Musings with Yellow Nose Studio
Imperfectly perfect
a Collaboration with YELLOW NOSE STUDIO
photographed by MARINA DENISOVA
I met Hsin-Ying Ho and Kai-Ming Tung, the Taiwanese duo behind Berlin-based studio Yellow Nose, in October of 2019 through our mutual friend and photographer Marina Denisova. Although I’ve been previously following their work and was already drawn to their use of gentle colors, nature-inspired textures and clean lines, meeting them in person was seeing a reflection of all those genuine values and their appreciation for slow-living. Partners in work and life, they are on a continuous quest to balance the organic and inorganic using raw materials in unforeseen ways, resulting in objects imbedded with a special personality and feeling.
Where’s home for you?
Berlin is home for us at the moment, but we don’t see us staying in one certain place as we want to see ourselves being more international.
How important is the power of imagination?
The power of imagination is beautiful which brings you to the better world and it also is the motivation to pursue yourselves to achieve what you have in your mind.
Planification or improvisation?
Kai is the one who is more Improvisation and Ying is the one more planification. It’s conflicting in a way but it also brings some sparkle when it comes to creativity.
Esra wearing the MAKURA sweater and SHOJI pants with chairs N02F006 and N02F002. Photographed by Marina Denisova.
Esra wearing the KOPPU sweater and KOSAJI skirt with chair N04F002 and Moon Bowl N02002. Photographed by Marina Denisova.
What sort of things do you find inspiring? Where do you find them?
Nature is one of our biggest inspiration, this is why we need to escape from the city from time to time just to have our mind clean and refresh and be inspired. We get new ideas from the street sometimes, for example seeing some abandoned furniture pieces on the street in Berlin, the way people piled them up or the way different materials and textures meet each other.
How’s your process for starting a new project? Do you prefer solitude or crowded places to concentrate?
Kai is always the one who initiates the ideas and Ying will join to develop the details of the project together. We prefer solitude more as our works require some calm moments and people also need time to look into the details that we are trying show.
What kind of music expresses better your mood lately?
“I know You Know I Love You “ by Sunset rollercoaster.
With everything going on in the world, what do you miss the most?
We miss traveling and going into nature whenever we want. Nature is really essential for us to have a clear vision to self-growing. But we also become more grateful since what’s happening now in the world, so instead of missing, we try to embrace more what we have already and live in the moment.
Do you find useful following a routine or do you prefer to follow your emotional impulses?
We always try to follow a routine during our process but then it’s always the emotional impulses that makes us change the whole project. (Haha) So it’s hard to say which we prefer.
Youpi wearing the RANPU ranpu headpiece with with chair N04F002.
How would you describe RUS universe in three words?
Tenderness, timeless, warmhearted.
As creatives who express and live through art, how can you contribute to our planet’s reconstruction?
We have been relearning the material where we are sourcing them from. And try to be really conscious of every single material we use. It’s hard to avoid everything that might cause the planet deconstructed but using less and make the most out of it is our tiny first step.
What sort of imagery and materials do you feel attracted to?
We feel really attracted to the works who has little fine details in it, not only imagery but material wise as well. It’s really fascinating to see how a little tiny details trigger the whole big picture.
How’s your typical day? What rituals do you follow to relax and disconnect?
We are night owls, so our morning is always radically slow. Doing meditation first in the morning is the new habit since lockdown, it helps us relax and disconnect even it’s just a 10-15 min daily ritual. And after balcony gardening we slowly walk our dogs to studio to start the real work.
Esra wearing the FUKU polo sweater and NAIFU pants with chair N04F002 and ceramics. Photographed by Marina Denisova.
Esra wearing the KIRUTO sweater and SHOJI pants with chair N02F006.
Photographed by Marina Denisova.
Name three artists that inspire you.
Isamu Noguchi, Luis Barragan, Peter Zumthor.
A book currently in your nightstand?
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.
What does the concept of comfort mean to you?
We think comfort should make you feel relaxed. When it comes to space and objects, we think It should be something you are wiling to be with for a lifelong. Place and things that you rather treasure and no matter how chaotic is the world out there, you will always want to stay near it to have yourself comfort.
Do you have any ritual to get dressed in the mornings? How do you decide what to wear?
Since we are working at dusty studio everyday, we alway tend to just choose the most comfortable clothes that don’t bother getting dirty. Simple shirt and jeans or sometimes an overall are our daily choice. But we dress up nicely when we have meeting, we always choose something simple but with nice details of the fabric or design..
Do you have any garment you’ve loved for a long time? What makes it special?
Ying : I have some pieces of Issey Miyake from my mother that she had for years. It’s special because they are one of the only clothes that I have with me after we moved to Berlin.
Kai : A black worker shirt that I got from D&Department in Kyoto Japan. It’s a multi-level retail and lifestyle concept space, that focuses on Japanese design and locally produced items. Long live design is their ethos and so does Yellow Nose Studio.
What’s on your horizon?
We have been thinking a lot on how we could slow down our pace but also be able to sustain. There’s no such a big plan or strategy of it but we guess we will just keep doing and be able to tell more people of what we believe in.
Esra wearing the FUKU polo sweater, SHOJI pants and NORI rain scarf with chair N04F002. Photographed by Marina Denisova.