“Zen minimalism. This is how I would describe the design of our workspace,” says Jenn Low, founder
of Wanderlust + Co. Walking into the atelier, you are greeted with a huge pebble-shaped glass. From
the lampshades to the meeting desk and the walls to the recessed shelves, everything in this space has an organic shape with no corners or edges. “The arches and curves are elements featured in some of our best-sellers,” she goes on to explain that the brand celebrates flow and she incorporates the jewellery she crafts into the space. “I think through the pandemic, we realised that change is constant. Embracing
fluidity is something we have been searching for. I leave edges out of the design because I want to embody this mantra of going with the flow entirely.”
As the brand celebrated its 12th anniversary last September, Low told us that moving into a bigger atelier had always been on her to-do list. “We miss in-person meetings and the positive energy whenever our team comes together. I started looking for a new location as we came out of the lockdown in 2021, and got hold of the space very quickly.” Everything was done in the blink of an eye. In fact, the entire process only took five months, from drafting the floor plan to getting it done. For a brand that moves every three years, Low knew exactly what she was looking for when she moved to her fourth space. She was able to envision her atelier along with the help of the design team even though the space was bare when she first visited.
“The ‘How Are You Today?’ wall located at the entrance is my favourite. I want it to be a mental health check-in reminder as the team rush in and out of the workspace. You can pick from happy, calm, hangry, excited, and overwhelmed,” Low quips as she showed us the wall, later picking a fortune cookie from the “Happy” box for herself. She then voted the pantry as the staff favourite when we heard team members bursting into laughter from the pantry across the boardroom, where we were sitting. “They’ll take their OOTDs against the wall in the pantry!” she chuckles and continues, “It’s where the team usually take their coffee break or ad hoc discussions. Sometimes I also find them sitting quietly by themselves in the pantry, taking a breather away from the open office. It gives me joy when I hear them laughing from the pantry during lunchtime,” Low marvels.
Despite advocating being fluid, Low opines that design work is way beyond mere fluidity, “A lot of my designing work is done in the office. Design, contrary to what many believe, requires a lot of discipline. It’s true that inspiration comes from everywhere but the workspace is where you harness the result of the inspiration spark.” She expresses that her humble beginnings—working from her bedroom for the first three years—taught her that discipline and tenacity while being open to inspiration, is the key to jewellery designing. It’s safe to say the atelier is an anchor for both Low and the team. Starting as a direct-to-consumer brand, Wanderlust + Co. has since expanded its storefront presence, both in Malaysia and Singapore. With that, the jewellery designer asserts that ultimately, she wants a warehouse attached to their workspace; something the current one lacks. “Oftentimes, we forget that there is real human power behind e-commerce. Operations are something I’m passionate about. It would be great to see the back end and the front-end come together to form a cohesive 360° brand experience for our community,” she says.