About

Mokkō, (written in kanji 木工) means ‘woodworker’ or ‘woodcraft’ in Japan. Mokkō Studio is a small-scale woodcraft studio based in Singapore. Founded in 2018 by Lead Craftsman Alvan Koh, we are grounded in the Japanese philosophy of woodworking.

We design and create heirloom furniture from wood, using age-old traditional tools and joinery techniques, without using nails nor screws.

Design and Building Philosophy

Nature. Humans are inevitably attracted to wood as we are attracted to nature. Wood as a medium reminds us of how nature is and for many of us city dwellers, a respite from the hustle and bustle of city living. Mokko’s design philosophy starts with Nature.

Heirloom furniture are made to last for generations. They are stories that will be handed down from one generation to the next. They remind us of how we came to be and how we would like the next generation to be. For this to be possible, we commonly employ styles that are humble, subtle, simple and strong.

Stains that alter the color of wood are hardly used as we believe that the natural color of wood species should be celebrated. Through the exposure to UV rays present in light, wood’s organic color is further glorified in its timeless aged patina.

Building a heirloom piece that is worthy of being able to withstand the stress of daily usage and yet deserving to be able to be inherited is no mean feat. That is why we use only time tested techniques of wood joinery to build every piece. Wood is crafted by hand into interlocking pieces that fasten around each other in an eternal embrace.

Lead Craftsman

Alvan Koh

Alvan graduated from the National University of Singapore with a major in Political Science and Economics in 2005. In 2018, he graduated from Suikoushya International Craft School in Kyoto under the tutelage of Miyadaiku Takami Kawai as its inaugural student. Upon his return to Singapore, Mokko Wood Studio was set up to spread the love and passion for woodcraft. In 2019 he shares his insights and story in an interview by CNA Channel News Àsia. Read the interview here.

Artisans

Johanna Lee

Artist by training, craftsperson by profession

Johanna’s first encounter with wood was during an exchange programme to Japan. Then a Fine Arts student at Lasalle College of the Arts, she was mesmerised by the raw beauty of a tree trunk in progress of being carved into sculpture. Upon returning to Singapore, she took leave from school to enroll in the Singapore Furniture Industries Council’s Creative Craftsman Apprenticeship Programme and never went back - she had fallen in love with woodworking. After a few years working in local carpentry companies, she decided to travel to Japan to learn more about the craft and gain a deeper understanding of the mind of the Japanese craftsperson.

In 2018, Johanna spent Summer at Suikoushya International Craft School in Kyoto learning about traditional Japanese hand tools and joinery, and Autumn at Kita Kita Kobou（北々工房）in Hida Takayama, well-known for their lush forested mountains and furniture-making industry. 

Johanna aspires to make work that enriches the daily life of people with the beauty of nature, brings ease and rest with the warmth of wood and the human hand. 

Made with hand & heart, in a spirit of care.