Spencer Fung is never without a sketchbook or a pencil. Inspiration and
ideas can strike at any moment, and often the smallest thing that
catches his eye impels him to capture it on paper. Whether it is
designing private houses, restaurants, hotels, furniture or lighting, he
starts by hand, creating miniature works of art, which he then develops
into scale perspective drawings, exploring space, structure and detail.
His designs have always drawn their inspiration from nature and the
environment, from the rugged mountains of the Pyrenees to the quiet
meadows of a country farm; from the beams of a medieval tythe barn to
the patterns of a drystone wall. Passionately committed to the organic
recycling of natural materials, the book is structured into chapters on
wood, stone, metal, glass and organic materials in which over 40 of his
projects are showcased. Spencer prefers to commission small artisanal
firms who have retained a high degree of skill, as a result many dying
and forgotten crafts have been revitalized new forms - the use of
drystone walling inside a bathroom, or coppiced ash branches being used
as a hanging rail for clothes - are examples that are not just deeply
inspiring but sympathetic to the environment as well. This book will
appeal to anyone interested in design, recycling, upcycling, the
environment, organic and mindful living but in a style conscious and
glamorous way.
