2024-12-22T19:06:24-05:00 https://archinect.com/features/article/150079130/founded-by-a-designer-and-an-architect-chef-hong-kong-based-studio-openuu-has-an-unconventional-origin-story Mackenzie Goldberg 2018-08-27T09:00:00-04:00 >2018-08-24T19:10:51-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/84/84e6deba2027fa5c27ad7ed09863e4fc.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p><a href="https://archinect.com/openUU" target="_blank">openUU</a>&mdash;pronounced&nbsp;"open you, you"&mdash;is a small design practice led by <a href="http://openuu.com/" target="_blank">Kevin Lim and Caroline Chou</a>, who, having both spent time growing up in Asia and the United States, decided to go to Hong Kong to establish their firm in 2011. Kevin (who is the son of artist and architect <a href="https://cl3.com/" target="_blank">William Lim</a>) is a trained architect and chef with degrees from both <a href="https://archinect.com/schools/cover/1544387/cornell-university" target="_blank">Cornell</a> and Le Cordon Bleu. Caroline, on the other hand, is an award-winning interior designer with an M.Arch from the&nbsp;<a href="https://archinect.com/risd" target="_blank">Rhode Island School of Design</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>Together, the two have combined their expertise to focus on space conversions and the Food &amp; Beverage industry; their roster of projects includes mall renovations, warehouse transformations, art and light installations, traveling pop-up libraries and even their own restaurant, Mean Noodles, which the couple own and operate.&nbsp;</p>