Inspired by Sunflowers
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Instinctive Vitality
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Finding Your Own Direction
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01 A Flower Meaning Is Not a Fixed Answer—It Is a Feeling
When people describe sunflowers, they often mention hope, sunshine, loyalty, or courage. HAIMING feels that flower meanings do not need to sound like fixed definitions in a book. They are more like the feeling that appears in you when you see a flower.
Sometimes a sunflower feels like a child looking up and smiling. Sometimes it feels like a quiet but dependable friend. Other times, it is like a young person standing in the wind—cool, a little stubborn, but very clear about where they are going.
Q：If you had to describe a sunflower in the most instinctive way, what would you say?
HAIMING:
My first answer would be: it’s super cool. Really. It is not a flower that feels fragile or overly delicate. It has this very direct kind of life force. It grows tall, has this big flower head, and its color has real presence. When you see a whole field of them, they feel very handsome.
But it is not only cool. If you really look at it, it is also very cute—like a child’s smiling face. It feels clean and direct. It does not go around in circles. If it is happy, it looks happy. If it grows toward the light, it simply does. That kind of purity feels rare now.
02 Growing Toward Light Does Not Mean Being Positive All the Time
Q：How do you understand the idea of a sunflower “facing the sun”?
HAIMING:
I do not think growing toward light means blind optimism. It does not mean you have to wake up energized every day, stay positive all the time, and never feel anything difficult. That would be exhausting—and not very real.
To me, “moving toward light” is more like a kind of awareness: you know what helps you recover energy, and you choose to move a little closer to it. Maybe it is morning sunlight. Maybe it is a lamp waiting for you when you come home. Maybe it is just a friend texting, “How are you today?” These things are small, but they really matter.
And sunflowers do not literally chase the sun forever. Young plants and buds show a clear heliotropic movement, while mature flowers often settle into a more stable direction. That feels a lot like people. When we are younger, we keep searching and adjusting. As we grow, it is not that we stop looking for light—we simply begin to have our own direction. That is very cool.
03 Within One Flower, There Is Order and Togetherness
The spirals of the sunflower reveal to HAIMING both generosity and restraint in nature. They make full use of space without feeling crowded; they follow complex patterns while appearing simple and whole.
This idea of being different while naturally coexisting also reflects the brand’s view of people and spaces. A home does not need to be filled up, and a person does not need to become someone else. The most comfortable state is when every person and every object can shine from their own place.
Q：Why are you fascinated by the spirals in a sunflower head?
HAIMING:
The first time you really look closely, it feels amazing. There are so many seeds packed into one flower head, but it does not feel messy at all. Every seed has its own place. They sit close together without pushing each other away.
To me, that is a very natural kind of togetherness. Not everything needs to look the same, and no one needs to overpower anyone else. Each part plays its role within the same structure. It is highly efficient, but never cold—it feels full and alive. Super cool.
Design is similar. It is not about adding as many functions as possible. Every element should have a meaningful place, while still leaving people room to breathe.
04 A Hard Shell Can Still Be Gentle
Q：What does the seed’s hard shell mean to you?
HAIMING:
It makes me think of protection, not isolation. A seed shell is hard because it protects the small, soft life inside. It is not trying to stay closed forever—it is simply waiting for the right moment.
When a seedling breaks through the soil, its seed coat sometimes remains on top like a tiny hat. HAIMING loves this image.
HAIMING:
It is really cute. The seedling has already started growing upward, but it is still wearing its little “hat.” It feels like a quiet kind of courage—you know you are still soft and not fully ready, but you decide to grow anyway.
05 Standing Tall Does Not Mean Never Bending
Q：What inspires you about petals unfolding from the outside inward?
HAIMING:
I think what makes it impressive is not that it is hard—it is that it is resilient. When the wind comes, it moves. It may bend a little, but it does not break easily. And after the wind passes, it slowly returns to its direction.
06 Blooming Happens Slowly
Q：What kind of spirit do you see in the sunflower’s upright stem?
HAIMING:
It makes me feel that blooming does not happen all at once. The outer petals open first, while the tiny flowers in the center continue to mature. From a distance, you might think it is already fully open, but it is still changing.
I really like the feeling of arriving slowly. It is not rushed, but it is always happening.
07 Beyond Yellow, Sunflowers Hold Many Moods
Q：How do you understand the colors of sunflowers?
HAIMING:
Most people think of yellow first, because yellow feels like light and warmth—you see it and immediately feel energy. But I think sunflowers are beautiful for much more than yellow.
Green is the state of still growing. Deep brown and black feel like soil, and like energy stored inside a seed. White—or negative space—is air, breathing. Together, these colors create the full emotional world of a sunflower.
So when bringing this into design, I do not want a yellow that feels too sharp or too loud. I prefer a warmer yellow—like afternoon sunlight passing through linen curtains and landing on a wall. Darker colors matter too. They feel like wood, soil, or aged metal, and they make a space feel more grounded.