Established in 2010 in Kwun Tong industrial district, The Cave is made up of Emthy Chan and Even Chim (fashion designers), Angus Ting and Anson Chau (interior designers), Eqqus Lee and Jianchi Chen (graphic designers), and Brandon Chan (visual artist).

Boltie bench

The group of seven met while in college and, finding what they saw as a gap in the market, decided to set up a studio together upon graduation.

“Hong Kong is a business-oriented metropolis and is lacking in fun things… we [wanted] to do something for this city with our art and design,” explains Anson Chau.

Crafted stool

As fresh graduates with no money to furnish their studio, the group had to scour the streets in their neighbourhood for what they needed. And finding that the process appeared to mirror the way cavemen hunted in prehistoric times, they decided to name themselves ‘The Cave’.

Crafted chair

With sustainable design and a renewed respect for craft being worldwide trends, the group has chosen to focus on experimentations with reclaimed wood furniture.

Detour 2011: Use-Less

“We believe that design should revert to simplicity and seek a better life for people,” says Chau.

Detour 2011: Use-Less

Chau says the members’ varied backgrounds are a source of inspiration. “All of us are so different – in our ideas, tastes, way of life and insights. We share our experiences, [and] it a good way to inspire [one another].”

Detour 2011: Use-Less

Since establishment, the studio’s experimental reclaimed wood furniture has been shown in a number of exhibitions. The studio has also participated in many different design and art installation projects in Hong Kong, and were invited to join both Detour 2011 and 2012, a creative exhibition organised by the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design.

Detour 2012: Design Renegade

Detour 2012: Design Renegade

The group also conducts woodwork ‘regeneration’ workshops regularly to share their experiences with the public. “We strongly believe there is a primitive pleasure to handicraft. Even though the [participants] may be covered in sawdust after the workshop, we find everyone smiling when they hold up their finished product,” says Chau.

Regeneration workshop

Besides furniture production, the studio’s other projects include the conceptualisation of album covers, filming and props design, and window display design.

Regeneration workshop

Chau says that woodwork is only the “starting point” for the studio, and that the team plans to explore other materials in the coming years.

Also looking ahead, the studio will be hosting more renewable workshops for different communities in Hong Kong, and wants to get more involved in other fields of design, especially those relating to public spaces. “We hope to be able to make a new definition of public space,” says Chau.

The Cave
thecaveworkshop.com