From the sun-drenched beaches of San Diego to the bustling design hubs of New York City, architect Bryan Young’s journey is a testament to the profound impact of the built environment. Even as a young Angeleno, Young possessed a keen eye for structures, with Louis Kahn’s masterpieces leaving an indelible mark. He recalls surfing Black’s Beach, gazing upon the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, a building he still reveres as “one of the clearest and most authentic” he has ever encountered. This early fascination propelled him through architectural studies at UC Berkeley and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, culminating in the establishment of Young Projects in 2010.
Young Projects, based in NYC, is renowned for its emphasis on materiality and pioneering fabrication techniques, from cultivating crystals to hand-pulling plaster. Beyond his studio work, Young’s passion extends to interiors and bespoke objects. He frequently collaborates with artisans to craft unique pieces and co-founded VERSO, a Tribeca design gallery, with Amauri Aguiar in 2002. VERSO’s curated collection showcases an exquisite array of custom furniture and art. Today, Bryan Young invites us into his world, sharing five pivotal inspirations that fuel his innovative vision.
Five Pillars of Inspiration with Bryan Young
1. The Enduring Allure of Alexander Girard’s Blue Triangles
Some artworks deepen with time, revealing new layers of intrigue with each glance. Such is the case for Alexander Girard’s “Blue Triangles,” a 1972 silkscreen that became a cherished 40th birthday gift for Young’s wife, Marina, in 2012. Over fourteen years, this seemingly simple composition has captivated them, its clusters of blue triangles playing a mesmerizing dance between figure and ground against the canvas’s stark white. What initially appears uniform soon vibrates with subtle imperfections—triangles that don’t quite touch, others that overlap with an almost clumsy charm. These optical nuances proved profoundly influential, directly informing the intricate tiling strategy for Young Projects’ “Glitch House” in the Dominican Republic and subsequent silkscreen collaborations with Soho gallery a83. It’s a powerful reminder that sustained observation can unlock profound creative insights. (Photography by Bryan Young)
2. Raina Lee’s Homage to Van Gogh’s Roses
To rediscover a familiar masterpiece through a fresh lens is a truly captivating experience. In Bryan Young’s Brooklyn kitchen sits Raina Lee’s ceramic “Roses,” a contemporary reinterpretation of Van Gogh’s iconic 1890 painting, a permanent fixture at The Met. Lee’s rendition is a faithful replica, meticulously restoring the original pink hue, which had faded from Van Gogh’s geranium lake pigment over time. Yet, the ceramic glaze introduces an uncanny new dimension. Its lustrous sheen and the subtle dimensionality of the clay create a depth that is both resonant with and distinct from Van Gogh’s original brushstrokes. Lee’s unique pink glaze, a result of a precise chemical reaction between chrome and tin, exemplifies a craft where aesthetics emerge from a painstaking process of trial, error, and hands-on making. (Photography by Bryan Young)
3. A Childhood Tapestry: The Parrot and The Millennium Falcon
The unexpected alchemy that occurs when disparate, familiar objects are brought into proximity can spark exciting new narratives. For Young, this magic manifests in the curious pairing of a yellow-headed parrot, a gift from his grandmother who was a docent at the LA Natural History Museum, and the Kenner Millennium Falcon, a shared childhood treasure with his brothers Mike and John (missing its cockpit cover since 1981). Placed before his mother’s floral sofa, this juxtaposition transcends mere nostalgia. It becomes a collage of memories, a deliberate provocation of otherworldly qualities through their strange adjacency. These childhood relics were more than toys; they were catalysts, igniting a lifelong fascination with collecting, crafting shoebox dioramas, designing plex vitrines, and weaving fictional narratives into the fabric of his creative thought. (Photography by Bryan Young)
4. Playa Grande: Architecture Responding to the Wild
In the heart of the “concrete jungle,” the raw, untamed beauty of an actual jungle landscape offers an unparalleled dynamism. Young Projects’ partner, Noah Marciniak, captured this essence during an early 2015 site visit to Playa Grande in the Dominican Republic, standing before a magnificent ficus tree. This is a place, Young explains, that demands to be felt before it can be understood—where light pierces the canopy in ethereal rays and the air itself feels thick and alive. It was immediately clear that any architectural intervention here must deeply respect and respond to its vibrant surroundings. The main house for the Playa Grande retreat embodies this philosophy. Its roof, an intricate assembly of 160 shifting and rotating scissor trusses, fluidly mimics the restless geometry of the jungle canopy without ever imposing upon it. At its core, a courtyard embraces another ficus tree, allowing the architecture to engage with nature in a conversation, rather than merely framing it. (Courtesy of Bryan Young)
5. The Unforgettable Resonance of Live Shows
There’s a particular joy in returning to a cherished activity after a long absence, a renewed appreciation for its power. For Bryan Young, this sentiment resonates deeply with live shows—be it a concert, a play, or an exhibition. When you haven’t immersed yourself in the collective energy of a performance for a long time, and then you get to experience it again, the impact is profound. The shared breath, the collective gasp, the spontaneous applause—these moments transcend individual experience, reminding us of the vital role of communal art and culture in shaping our perspectives and invigorating our spirits. It’s a powerful return to the source of inspiration, a reminder of the raw, unfiltered creativity that fuels all design.
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