“A decade ago, when I founded my studio, CHENHOW MARBLE opened my eyes to the true rarity of luxury stone. From the very beginning, I treated these stones like 'jewelry' within my designs—though back then, it was partially out of budget considerations. Today, luxury stone from CHENHOW MARBLE remains the fine jewelry of my projects: it illuminates the space and steps forward as an undeniable centerpiece.”
— James Tu, Creative Director
JC Design Studio
Surrounded by his four children, with the comforting aroma of freshly baked croissants wafting from his wife’s kitchen, James Tu chuckles as he describes this bustling scene of diapers and milk bottles as his everyday reality. Spending just two to three days a week in the office, the Creative Director of JC Design Studio nevertheless continues to generate an endless stream of breathtaking works—unconventional in style, dynamic in rhythm, and consistently striking. “How many houses are you going to force me to buy?!” one client quipped in admiration, wishing they could collect every space created by JC Design Studio like a fine piece of art. And when CHENHOW MARBLE crossed paths with such a kindred spirit, it became an ideal convergence of material, aesthetics, craftsmanship, and shared vision.
An Effortless Display of Subtle Mastery
The Luxury Stone Award Winner, 《定潮洪宅》
A seated Buddha emerges from the niche, as if quietly stepping forth from the depths of time. Built from thick, boldly textured stone, the surrounding wall feels as though it has presided over this space for centuries. Sunlight enters soundlessly, treading with barely perceptible steps across the luxury stone thresholds. If luxury were to be redefined, it would be sitting in meditation within this sunroom overlooking the harbor—meditating, daydreaming, letting go of all things, with a mind unburdened by attachments. In such a daily rhythm, every day is truly a blessed season.
“Effortless is a myth.” Tennis legend Roger Federer used this phrase during his 2024 Dartmouth commencement speech to deconstruct the illusion that his dominance on the court came easy. You must work extraordinarily hard to appear effortless—a truth born from the tennis icon’s sweat-drenched preparation that applies equally to James Tu, Creative Director of JC Design Studio. While audiences see Tu continually clinching awards across commercial and residential projects, these accomplishments stem from rigorous practice and deeply honed mastery—like a martial artist executing fluid, seamless strikes through powerful internal strength.
Having traveled through dozens of countries, Tu adopts the mindset of an ascetic monk whenever traveling solo. While pilgrims walk the Shikoku Pilgrimage to visit eighty-eight temples, Tu uses his fingers and elbows as measuring scales, meticulously surveying and mapping every luxury boutique along Omotesando. “I use the most efficient method to analyze and internalize every single detail and dimension,” he explains. Through this disciplined practice, he rapidly established his personal aesthetic and sense of scale. Unbacked by prestigious academic credentials, he instead commands a breath-taking artistic intuition built upon relentless foundational work.
Following a three-year apprenticeship in Taipei with the clear ambition of launching his own practice, James Tu intentionally gathered experience across firms of varying scales before returning to his hometown of Tainan—a market then entirely unfamiliar with professional interior design. Echoing the classic parable of selling shoes in Africa, JC Design Studio began by taking on whole-home renovations with budgets as tight as $100,000 to $200,000 NTD. Strategically, he maximized value by creating a single striking focal point on a limited budget: “We would select one primary feature—perhaps a TV accent wall or the entrance foyer—and invest the majority of the budget right there, ultimately generating a spatial impact worth several times the actual cost.”
To this day, Tu continues to illuminate spaces using this exact approach. By the same logic, he applies this very mindset to how he incorporates luxury stone into his designs.
Viewing luxury stone as fine jewelry, every single inch is treated with absolute reverence. He candidly admits that in the early days of his practice, this approach was born out of budget limits; yet even today, backed by clients who give him complete creative freedom, his posture toward natural stone remains unchanged. Take 《定潮洪宅》—winner of the 2024 Luxury Stone Award—for example: selected alongside the homeowner at CHENHOW MARBLE’s Kaohsiung showroom, "藍色傳奇" was applied to what seemed like a modest set of steps, “yet that exact location turned out to be the most captivating highlight of the entire space.”
In conceiving a tranquil spatial sequence tailored to the homeowner’s affinity for calligraphy and Zen meditation, James Tu anchored the home with a sense of ethereal spirituality and sacred poise. The Stone Door Frame stands as the key visual focal point at the bedroom entrance; seen from afar, its presence is immediately commanded. Reminiscent of a majestic interior captured by French Neoclassical master Jacques-Louis David, the richly veined stone sits in harmonious dialogue with wooden ceiling beams. “In truth, every detail was precisely calculated—from the lightest stone tones gently graduating into richer, deeper hues toward the top.” Akin to a symphony where instruments enter one by one to build toward a triumphant crescendo, natural stone in this realm is as precious as a diamond: it is the gleaming pendant around a neck, quiet in its posture, yet impossible to overlook.
“The pinnacle of design lies in its invisible presence.”
Italian architect Carlo Scarpa (1906–1978) stands as the master James Tu admires above all, though in Tu’s mind, Scarpa’s influence resembles that of a master artisan. “Scarpa completely blurred the boundaries between art, craftsmanship, and design.” When Scarpa designed a joint bearing or a water channel, he realized pure functionality while simultaneously endowing the form with a sculptural essence. Tu has internalized his reverence for this master of architectural craft across many spaces. In 《定潮洪宅》, upon a 30-centimeter-thick stone wall carved with recessed niches, Tu and his project designer hand-sculpted intricate vein patterns directly into the surface. “Because I truly love this work, I personally engage in every detail that touches upon beauty.”
“The pinnacle of design lies in its invisible presence.” What appears entirely effortless conceals not only the designer's years of honed mastery, but also a deep understanding of the homeowner’s preferences and profound respect for every material. In Kaohsiung’s Huang Residence, the mesmerising luxury stone occupying center stage in the living room stands as one of the most prestigious stones at CHENHOW MARBLE—a father’s blessing for his daughter’s newly established home. Moving to the master bedroom enveloped in soothing Morandi tones, a translucent partition separating the bed from the bathroom features a marble frieze that echoes the washbasin below, its veining flowing like a traditional landscape painting. The magic realism of "moving through space to reveal shifting views" in Chinese painting comes alive in James Tu’s practice, allowing those who dwell within to feel how materials seamlessly blend into design, revealing a unpretentious, effortless beauty.
“My furniture and personal items all carry a trace of time,” James Tu laughs, admitting that both his home and studio are filled with vintage furniture sourced from everywhere. Since high school, when he rode a classic Vespa typically favored by older gentlemen, to today, where he drives a vintage Volkswagen Squareback to take his family on weekend drives, his lifestyle has always embraced time-honored character. “I only go into the office two or three days a week, for about three hours each time, working from home the rest of the time.” He often marvels at his own ability to remain deeply focused and remarkably prolific amidst the playful chaos of his children. His signature luxury stone aesthetics, akin to the most brilliant gem atop a queen’s crown, continuously shines as the soulful eye of every home he designs.
Epilogue
Only in his mid-thirties, James Tu is already the proud father of four. A true model for work-from-home living, he creates with four preschool children bustling around him, nourished by his wife’s culinary talents and surrounded by his cherished vintage furniture—a warm family life that serves as the ultimate anchor for his interior design. On bright, clear days, he loads up the vintage car with his four kids, his wife, and a batch of fresh-baked croissants, calling out, “Let’s head to Yuguang Island to sell some bread!” The children cheer with delight as they drive toward the salty coastal breeze. Leaving floor plans behind, the true meaning of home shines with the golden light of moments shared together. Next time you visit Yuguang Island, try your luck—alongside the local grilled sausages, you might (just maybe) land a homemade croissant crafted by Director Tu’s family.
