In their Berlin studio, Kai-Ming Tung and Hsin-Ying Ho (Ying) move between clay, metal, and found materials with the same quiet attention they bring to light and space. As the duo behind Yellow Nose Studio, they approach design as a dialogue between object and emotion, where the smallest shift in shape or texture can change how something feels in the hand. For our bar, Kai and Ying designed the ceramics that hold our drinks and small plates, pieces that sit somewhere between sculpture and utility. They continue to release special editions for us now and then, evolving forms, testing new glazes, and letting the process guide what each piece becomes.
Both originally from Taiwan, Kai and Ying trained as architects before moving to Berlin to pursue studies in product design and scenography. Their background in spatial design still runs through everything they make: an awareness of proportion, the way objects occupy space, and how people move around them. When they began Yellow Nose Studio in 2017, it wasn’t simply to create tableware; it was to explore how materials communicate. Clay became their first language, but never their only one; their practice extends into installations, furniture, and artworks that blur the line between the built and the organic.
Their process is slow, physical, and deeply intuitive. They work in small batches, often polishing surfaces by hand with river stones before firing, a meditative act that leaves a subtle sheen and traces of touch. The imperfections that remain are deliberate, reminders that the hand, not the machine, defines the final form. Whether it’s a cup, a bowl, or a lighting object, each carries this tension between control and release, precision and chance.
For Kai and Ying, making is a way of observing. Their inspiration comes from the rhythm of everyday life: the curve of a chair leg, the texture of a wall, and the light on a quiet street after rain. Their work asks us to look closer at the ordinary, to find presence in the small rituals of use. In that way, Yellow Nose Studio’s ceramics aren’t just objects for serving; they’re extensions of the moment itself, reminding us that the most thoughtful design often begins with paying attention.
