Ply One’s Wares is an ongoing series of furniture shaped by the materials and places that have influenced my practice — Singapore and the Netherlands. Each piece is made from poplar plywood, meranti, or okoumé multiplex, materials that connect the two contexts I have lived and worked in.

Poplar, once used to carve Dutch clogs, meets meranti, a Southeast Asian timber I first encountered in school in Singapore. For the coffee table, I used okoumé multiplex when the meranti plywood available locally had veneer layers too thin for sanding.

Each object conceals storage within its form, hiding it in plain sight and inviting a closer look — a small act of discovery that reflects my interest in the overlooked and the quietly purposeful.

The textured surfaces were developed in collaboration with a company in Eindhoven that employs people often excluded from the labour market, bringing a social dimension to the making process.

Ply One’s Wares brings together geography, narrative, playful utility, and social craft. It reflects my belief in making by hand as a way of thinking, expressing personal narratives, reimagining function with curiosity, and supporting others through the act of making.