Architecture
04/08/2026
Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. We’re here in Woolwich at one of your recently completed projects. Could you tell us about it?
The Woolwich Market Pavilion and Gardens were part of the wider regeneration of Beresford Square Market. What I really like about the project is how a relatively modest building performs several roles at once – it provides public toilets, a café and essential market infrastructure, while making the square feel safer and more active. The architecture takes cues from the historic Arsenal through its carefully crafted red brickwork, stepped arches and chimney forms, which provide natural ventilation while giving the building a strong civic presence. The surrounding landscape helps reconnect the market with the wider area, softens the impact of the dual carriageway, and creates a much more welcoming public space.
Your practice has been involved in the design of libraries and public spaces, two Chelsea Flower shows and some incredible private houses, to name just a few. Is this diversity and variety of disciplines and interests something you always want for Studio Weave or do you see yourself and your practice steering in a certain direction?
I’m not sure how many things in life are truly intentional. We’ve always been open to conversations and to developing ideas in response to the contexts we’re designing for. I think our strength comes from curiosity and generosity, which allows us to move fluidly between different sectors rather than being defined by one.
What are you working on currently, as Studio Weave and as Je Ahn?
We are working on multiple, multifaceted projects – from medium-scale cultural projects such as the British Museum Welcome Project and Vestry Museum to farm revitalisation projects in Umbria, Italy, and Dorset, UK, as well as installations for international music festivals. We are also working on several private residences across the UK. Internationally, our work is gaining momentum with projects in the USA, Japan and several European countries.
Personally, I’m about to embark on a long-term project with friends – including (landscape designer) Tom Massey – on a beautiful farm in Somerset.
What can you tell us about this new project in Somerset?
As someone who grew up in the countryside, I’ve always longed to return to it. For the past ten years or so, I’ve been looking for the right opportunity and recently managed to purchase a dilapidated former dairy farm in Somerset – an area of the UK that I love for many reasons.
Over the next five to seven years, we’d like to develop it into a place where food, music, horticulture and making intersect and thrive. I’m also completely in love with London and everything it offers, so I’ll be spending my time between the two.
Is there a film, song or painting that evokes, aligns with or defines your creativity?
I’m a complete cultural omnivore, so it’s hard to pick a single work – or even one genre or medium. The only exception is horror films, which I’ve concluded simply aren’t for me. Whether it’s a romcom (yes, I admit I have a soft spot for a good one), arthouse cinema, pop music or opera, I find joy in many different ways people express themselves.
Can you think of a design trend that you used to dislike, but now love?
I wouldn’t say I disliked it, but I had an uncomfortable relationship with Modernism for several years after university. I was taught by a few rather strict modernist tutors during my early years, and at the time I felt somewhat constrained. Eventually I had to unpack those ideas and rethink them – not by rejecting Modernism out of contrarianism, but by finding my own relationship with it. Now I sit quite happily with Modernism as one of many valuable strands of design thinking.
Dream place to design a home for you or for someone else?
I think I’ve already begun that journey. The farm in Somerset is a dream place: an extraordinary location, a wonderful collection of buildings, open landscapes and a strong local community. The only thing it’s missing is the sea – but you can’t have everything.
If you could live in any building, which would it be?
Howl’s moving castle – who wouldn’t want those magic doors?
Does childhood memory play any part in your approach to your work and if so, how?
I’m sure it does, in a profound way. The relationships I explore between landscape and architecture, inside and outside, and between people are all deeply influenced by how those connections were formed in my childhood. Being fluent in both Korean and British cultures – more broadly, East Asian and European cultures – also profoundly shapes the way I think and work.
Favourite place to visit if you are lacking inspiration?
Markets and kitchens. Cooking and sharing food with the people I love slows me down and allows my mind to quietly untangle itself.
What’s the best creative mistake you’ve ever made?
Chasing perfection.
“At its root, perfectionism isn’t really about a deep love of being meticulous. It’s about fear. Fear of making a mistake. Fear of disappointing others. Fear of failure. Fear of success.” – Michael Law
Favourite flora?
Trollius europaeus – Globeflower / Globe buttercup. Resilient yet delicate.
What’s your favourite small object from home and/or your studio, why, and what does it mean to you?
Again, I’d hesitate to choose a favourite. I have a habit of collecting objects from artists and makers I’ve met and shared conversations with. They take many forms – prints, glass, carvings – but most are ceramics. I treasure them because they carry something of the people who made them and remind me of the moments we’ve shared.
