Despite his decades-long career and status as one of the region’s foremost furniture designers, multiple award-winning Singaporean designer Jerry Low says he is still developing and learning

From the JotterGoods range by Star International in American walnut

Jerry Low has become one of the region’s best known furniture designers. A decade spent designing kitchen and retail fixtures was followed by a stint with leading Singaporean furniture retailer Air Division. Having now spent ten years at the helm of his own successful studio, a Balcony, from which he has launched the hugely successful JotterGoods brand, Low still has the same thirst for learning as someone who has just started out.

Low’s focus on precise craft means solid timber is always the main material of choice for him. ‘It allows me to work on a different scale, from a table or a console unit down to a small handle,’ he says. ‘The flowing grain and colour of the different species exude a richness and charm that no other material can replace.’

Low’s favourite piece from the JotterGoods collection is the Old School Jotter desk. Catering to smaller spaces, the desk pays homage to the archetype of woodworking shop furniture but with a fine-furniture finish. Practical and compact, the simple structural framework combines with a solid timber top and slim drawers. Small wooden houses made from offcuts are arranged centrally and spaced to allow for wiring to fit snugly between. A further two brass mini houses are a stylish touch that can be used as paper weights.

Low selected American white oak for the desk. Structurally strong and easy to work, it is perhaps the most highly regarded blonde timber available. It’s also from a proven sustainable resource, something that matters to Low, who is amongst the informed designers who take the provenance of their materials into account. ‘We respect that every plank is precious, and we keep wastage to a minimum,’ he says. ‘Our collaborating companies also play a role in ensuring all our material is sustainably sourced.’ This sentiment is reflected in the choice of American timbers, notably American walnut and oak, for the JotterGoods brand.

More than ten years after leaving Air Division, Low says he is humbled and honoured to have been invited back to work on brand direction and product development. ‘It’ll be interesting growth for me,’ he says. ‘My role as principal designer for JotterGoods will be ongoing, and I’m looking forward to more fruitful collaborative work with new designers. I don’t see myself as a “top designer” — it’s always going to be a learning journey for me.’

Images / JotterGoods by Star International