We caught up with the brilliant and insightful David Hwang a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi David, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I strongly believe that we can create meaningful connections when we physically interact with and touch our surroundings. There is no better medium to convey this idea than through the physical objects we interact with daily. For me, the most significant of these objects is furniture. It provides an opportunity for creative freedom, allowing experimentation with exciting and beautiful materials combined with innovative manufacturing methods.

Furniture enables designers to guide users on how a product should be used while also allowing people to discover their own ways of interacting with it, a concept I find truly magical. Designing furniture gives me the freedom to express myself and explore my curiosity. It allows me to channel my excitement and fascinations—whether that involves working with a specific material, assembling it in unique ways, or manipulating it to achieve something entirely new. This aspect of the design process will always be exciting and fulfilling for me.

The most rewarding part is seeing people’s reactions to my curiosity-driven designs. Witnessing their awe and excitement mirrors the same feelings I experienced during the creative process, making it an endlessly inspiring journey.

David, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My educational journey began with studying industrial design, but I quickly discovered furniture design. In school, I had the opportunity to create functional pieces that could be fully interacted with, allowing me to quickly learn how people respond to them. My portfolio of work is diverse and continually growing.

In addition to running my personal studio, I have also worked professionally at an architecture firm in Los Angeles, designing furniture ranging from production pieces to custom pieces tailored specifically to meet the unique needs of individual clients and their spaces. Each sector demands different reasoning and problem-solving skills, but ultimately, both are designed to be used by humans in their daily lives. As a result, the pieces must be comfortable, functional, and beautiful—qualities that unify the two disciplines.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being a furniture designer is seeing someone interact with and use the furniture you’ve designed, watching them be in complete awe of it. Observing them touch and feel a particular part, wondering about its purpose, and witnessing their curiosity take over, just as it did for me during the design process, is truly fulfilling.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My original educational background is in physical objects, furniture, and product-scale design. Now, I am fascinated by how these smaller pieces interact on a larger scale, specifically, in interior design. Being able to design an entire experience, from the room a person enters to the pieces they interact with, is truly a dream for many designers. It feels like guiding someone through a carefully crafted experience, which is where I have personally pivoted my focus, from thinking on a micro scale to a macro perspective.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://davidhwang.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sjdhwang/

Image Credits

The first image, yellow coffee table is shot by Elizabeth Carababas.

Rest images are shot by me, David Hwang.