chou, a Taiwanese actor and martial artist working on the Matrix films at the time, a fitting figure for the vibrant and eclectic environment Lee encountered.
While there, Lee studied fashion and landed an internship at the Fred Segal store in downtown, where he assisted high-profile clients and celebrities, among them Meg Ryan and Aerosmith. “I remember shaking when I was handing clothes to Meg Ryan,” he says. “In all seriousness, this period helped me develop an eye for style, build confidence and sharpen networking skills – qualities that proved useful in shaping Nuovo’s unique approach. That time really prepared me for running the kind of business I envisioned running.”
True to form, when he returned to Hong Kong, Lee stepped into the family business with a fresh perspective, eager to innovate but mindful of the legacy he was inheriting. “I love to dress up and style,” he explains, “so when I started Nuovo with the idea of breathing freshness into this decades-old business, I saw it as a place where I could combine my design background and love for fashion with artistry.” The transition wasn’t instantaneous nor easy. “I wanted to do something modern, but my parents wanted to keep it traditional – think baroque and very classic.” To respect this balance, he introduced high-end, designer brands such as Fendi and Armani Casa, gradually transforming the family business into a modern showroom.
Nuovo has since evolved beyond selling furniture to offer consultations and design advice. “During consultations, I keep each brand’s philosophy in mind. When you know the character and values of each piece, mixing and matching becomes an informed process,” Lee explains. The company’s growth includes expanding into realtor services, art consultancy and full interior-design programmes for clients seeking a complete overhaul. He’s also eyeing expansion beyond Hong Kong, starting with Korea, which he describes as an emerging market for furniture design and appreciation.
