Established in 2008, Waterfrom Design straddles both the interior design and the architecture field, believing that design should be like water, simple and pure, organic and ever-changing, retaining the simple, neatness of water’s essence, and displaying possibilities without framework in concept. We strive to give attention to the story and context of the space and time, to create spaces that can convey messages, and let emotions settle and mature. In recent years, Waterfrom Design has received Red Dot, if Design Award, A’Design Award, Golden Pin Design Award, Asia Pacific Interior Design Award, Taiwan Interior Design Award, IIDA Best of Asia Pacific Design Awards, BoY (Interior Design Best of Year), and their work has been reported by the Italian, Dutch, French, Korean and other international media. In 2018, we are selected as one of the 40 international interdisciplinary studios by American leading design media INTERIOR DESIGN.
Giving people the space where time can settle and mature
We do not want to create designs where the ideas are clear from the outset. We wish to create works that, after having lived in the spaces for a period of time, whether a month, a year, or a decade, the effects of time will lead to the spaces having different expressions and emotions.
Giving people the space to imagine
We do not create designs that are obvious at first glance. We wish for the people utilizing the space to find the answers for themselves. Like art critics describing an artwork from different points of views, we want the people find their own version of the story. We try to convey unexpected messages, and sometimes the people using the space will find the answers even before we do.
Nic Lee
The process of design and its results are difficult to predict, so all the possibilities must be attempted. Only through continuously drawing, creating multiple drafts and versions, can the final answer be found. We maintain the belief that aesthetics comes from approximating what is natural. All the lines of the drawing are not drawn with rulers. The designs I like are not purposefully neat and organized, but to have a little bit of natural lines, which will let us get closer to the space that we want to express." - Nic Lee.
The design director of Waterfrom Design, Nic Lee, has been in designs for over a decade, and his work mixes extreme simplicity with humor. He graduated from the Pratt Institute, New York with a Master of Science in interior design, as well as having participated in Denmark's International Study Program. Throughout his education and career, Nic has melded thinking from the arts, humanities, and philosophy, possessing the logical thinking of architecture and design, as well as the rebellious nature of artists. He likes to be the exception outside the norm, to redefine the current order, and to find the unexpected within the unpredictable inaccuracies. He excels in the use of installation art in spaces, and loves to find his inspirations from life, getting the most out of copious amount of reading, exposure to artworks and exhibitions, and turning the profound feelings thus gained into sparks of design inspirations.
