commissions
fine DEcorative Boxes
I love building boxes. From small ring boxes and jewelry coffers up to specialist chests for mahjong tiles and cigar humidors. They are fantastic to showcase finer details such as marquetry, inlays and kumiko work.
fine Furniture
Side tables, credenzas, wardrobes, all take a special place in my heart but occupy a larger space in my studio. I do make bigger pieces, but the challenge is always finding space for them.
Special commissions
Sometimes not everything is either this or that. Apart from a good range of bookbinding equipment which I design and make, I love strange requests and have crafted knife sheaths, frames, and whiskey trays to name a few. Some projects don't even have names!
Studio Sessions
One-on-one studio session are tailored to cover exactly the areas you want to cover.
You could be an absolute beginner who wants to learn starting from the basics, or an experienced woodworker looking to fine-tune certain skills, learn a new technique or discuss a special project. These bespoke training sessions can be designed to how you would like to spend your time. Making different joints to form projects, learning how to maintain and sharpen your tools, learning polishing techniques, discuss design and technical details of your projects. The choice is yours.
Studio sessions are normally in 4 hr blocks.
By appointment only.
about
It all began when I was working on a small project which turned out pretty rubbish. Instead of leaving it be, I decided to learn how to make it better by approaching my secondary school teacher for advice and training.
A trip to Japan opened up my interest in Japanese tools and traditional joinery; spending a short time learning under a Japanese teacher there.
One thing led to another and during a photography assignment to the UK. I decided to take the dive and spent 6 months at the Peter Sefton Furniture School for professional training in fine furniture making. Studio sessions with fine box maker, Andrew Crawford further enhanced my knowledge from the UK.
The most recent training was an internship in Paris; where I learnt traditional marquetry techinques and explored straw marquetry.
Being a commercial photographer for the past decade or so paid my bills and also allowed me to express my creative self in a 2 dimension way.
Woodworking allows me to express creatively in a 3 dimensional way and challenges me to literally think out of the box when designing and creating pieces.
-Louis Kwok
Training
Oct 2019 - Nov 2019
Internship with Eric Lehuédé and Martin Delépine at Atelier Lacroix Marrec, Paris, France
Nov 2015
Studio Session with fine box maker, Andrew Crawford, Shropshire, UK
Sep 2013 - Mar 2014
Professional Training with Peter Sefton and Sean Feeney at the Peter Sefton Furniture School, Worcester, UK
Jun 2013
Studio Session with Kuniaki Kishi at Acroge Furniture, Saitama, Japan.
Jan 2013 - Sep 2013
Studio Session with Hou Meng Hsien, Singapore.
Exhibitions and Residencies
May 2019 to Aug 2019
Resident Artist, 'Woodworking unplugged' National Library Board (Orchard Library, Singapore)
Feb 2019 to Mar 2019
Featured bookbinding tools, CANVAS - bookbinding (Jurong Regional Library, Singapore)
Dec 2015
MSHU The Showcase, 'When book meets wood' (National Design Centre, Singapore)
Aug 2013
MI Casa Su Casa, (Private Gallery, Singapore)
Media
