We had the pleasure of seeing Nathan Yong's recent designs at SaloneSatellite and were most intrigued by his use of scale. At a time when the tendency is to subscribe to the mantra of less is more, we were curious as to the meaning behind Yong's pieces. The 70cm High Bed offers the appeal of climbing into bed to adults, but is not tall enough to be a loft bed, and, at a glance, might appear to be half a bunk. Lazy Sunday is a large sofa that also offers space as a table, and can almost be described as an island. Fortunately we were able to track Nathan down and sound him out about the origins of these designs.

Your recent designs make an interesting use of space, almost contrary to the teeming Singapore landscape. What do you intend the user of the 70cm high bed to do with the space below the bed?

Precisely in that Singapore is such a small country, every person that lives here yearns for space, hence there is always a sense of space and lightness in my design. The design isn't just about the empty space below, it is about sleeping on a higher ground, climbing steps as a "ritual" or "process" in going to bed, leaving all worries behind... I wanted the bed to function in a spiritual way.

My designs are always almost democratic as they encourage the users to have their own involvement in the final use. I will personally leave the space empty. But I have tried to use it as a dining table (by removing the futon) and it works perfectly!! I think living in a small city like Singapore also encourages dual functionality in furniture.

Although the 70cm high bed gives off a definite air of zen, could you not have made it higher to be a loft bed, or doubled it for a trundle or bunk bed? What was the reaction in Milan?

I keep the height at 70cm because I find familiarity in this height. The height of a table is about 75 cm and I have always felt good standing and resting my bum on it to take a short rest while chatting with friends in the workplace or at home. And sometimes I sat at this table height and felt a sense of playfulness and casualness. Hence I think 70cm is a good height for getting "high"... so a height of 70cm is appropriately functional in this case.

The response for it was great in Milan, and it was nominated for a Design Report Award 2009 by the German magazine with Vitra, Thonet, and Axor as the sponsors. The visitors loved the bed without knowing the reason for it, but I believe it might be due to being "closer to God."





What sort of feeling did you want Every Sunday to convey? Would this piece work as well on a smaller scale?

Every Sunday was inspired by the balcony. I like the ideal of lazing around on a Sunday on a balcony. I remember when I was young, the balcony was the only place that was closest to the outdoors. As most houses in Singapore are flats, I had a good view of the city. There is a sense of liberation in that, and I used to throw paper planes down the storeys. This image stayed on, and when I wanted to design a sofa, I wanted to evoke a sense of openness when people sat on it. Most sofas kind of coop you inside...so my aim was to have an open sofa that encourages sitting, playing, sleeping, and working within the space of the sofa ... so a balcony space sort of has those kinds of functions. Thus I do not think it will work on a smaller scale.





What's next for the Nathan Yong Design?

Another table of mine will be launched by Living Divani next year, one sofa for Ligne Roset, and one clothes hanger/ screen by Opinion Ciatti. New friendships were established during the Milan show with Magis, Minotti Italia, Casamania and Sancal...in which I hope there will be some collaboration at some point.


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