Seeing Sing Chan’s Fragment lighting, you might not immediately think of religious spaces. But church spires were one of the main sources of inspiration for the Guangzhou designer’s recent collection.

Chan traveled a long way from home to places like Spain and Italy to conduct his research. He was most impressed by the 670-year-old Lady Chapel at the Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, England. “When light enters the interior through the window-paned glass roof, it reflects strange light through the vault, as if it is in a giant kaleidoscope,” he says. Because of the lamps’ textured glass panels, we can’t see exactly what’s going on inside; are those beams of light fancy glow sticks, or is that an illusion? Chan explains that the light is traveling upward, reflecting on the glass to trick the eye.

Chan’s varied portfolio has a theme. His tiered display cabinet reminiscent of a pagoda, a coffee table modeled after the Great Wall of China, and a coatrack inspired by ancient Egyptian obelisks all connect past civilizations with the present.

You can learn more about Sing Chan by visiting the studio’s website or on Instagram.

Top image courtesy Sing Chan

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The Dwell 24: Sing Chan