Quick Takes With: Spencer Fung

“My work is all about work in process,” Spencer Fung told us over a cup of coffee a few years back. “Stop: Don’t cover it up. It’s so beautiful, with shadow and light.”


The self-described naturalistic architect, artist, and furniture designer begins and ends with the land, whether he’s painting or designing a home, an English pub, or a spa. And that means making the natural world—and all its textures, materials, and imperfections—evident in everything he does: think hand-hewn wood, collected stones, plaster that shows the trail of the hands that applied it. Spencer takes the same approach in his art: “I make abstract paintings with local natural pigments that I collect, like local clay, minerals, and foraged plant inks,” he says. “This is my way to connect to the land and the landscape. I hope to raise awareness to restore our fragile nature.”


Today, the Hong Kong-born, London-based architect/artist shares the book on his bedside table, go-to sheets, and the three things he never leaves the house without…
Above: A glimpse of Spencer’s art (this from his 2020 show “Hidden Lines”).


You’re invited to dinner. What are you bringing?




A homemade jar of seasonal pesto or chutney and a bottle of our foraged elderflower cordial.


What’s on your bedside table?




A large black pebble that I hand polished.


What’s your desert island design/art/architecture-related book?




Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees by Roger Deakin.


What playlist do you put on when you need inspiration?




Cesária Évora and Verdi.


What’s a film or TV show whose aesthetic has stuck with you?




All nature programs by David Attenborough, my hero.
Above: Collected finds in Spencer’s London home (see: Slow Architecture: An Elegant, Monochrome Home in London by Spencer Fung.) Photograph by Richard Powers.


Which Instagram account do you go to for design inspiration?




@hiddenscotland.


My favorite sheets are…




Vintage linen.


My favorite paint color for the bedroom is…




Natural hand-polished plaster in a bone color.


First design love?




All sculptures and sketches by Henry Moore. He lived locally in Hampstead, London.
Above: Spencer’s work.


Three words that describe my design style:




Natural, simple, local.


Favorite design shop to visit (online or in person)?




Christopher Farr.


What is the last thing you purchased for your house?




A hedging plant for the garden.


I don’t leave the house without…




My sketchbook, graphite, and pencils.


Thank you, Spencer! Follow his work via Spencer Fung Architects and on Instagram @spencerfung_architects and @spencerfung_art. You can also see his exhibit of paintings, “Regeneration”, with works created in the aftermath of forest fires, at Ralph Pucci in NYC; and a launch of three new rugs coming up at the Christopher Farr Chelsea Showroom in London.


N.B.: Featured photograph by Sarah Weal. | BidBuddy.com


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