Brash Atelier

29/04/2026

Thank you for inviting me back as a guest critic for the BA(AS) Year 3 end-of-year reviews
— seriously strong work on show.

What stood out to me was the commitment to physical models. Something that’s become pretty rare in practice, but still incredibly important. There’s a kind of decision-making that only happens when you’re working with your hands—when you’re not fully resolved, not over-polished, just thinking through making.

A physical model slows you down. It brings gravity, scale, and resistance into the process. You’re not just drawing or rendering an idea—you’re negotiating with it. And in that negotiation, unexpected things happen.

Digital tools are powerful, but they often end up presenting decisions rather than helping you discover them. The model, on the other hand, is closer to exploration.

Great to see that still being pushed in teaching. It’s fundamental, and honestly, still one of the most exciting parts of design.

06/04/2026

That time I asked my son (six) to help with a wall mural proposal , and it turned out amazing!

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” — Pablo Picasso

02/04/2026

Two veiled from the same 3d “sketch” software. — not just visually, but perceptually.
Rendering isn’t about polishing a simulation. It’s about exploring what light feels like, how texture catches it, how people move through it. When the design process moves this fast — Hong Kong fast — sometimes the only way to design honestly is to sketch with reality.

These tools don’t replace drawing; they extend it. In a world where everything looks perfect, the hand sketch matters more than ever. But when it comes to building something real — aligning ideas, teams, trades — realism at the front of a project helps keep imagination and construction on the same thread.

Not polishing for presentations. Refining for understanding. Designing through sensation.

01/04/2026

30/03/2026

Bridge & Forest Pavilion (Competition Entry)
The idea for this pavilion draws directly from zigzag bridges in classical Chinese gardens, like those in Suzhou or Yu Garden, which slow visitors’ pace to take in views and, from folklore, deter spirits by forcing turns they can’t navigate. The thin columns serve dual roles—structural and symbolic—mimicking dense trees. Blurring structure with nature.

30/03/2026

Bridge & Forest Pavilion (Competition Entry).
The idea for this pavilion draws directly from zigzag bridges in classical Chinese gardens, like those in Suzhou or Yu Garden, which slow visitors’ pace to take in views and, from folklore, deter spirits by forcing turns they can’t navigate. The thin columns serve dual roles—structural and symbolic—mimicking dense trees, blurring structure with nature.

26/03/2026

When a site is a blank canvas, what gets built says everything about the brief — and the brief here was a good one.

Social Goods started with founders who knew what they wanted it to feel like before we knew what it would eventualy look like. That made the design process straightforward in the best way.

We worked from the experience inward — not the aesthetic outward. The first conversations were about the sound, the smell, the feel. The way the air should sit in the room. Leading into the finishes and fittings.

That’s the approach I prefer: a space is experienced with the whole body, not just the eyes. Get that right, and everything else tends to follow.

Proud to be a part of the Social Goods Club ongoing story.

14/03/2026

Sometimes I design and build furniture.
From the top down ⬇️

1️⃣ The COA high stool

2️⃣ The Twist Macaroni high stool

3️⃣ The Social Goods wood low stool

4️⃣ The Social Goods Metal low stool

5️⃣ The Montana Bar stool

6️⃣ The Montana Barrel chair

7️⃣ The Macaron high stool

8️⃣ The Feather & Bone garden bench