Meet Junfu Cui | Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Junfu Cui and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi junfu, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been drawn to things that feel poetic – quiet moments, small details, objects with memories. I didn’t always have the language to express what I was feeling, but I knew I wanted to create something that could hold those feelings. That’s why I turned to design.

Design became my way of writing without words. Through space, light and material, I found a medium to express the things I couldn’t say directly. For me, architecture is not just about solving problems or creating forms-it’s about capturing a certain slowness, a tenderness, a sense of wonder in the everyday.

I think we all need a way to process the world, and for me design is that way. It’s how I observe, how I reflect, how I communicate.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve always been drawn to poetry—not just in words, but in how life quietly reveals itself. I love photography for the same reason. It teaches me to observe, to slow down, to notice fleeting, often-overlooked moments that carry a quiet kind of beauty.

Architecture gives me a way to hold onto those moments, and to translate them into form. I try to design spaces that feel grounded yet emotional—where light, material, and proportion speak softly. But the truth is, architecture is a deeply rational discipline. In practice, it’s rarely easy to create something beautiful. There are budgets, constraints, functional limits. A lot of the time, beauty seems like the first thing to go.

So I often find myself walking a narrow line—between poetry and pragmatism, between what I imagine and what is possible. But I’ve come to believe that this tension is not a problem to be solved, but a space to work within. The best designs don’t ignore constraints—they transform them. They turn a limitation into a gesture, a need into an opportunity for care.

What I’m most proud of are the moments when that balance finally reveals itself—and a project becomes something that feels not just well-designed, but quietly necessary.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If a friend were visiting, I wouldn’t take them to the loudest places—I’d take them to spaces that whisper.

We’d go on a quiet architecture journey, moving between homes that hold time differently. At the Eames House, we’d sit for a while and feel how modest materials can create extraordinary warmth. It’s a house that reminds me how design can be both precise and deeply human.

We’d visit the VDL House and the Schindler House—not as museums, but as lived experiments. Each space carries a rhythm: of filtered light, of shared domesticity, of structure as an idea. The Gamble House would offer a counterpoint—solid, crafted, ceremonial. And the Hollyhock House would remind us how geometry can become narrative.

These homes are not just buildings. They are essays, letters, manifestos—quietly proposing different ways of living, thinking, and being.

What I love most about Los Angeles is that you can find these moments tucked between the sprawl. You just have to slow down and listen.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to give a heartfelt shoutout to all the people I’ve had the chance to collaborate with over the years. Architecture is rarely a solo pursuit—it’s built on conversation, negotiation, and shared vision. Every project I’ve worked on has been shaped not just by my own ideas, but by the insights, support, and generosity of those around me.

I’ve been lucky to work with people who challenge me, teach me, and bring perspectives I wouldn’t have arrived at on my own. These collaborations are often where the real growth happens—not just in the work, but in the way we see and understand the world. Mutual respect and learning have always been at the heart of the process, and I’m grateful for that.

Website: https://www.junfucui.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/junfucui/?hl=en