He went from web developer to furniture maker: A more fulfilling life making chairs
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He went from web developer to furniture maker: A more fulfilling life making chairs
In search of a more balanced lifestyle, Shibui Piece of furniture Commonage'south Kim Choy shared how he decided to turn his woodworking hobby into a career. Find out why in this instalment of CNA Lifestyle's Creative Upper-case letter series.
Kim Choy of Shibui Furniture Collective took the forced downtime of the pandemic to re-call back his arts and crafts and business, and refine his artisan focus. (Photo: Louis Kwok)
05 Dec 2022 07:17AM (Updated: 17 Dec 2022 11:09AM)
Kim Choy has had a tough couple of years. Two years ago, the artisan woodworker lost two digits on his left manus in a table saw accident. Merely as he had recovered enough to begin working again, the pandemic hit, causing work to stop, classes to close down, and forcing this former spider web developer to give up on plans to open a Shibui Article of furniture Collective showroom.
He took the time, though, to rethink his craft and his business. Today, he is focusing on chairs, every bit opposed to larger furniture formats.
The chair designs he has come up with have been selling well, both in Singapore and overseas. He tells us he has a new curriculum in mind for his classes and he is embarking on other new professional challenges.
WHEN DID YOU First DISCOVER A LOVE FOR WOODWORKING?
Information technology all started when I wanted to tinker with things physically instead of digitally. My previous profession as a web programmer required me to deal with coding, even on weekends. I wanted a more counterbalanced lifestyle so I looked for means to unplug.
I tried working with metallic just it didn't actually work out, hence I moved on to wood. I establish this new hobby to exist very empowering, and then much so that it got me to delve deeper whenever each weekend came effectually.
HOW DID YOU Learn THE CRAFT?
I am mostly self-taught and I learnt mainly through books with a lot of trial and error. I also visited craftsmen in Japan to get points of references when I hit a hurdle in using Japanese hand tools.
The only "formal" woodworking educational activity I've had so far is learning chair-making techniques from Bernard Chandley, a respected chairmaker based in Melbourne, Australia. I appreciate his design sensibilities and what he was doing with processed lumber which is like to what we accept in Singapore.
WAS THERE A PARTICULAR MOMENT WHEN YOU REALISED YOU WANTED TO BE A PROFESSIONAL WOODWORKER Equally OPPOSED TO TREATING IT Equally A HOBBY?
I think information technology was a decision built upwardly over time. Being a web developer over the years took a lot out of me, so much so that it created a void that I had to constantly rely on woodworking to fill.
I was also naive and wanted to prove to and challenge myself that if I could be a cocky-taught spider web programmer and make a successful career out of it, I should be able to practise it with woodworking.
WAS IT Difficult TO Found YOURSELF?
Yep, I would say it was quite a difficult process to establish myself back then. I had set up high expectations for myself as a designer/maker in Singapore merely the reality was I could not attract enough clients to practice so.
Fifty-fifty when I had inquiries coming in, it would be clients who would assume I was available for all kinds of assignments and willing to do it at rock bottom prices.
In response to that, I started edifice a small portfolio of work that would exist representative of what I do. I also work with a stockist, a article of furniture shop that I patronised several years ago, to carry my work. Apart from being able to sell all my work produced for my stockist, discussion of mouth began to help me get discerning clients.
In 2017, Supermama and In The Wild studio curated an art-design exhibition and got me to be function of the lineup of 12 independent Asia-based creative person-designers. Being my offset exhibition, it allowed me to showcase some of my best pieces, which helped to put my proper noun and brand out at that place.
LOOKING Dorsum, WHAT Do Y'all KNOW NOW THAT Y'all WISH YOU KNEW WHEN Yous FIRST STARTED THE BUSINESS?
Developing my blueprint skills was something I wish I had been more deliberate virtually when starting out. I think figuring out your own style is paramount to one's success as a designer-maker. I have to confess I'm on a communicable-upwards game in this aspect.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE KINDS OF THINGS TO Make/Blueprint?
In order, chairs beginning, followed by stools, benches and tables.
ARE CHAIRS WHAT You lot ARE Best KNOWN FOR?
I remember I'm best known for beingness sensitive to the materials I use and e'er having the abiding pursuit of deeper understanding of my subjects.
In return, the cognition I've accumulated is well reflected in my chair-making journey. I'd say my first ladder back chair is my current hero product. Information technology is extremely light, so light that you tin can pick information technology up with 1 finger simply yet information technology is stiff enough to support heavy bodies.
The handwoven rattan seat which tin can take up to xv hours to weave – depending on the weaving design – is extremely comfortable to sit down on. Even though they are produced in small batches, I've had a successful run of it so far.
The number of orders has exceeded my expectations and shipping out a pair of chairs to Melbourne at the first of the year was the icing on the cake.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE Well-nigh FULFILLING Projection TO DATE?
A set of stools commissioned by Lord's day Folks. They recently opened an outlet together with Bynd Artisan at ION Orchard. The business owner was a previous client of mine and has always been supportive of the local arts and crafts scene, so naturally he signed up for my course to make a bench with his son. The final stool design for the new outlet was adapted from what he made.
To me the fulfilment comes from how my work or the way I teach gets appreciated in a different manner. I thought it was a meaningful commission considering those stools probably meant more than furniture to him. Having understood how much handiwork goes into the making process, the stools can be viewed as an extension of what his brand stands for.
AND WHAT HAS BEEN THE Near DIFFICULT?
I had an order for two chairs and a stool in white oak and every item had steam-bent components. Bending the wood was the easy part once I figured out the optimal steaming duration.
The drying procedure was what nigh bankrupt me considering every bit the parts dried, they started to take drying defects. Fifty-fifty though the cracks were somewhat cosmetic – there was no strength reduction – I still considered them rejects.
Batch after batch, I was nonetheless failing and at that place were times I tried to convince myself maybe it'south alright to just fill up up the cracks with glue and wood dust. Only I chose to bite the bullet and ended up with a sizable pile of rejects before finally figuring out how to make these chairs without the defects.
WHAT WOULD Exist A DREAM Commission FOR You?
It would be designing and making a large dinner table gear up with a mixture of side and dining chairs.
THREE YEARS AGO, IN AN INTERVIEW, YOU SAID THAT SINGAPOREANS LACK AN APPRECIATION FOR CARPENTRY. HAS THAT CHANGED?
Looking back at the interview, I recall I might have used the terms woodworking and carpentry interchangeably. But I guess I was referring to woodworking, as piece of furniture-making falls outside of the term carpentry.
I don't call back much has inverse. I feel the level of appreciation for woodworking in Singapore to be somewhat limited to just the making procedure or the physical act. It's every bit if pattern is meant to be decoupled from woodworking and most of the time we see work that is meticulously crafted simply rudimentarily designed.
HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC Affected YOUR BUSINESS?
Before the pandemic I was on the mend from a tabular array saw accident that had resulted in the loss of two digits from my left hand. Shortly afterward coming dorsum to work, hoping to catch up on income loss, COVID-19 came along.
During the extension of lockdown, I idea information technology would be wise to shut down the concern for the fourth dimension being and move the workshop back home. Unfortunately it was non possible … I had no selection simply to fulfil the contract.
With the situation looking bad and not being able to conduct workshops anymore, I had a give-and-take with my wife. She was supportive that I should continue it going by subletting half of my unit. That meant shelving our plans of setting up a exhibit area.
I had a stiff want to motility towards being a chairmaker after the accident because making chairs would allow me to avoid the automobile that had harmed me but wasn't sure of the conclusion equally information technology'south a dissimilar realm of woodworking altogether.
The pandemic lockdown offered downtime for me to recall about information technology and during the two months of lockdown staying at abode, I managed to complete prototypes of my kickoff chair and stool.
Skipping all the diatribe on 2020, I would say the pandemic has provided itself as a catalyst for change. Without the added pressure from the pandemic, I guess I wouldn't have had the courage to change direction.
Will YOU Exist RESTARTING WORKSHOPS Anytime IN THE FUTURE?
Yes! Only it's too early to share more details. I'm juggling a few things at the same time and things can exist very fluid. But one matter for sure is that the workshop curriculum will be going through a major overhaul. It's going to exist pretty heady.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON FOR 2022 THAT WE CAN Expect Forward TO SEEING?
I am more often than not excited almost being function of a bigger project where I will exist working with a renowned designer. I hope to rise to the challenge of working with someone who has feel working with established manufacturers.
At that place is likewise a group exhibition where I am involved with other artists from various fields to come up with objects to re-interpret life in the pandemic.
I also hope to stop prototyping a few chair designs and hopefully launch them as a drove. These take taken a backseat for quite some time and I think 2022 will finally be the time for realisation.
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/living/creative-capital-kim-choy-shibui-furniture-collective-290126
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