The language of turntables and entertainment units from the 1960s and ’70s is readily apparent in the Line Collection. The grilles that were such prominent features on those modern appliances inspired a stylised machine-like character for this timber cabinet. Here, the grilles of thin walnut or oak battens not only allow the passing of sound from inside to outside in the tradition of the earlier hi-fis; they also allow the transmission of remote control signals to the appliances within. The conglomeration of today’s multiple living room media appliances can be neatly stored out of sight within the console, without the loss of remote control functionality. The visual effect of the horizontal lines is maximised by concealing the supporting structure internally. Shelves and drawers are accessed by folding down the front louvred doors. Now available in bedside table

Client: Design Within Reach

The language of turntables and entertainment units from the 1960s and ’70s is readily apparent in the Line Collection. The grilles that were such prominent features on those modern appliances inspired a stylised machine-like character for this timber cabinet. Here, the grilles of thin walnut or oak battens not only allow the passing of sound from inside to outside in the tradition of the earlier hi-fis; they also allow the transmission of remote control signals to the appliances within. The conglomeration of today’s multiple living room media appliances can be neatly stored out of sight within the console, without the loss of remote control functionality. The visual effect of the horizontal lines is maximised by concealing the supporting structure internally. Shelves and drawers are accessed by folding down the front louvred doors. Now available in a dresser.

Client: Design Within Reach

Eschewing super fluity, the poetry of products are captured through rigorous research and engineering in his effort to emphasize freshness and functionality. "Most of my projects start with an operation of stripping, due to the need to make the function,the material,the method and the result as comprehensible as possible, retaining its authenticity." In the works of "silent engineering,it will allow the form to express itself, based on technical considerations,not just as a graphic scheme.

Client: Ipse Ipsa Ipsum 

Commissioned by LASALLE College of the Arts, the SCAPE sofa are designed to be modular and capable of providing different seating heights for the user. SCAPE could be used as a lounger, normal sitting position, also at a bar table height. With bright orange as its main background color, it conveys feelings of enthusiasm, vibrancy and warmth not only for the room it is placed but also to the daily life of the student.

Client: LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore

The F/P Collection is a contemporary interpretation of the pragmatic and unique approach in Chinese traditional furniture making. The construction of F/P collection is based on the distinct lineages of frame and panel, yoke and rack - a translation from the structural logic of the post and rail system in classical Chinese architecture. An advantage of such construction ensures durability as using joinery and dowel allows the furniture to withstand fluctuating temperatures and humid weather conditions. Carefully handcrafted, this collection is an embodiment of East meets West, Old meets New; it is the poetic embodiment of a renaissance in Chinese culture and its crafts amidst our digital age today, where history is often forgotten and abandoned in exchange for an efficient world which favours machines and technology.

Client: ELMOOD, Hong Kong

Exolounge uses high grade steel as the skeleton frame, laser cut and stamped to shape. Calf leather is digitally mapped out to get the most yield, then cut to shape and padded with fibre fill. Its dual function from upright seating to a cradling position, allows one to read the papers or have a light snooze within a tight space. The amount of material used is cut to minimum but uncompromising comfort.

Award: FDA 2016 Finalist
Client: Self Produced

The White House served as the event’s curated zone. It featured suspended strips of white paper in varying lengths that both concealed and revealed the space. Each object revolved around the concept of ‘white’, which are associated with design values such as purity and honesty.

Client: International Furniture Fair Singapore

Flow is a bench made from plywood. It is built in a way that enhances the beautiful fluidity this material can have and was used at Laneway music festival in Singapore.

Event: St Jerome's Laneway Festival
Exhibition: International Innovative Craft Fair, Bangkok
Client: H&M | Grafunkt

"At first instance, I was thinking shoes, how? And then I thought, why not? It could be fun and I see several of my peers in the design field also game to do this and it turned out to be a really fun project,"

This pair of white Mexico 66 shoes are dipped partially in an oil-based grey paint to seal the seams in preparation for rainy days. "The shoes look like they have been through a grey, wet day, like any shoes would, after a while," The soles were painted a neon pink to act as reflectors. 

Client: Onitsuka Tiger

The meaning of connections, relationships and links in the local design scene are presented in this furniture collection.The shapes and materials (of Constellation) are still very reductionist but at the same time it is moving forward – not in a very aggressive, cold manner but in a romantic way. By keeping the shapes and the construction simple, it is still very efficient in production, yet the pieces don’t look cold or brutal. Constrictions have pushed the work to a new place.

Client: Ipse Ipsa Ipsum | Grafunkt

Majordomo is a refined multi-functional piece which showcases Yong’s personal style, a minimal design with Eastern vibes. Designed for the bedroom, but also suitable in refined contract spaces, Majordomo, as its name which translates as ‘the Butler’ suggests, is entirely at your service. It is a coat hanger which doubles as a handy clothes and footwear stand, but not only that: for maximum comfort, one can even sit on it to put shoes on more easily.

Client: GEBRÜDER THONNET VIENNA
Product Link: http://www.gebruederthonetvienna.com/portfolio/majordomo/?lang=en

Flash is a giant red ring that is illuminated inside. Visitors are invited to interact with the sculpture and to make up their own interpretation of the installation.

Client: iLight Marina Bay, Singapore

The Lightness is a six-metre-long feather sculpture perched on the scaffolding structure that symbolises the coming of age of creatives in Singapore, and how they have taken flight with newfound confidence. It is a part of the Singapore: Inside Out exhibition that was on its tour around the global creative capitals of Beijing, London and New York City.

Exhibition: Singapore: Inside Out
Client: Singapore Tourism Board

Construction is a series of multifunctional shelves that makes use of unused corners. The shelves come in convex or concave arrangements, and explore how simple lines and shapes can be adapted to suit different lifestyles.

Exhibition: CONSTRUCTION
Client: Self-Produced

The quest to make an affordable lampshade led to experimentation with a material that is perhaps unexpected in the context of lighting. Calicot is made with inexpensive moulded polystyrene – the material usually used as a shock absorber in the packaging of goods. While the form-making potential of this material is evident, its potential to generate light effects has been less broadly explored. Shell has a smooth interior surface but a ribbed exterior – a means of increasing the stiffness and strength of the thin shell form. When lit from within, the ribbed structure of the polystyrene lampshade creates a soft coloured glow that emanates through the thinner sections of the shell while the ribs remain more opaque.

Client: Ligne Roset
Product Link: https://www.ligne-roset.com/sg/modele/lighting/ceiling-lighting/calicot/2165

An elemental aesthetic can be detected in the sweeping curves and ‘stacked’ joints of Noah, but its structural integrity also displays a technical feat. A composition of four curving ‘beams’ and four angled legs, this glass-topped table looks structurally impossible but is in fact very stable. The structure contains only two screws. It otherwise relies on mortise and tenon joints as well as dowel connections. Where the curved beams overlap with the legs, all the structural members interlock to create a rigid structural frame. The curving pieces are each composed of three parts, and the long beams have been thickened for additional strength and to prevent warping. Noah was named for the ship-like proportions of its two main beams. The glass top allows the unusual frame to be viewed from above. 

Client: FOLKS Furniture

A bold, fluid outline and a fine composition of ribs translate the regal air of the traditional wing-back chair into a lighter, more dynamic composition for modern environments. Elizabeth replicates the feeling of being cocooned by a high back and side wings without the blocky effect of the traditional solid, padded chair. The exposed structure reduces the bulk of the chair, making the sense of enclosure more notional than literal. The thinness is amplified by the fact that the backrest cushion sits below the top of the frame, allowing one to see through the chair on all sides. Elizabeth was also inspired by the details of the historic Louis style armchair, and celebrates both the round and square profiles that compose it. Elizabeth’s inclined back and ribs create a sense of movement that challenges the static grandeur of the chairs that inspired it.

Client: Ligne Roset
Product Link: https://www.ligne-roset.com/sg/modele/outdoor/occasional-tables/elizabeth/2226 | https://www.ligne-roset.com/sg/modele/living/armchairs/elizabeth/2014

Vapour is a range of tea canisters, bowls, and vases that expresses the brand’s characteristic timelessness, but also introduces a more urbane and industrial character to the Royal Selangor catalogue. The featured linear motif of parallel lines was inspired by the effect of water vapour condensing and running down an object. On the Vapour range of pewter ware (particularly the tea canister), this motif also aids with gripping. The engineered flavour of the decorative aesthetic is deceiving. Rather than being milled, these forms were cast in rubber moulds. This production method allowed the achievement of details at a 0.5mm scale. The design was pushed in a direction that would intentionally draw out the potential of pewter to be finely shaped.

Client: Royal Selangor
Product Link: https://sg.royalselangor.com/collections/vapour.html?___store=sg

The wire frames that give shape to lampshades are typically not seen, being covered by fabric or other materials such as paper. In Bloom, the lampshade frame undergoes a flowering – a transformation of shape and function that sees it become an adjustable pendant light. Bloom incorporates skeletal wire ‘lampshades’ of three different shapes, which can be hung in various numbers and configurations over (and above) a bare bulb. The user is able to direct the form of the light, and arrange the shapes in ways that call to mind flowers in bloom. The 2mm-diameter steel wire is powder coated in a single colour, establishing a crisp formal outline. Bloom casts fine shadows on nearby surfaces, creating a ‘delicate’ atmospheric effect.

Client: Ligne Roset
Product Link: https://www.ligne-roset.com/sg/modele/lighting/ceiling-lighting/parachute/2138

The former Singapore National Stadium was a brutalist-inspired sheath of concrete steps on an exposed concrete frame. It was opened in 1973 and demolished in 2010–11 to make way for a new stadium and sports hub. A design competition (‘Bench’) was initiated to celebrate the building, with participants asked to create an outdoor bench with the weather-beaten timber planks that once formed the stadium’s seating. Community emerged from an invitation to take part as a guest designer. This modular arc-shaped stool can be arranged in many formations – including a ring. In that arrangement, it recalls the shape of the stadium while creating opportunities for eye contact and encouraging communication. The sitting posture encourages attentiveness and social assertiveness. A steel and timber framework establishes the structure, and the existing patina of the timber is exposed on the sitting surface. Community celebrates the camaraderie and passion that once echoed around the stadium during National Day festivities.

Client: Urban Redevelopment Authority

Cut bookshelf is an angular living and dining room furniture.
Cut are defined by the play on angular, geometric lines. Angles appear and disappear, depending on your perspective point. A light, matte finish highlights the smoky, dark brown characteristics of walnut, and gives the collection a natural feel – raw yet refined.

Client: Domicil

The manufacture of timber furniture produces a considerable volume of small pieces of off-cut wood that are simply thrown away if they cannot be sold for the making of ornamental objects or elements such as knobs. The Off Cut shelf was designed to make use of some of this off-cut material. It is an assembly of interlocking laths of square-section solid walnut or oak just 20mm thick. With a filigree-style composition and glass shelves, the design plays up the boldness of creating a load-bearing structure using short, thin splints. The strength, rigidity, and stability of the structure are assured by its interlocking assembly of pre-constructed modules in a mirrored formation. The varied shelf heights and positioning of the vertical struts create framed volumes for the display of objects of various sizes. 

Client: Living Divani

The A-frame structure of an industrial storage container in a Malaysian furniture factory was the initial spark that inspired Stack – a trio of three stacking tray-tables with distinctive A-shaped legs. Reinterpreting traditional nesting tables, the three trays of differing depths stack to a combined height of 410mm. They thus function most ideally as side tables for a sofa with the added benefit of discreet storage. The gaps between the trays in the stacked formation are created by the presence of two beams that connect the A-frame pairs and support each tray. The gaps break up the mass and allow glimpses of what is stored within. The protrusion of the A-frames above the sides of the trays creates convenient handles. Given their various depths, the trays are positioned at different heights on the A-frames such that when the trio is stacked, there is a regular distance between the tops of the handles. 

Client: Living Divani

In January 2013, The Little Thoughts Group (a Singapore-based collective of product designers) presented the exhibition Makan Time! Their goal was to investigate and celebrate Singapore’s food culture through specially designed products. $1.50, $2.50, $3.00 is a lamp developed for the show. It evolved from a personal reflection on the meaning of Singaporean food, and recalls humble childhood meals forged from luncheon meat and instant noodles, condiments of various types, and tinned biscuits – all imported from other countries but instantly recognisable to many Singaporeans. It is perhaps an unusual definition of beloved cuisine, but it is one that very much represents staple foods for Singaporeans and reflects our multicultural society. 

Client: The Little Thoughts Group

The fun and suspense of a performance by a circus plate spinner is captured in the three-legged steel stand Circus / 3 Plates. The impression of imminent collapse is thwarted by the presence of six supporting struts, which zigzag between the legs and establish structural rigidity. The chaos and intentional naivety expressed by their irregular placement and assembly method (of simple welding) reinforces the childlike state of wonder experienced at the circus along with a sense of speed and movement. Circus / 3 Plates can be used as a display stand for small objects, and offers a secondary function as a place to hang one’s scarf or hat. This compact structure occupies a floor area of just 400mm square, and can thus inject a hint of fun into tight spaces.

Client: SpHaus

The benefits of modular carpet (such as custom sizing and the ability to replace worn or damaged sections) are often outweighed by the disadvantages – rigidly geometric designs and a harsh, awkward edge line. Creep explores the potential of an organic shape. Developed from sketches of hair, this bold and highly graphic design produces a meandering, creeping floor covering. Designed in four sizes with varied curvature, the modules can be placed side-by-side without emphasis on the join line. An additional function is offered by this intertwining design; Creep can be used as a form of directional signage, encouraging the flow of human traffic from a lobby entrance to an elevator, for example. 

Client: Self-Produced

The looping legs and frame of Drapery allude to the luscious drapes of a stage curtain. However, the idea for this occasional table initially came from the arched spans and tracery of old iron bridges. The desire was not to create a direct visual reference to the optimised geometry of a precisely engineered bridge. Rather it was to produce a form that exuded the ‘effortlessness’ of this type of structure, as well as the softness of draped fabric. Welding was applied to build up a rigid structural network of overlapping loops. The stability of this network allowed the reduction of the steel rod diameter to just 8mm. The result is an extremely delicate-looking form that is nonetheless strong and rigid.

Client: SpHaus

Contemplation of the idea of the on-off switch was the starting point for the development of Enlightenment Lamp. This bedside light is turned on when an oak sleeve is slid out from an open Corian box. A hidden switch is activated by the movement of the sleeve, which automatically turns the light on. A traditional filament bulb hangs sparsely and poetically within, beside which a metal plate serves as both a stand and a page marker for one’s bedtime reading material. The book is accommodated in a manner that emphasises display, encouraging a reverential attitude toward one’s chosen piece of literature. The bulb symbolises the wisdom that can be gleaned from casting light on the pages. While it celebrates knowledge, Enlightenment Lamp also encourages the use of intuition. Two grooves are the only indicators of the sliding function when the lamp is closed.

Client: Self-produced

Foxhole is – quite literally – a sofa (and armchair) made with cushions. It is a counter response to people’s tendency to fill up even the most minimal of sofas with a collage of cushions collected through the years. An exposed geometric steel rod structure supports the cushions and establishes the bones of this family of seats. The removable cushions are connected to the frame with simple straps. The high back surrounds the occupant in a protective manner; indeed the name of the sofa is a reference to the army serviceman’s experience of hiding below ground behind piles of sandbags. The main challenges of the design process involved the achievement of a high-back sofa that is comfortable, does not look bulky or blocky, and is stylistically in tune with the times. The exposed lightweight structure resolved all three matters.

Client: SpHaus

Paper Table was designed with an understanding that situations can be chaotic and people can be messy. It is a coffee table-cum-magazine rack that responds to people’s tendency not to stack their magazines neatly after reading them. Its form is not prescriptive; the user can decide how they wish to use it. However, it does exert a controlling force within its 700mm circumference. Its twelve lacquered steel support trays (which are reminiscent of sheets of A4 paper) pivot around a central stem and can be ‘stacked’ neatly in a pile or arranged in a way that suggests the pile is being blown away. The slight upturning of the corners of the upper trays plays up the flyaway illusion. It offers a dynamic state of balance between chaos and control.

Client: Self-Produced

There is a degree of randomness in the act of collecting objects throughout one’s life. Almost certainly, one’s collection will contain objects of varying shapes, sizes, and proportions. Corner Block is a pair of interlocking display cabinets that were designed to consolidate the ‘mess’ of a varied collection into an ‘organised chaos’ of overlapping volumes. Individual objects can be framed in specific volumes, independent of the overall composition. Corner Shelf deconstructs the traditional format of shelving, blurring one’s perception of line, plane, and volume. It also allows for the use of corners, which can be difficult to inhabit – particularly in small living environments. As the two units simply slide together in order to interlock, they can be used in a convex or concave arrangement.

Client: Grafunkt

The language of turntables and entertainment units from the 1960s and ’70s is readily apparent in the Line TV console. The grilles that were such prominent features on those modern appliances inspired a stylised machine-like character for this timber cabinet. Here, the grilles of thin walnut or oak battens not only allow the passing of sound from inside to outside in the tradition of the earlier hi-fis; they also allow the transmission of remote control signals to the appliances within. The conglomeration of today’s multiple living room media appliances can be neatly stored out of sight within the console, without the loss of remote control functionality. The visual effect of the horizontal lines is maximised by concealing the supporting structure internally. Shelves and drawers are accessed by folding down the front louvred doors. 

Client: Design Within Reach

Primary Desk blurs the line between eras. While it references mid-century furniture and the largely forgotten practice of letter writing and paperwork, it also speaks of the future with its dynamic angular form and suitability to laptop use. It was designed not as a worktable, but as a small desk for emailing, processing domestic bills, and so on. Its composition of two overlapping forms forgoes the typical desk format of four legs and a tabletop. A beam runs from side to side at the point where the two forms cross, establishing structural stability. The fronts of the drawers each feature a tab reminiscent of a diary or perhaps an internet browser window. With the placement of labels on these tabs, the desk could function as a filing system.

Clieng: Design Within Reach

Humour emanates from Break, but so too does the simple rationality of a direct resolution to a technical problem. The design plays with the archetypal stool shape. Rather than an assembly of multiple flat elements, Break is composed with a single sheet of cut and bent plywood. The desire to create a curved siting surface for enhanced comfort presented a problem: the sheet could not be curved in two directions using the simple moulding techniques that were available. A slit on each side provided the solution. The slicing and bending of the seat along a secondary axis gives the impression that the stool is in flux – in the process of breaking apart. The sense of movement is of course an illusion. The outward splaying of the legs in fact increases the stability of the chair. 

Client: Self-Produced

A flawless and fluid look characterises Pebble. This low table with a rounded solid walnut top portrays the smooth, gentle contours of a stone eroded by a flowing river. It is produced in two versions and heights, tapering either downward or upward along its edge to create a convex (260mm high) or concave (200mm high) profile. Solid wood furniture with such an organic shape is rarely seen on the market, and a common response to Pebble is to question how it was made. One may wonder whether natural processes or human intervention create this form. The shapes emerged from the exploration of how a CNC machine could be used to create an organic surface terrain on a 50mm-thick plank of wood. The air of mystique is played up by the discrete base, above which the top seems to levitate. The different heights allow two tables to be overlapped with a narrow 60mm gap between them.

Client: Ligne Roset

The function of the typical bed frame is to raise one’s mattress. 70cm High Bed emerged from an investigation into what more the bed frame could achieve. It raises the mattress to the familiar height of a dining table, but introduces an unfamiliar means of going to bed: climbing up steps. This emphasises the ritual of going to sleep – of leaving the day behind and entering another state. The disjunction of states is played up by the splaying of two of the bed’s legs and their repurposing as stair stringers. This creates a seemingly impossible angle. Concealed steel brackets reinforce the structure and prevent the bed from collapsing. The frame is otherwise intentionally simple and reductionist in design – a composition of unadorned oak components. 70cm High Bed translates the performance of a ritual (going to bed) into furniture design. 

Client:  Self-produced

Opposing conditions collide in Bolle – randomness and precision, the singular and the systematic, and the two- and three-dimensional. Bolle (which is the Italian word for bubbles) was inspired by the transient beauty of a natural phenomenon: raindrops falling on puddles and carving circular patterns on the water’s surface. This family of coffee tables and stools plays with the circle while alluding to the sphere. It was first imagined as a coffee table composed of a cluster of small circular steel plates (four or six in number), welded together on their underside in an apparently random fashion. A single leg stands beneath each plate, splayed at an angle and giving the impression that structural stability depends on the integrity of the cluster. Developed into a three-legged stool with a rounded seat pad, Bolle takes a more bubble-like form.

Client: Living Divani

Coal was originally designed as a portable room heater, its shape referencing the living heritage of the material that has for centuries been used as an energy resource. Designed with a cast iron tube and an internal wire filament for heat transmission, this conceptual object could also serve as a clothes heater for drying damp garments during winter. The multi-directional branches were positioned to enhance the radiant heat effect, directing warmth in all directions. A dial at the tip of the lowest branch provided the means of temperature control. The design won a ‘red dot award: design concept’ in 2007. It was later developed for production in a simpler form as a non-heating coat stand. It is produced with welded steel in two colours – black and white. The latter references snow on branches, while the former references coal.

Client: Self-produced

A love for the work of German industrial designer Dieter Rams prompted the unabashed celebration of his style with the Dieter Table Fan. The goal was to overhaul a product that is rarely tackled by designers, using the impeccable simplicity for which Rams is known. A simple motor and fan blades dominate the internal components. The form of the housing was optimised as a pristine steel box with a geometrically disciplined grille and a simple stainless steel handle. The portable fan was styled for suitability to any environment – from residential to corporate. The design joins a stable of products by other designers that were heavily inspired by the work of the influential German master.

Client: Self-produced

An exhibition titled UseLess, staged at the Singapore Design Festival 2007, was the context for which this series of three investigative sculptures was produced. The work addresses the two meanings that could be read in the exhibition name: ‘use less’ and ‘useless’. Old disused car parts were collected from a mechanic’s garage, cleaned up, and uniformly powder coated white. The paint became a mask over the former mechanical functions of the parts, rendering them relatively anonymous and inviting the viewer to mentally investigate their identity and purpose. The notion being probed and promoted is that beauty exists not in form itself, but in one’s understanding of form through function. And if one views beauty with a functionalist view, it can be found anywhere.

Client: Self-produced

Section takes its name from the ‘sectional’ investigations that drove its design. It was imagined as a composition of very thin planes of steel sheet that would become almost invisible when filled with books. Section was initially designed as strata of increasingly narrow niches. The depth or ‘section’ of the shelves was minimised by angling the vertical supports. One’s magazines, books, office files, or vinyl records are thus stored at an angle. The design was later developed into smaller modules, each with a thickened base plate that supports the weight within. The three modules (with three different internal layouts) can be stacked, making it possible to tailor the shelving to the available space and storage needs. They offer the additional benefit of easy transportation.

Client: Opinion Ciatti

Humour emanates from Break, but so too does the simple rationality of a direct resolution to a technical problem. The design plays with the archetypal stool shape. Rather than an assembly of multiple flat elements, Break is composed with a single sheet of cut and bent plywood. The desire to create a curved siting surface for enhanced comfort presented a problem: the sheet could not be curved in two directions using the simple moulding techniques that were available. A slit on each side provided the solution. The slicing and bending of the seat along a secondary axis gives the impression that the stool is in flux – in the process of breaking apart. The sense of movement is of course an illusion. The outward splaying of the legs in fact increases the stability of the stool. 

Client: Ligne Roset

After disastrous events on the scale of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the need for the efficient burial of a large number of victims invariably highlights the shortcomings of the traditional coffin. Coffin production typically involves the milling and assembly of planks of timber – a laborious and time-consuming process. The shipping of these heavy boxes of air is similarly inefficient. If burials are to be undertaken on a mass scale in a timely and hygienic manner, then a reconsideration of the coffin itself is necessary. Biopod Coffin can be rapidly produced through the stamp moulding of a woodchip and resin mixture. It has been designed in two slide-together halves, which can be nested and stacked for efficient shipping. While the lightweight material makes handling easier, the moulded rib structure strengthens the form to prevent warping. Biopod Coffin won a ‘red dot award: design concept’ in 2006. 

Awards: Red Dot Design Award: Design Concept
Client: Self-produced