Growing Up
I used to build treehouses and underground cubbies when I
was 10 years old for my friends around the neighborhood and
get paid in cigarettes. My father was an engineer and my grandfather was a carpenter. I learned a lot from them when I was young. I was fortunate to have a creative mind. When I dream of something, I know exactly how to build it—how steel bends, how timber turns.
Design Process
Vodka, no sleep, and complete boredom. I can’t read a book. I can’t really follow any movies. It is completely from my mind. It’s always wandering and going into so much detail. I can’t stop thinking. My design style is imaginative, free-spirited, and nonconformist. I am drawn to strong and earthy materials meant to last.
Ophelia, Hong Kong
Ophelia, Hong Kong
It’s a sensory adventure, a place where you can uncage your mind and experience a fantasy land among [the fictional] Mr. Wong’s legendary peacocks. Ophelia has thousands of real peacock feathers sprouting from artwork on the walls and behind the bar. There’s a sense of mystery when you walk in and the velvet furniture, colorful fabrics, and touches of copper transport [guests] to a fascinating imaginary world.
Iron Fairies, Bangkok
Iron Fairies, Hong Kong
There are many rooms in the story of Iron Fairies, so it’s easy to create a different space for each city [Tokyo, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur]. Hong Kong’s [pictured] is like a blacksmith shop with iron, brick, timber, and metal-making tools; 10,000 preserved butterflies suspend above from metal rods. [The process] gave me endless energy and passion. If I don’t see any magic, it is not possible for me to finish such mind-blowing projects.
