Daniel Wu Starts Home Goods Company

51-year-old heartthrob Daniel Wu (吳彥祖) has been quietly paving the way to expand his personal business empire in recent years, in addition to focusing on his acting and racing careers. Recently, the star uploaded a video on social media, officially announcing the creation of his personal furniture brand and previewing the upcoming release of his first design product.

Founding Furniture Brand AROX and Launching the First “Anchor” Sofa

He wrote,

“For the past few years, I’ve been busy developing businesses outside of entertainment in the mainland. I founded the design consultancy Zuhaus, Whatever Coffee, Yashi English Academy, and now I’ve launched AROX furniture. Our first product is The Ancor (Máu) sofa, launched in collaboration with well-known furniture manufacturer Moyu. I’ve been researching sofa design for years, and I’ve finally completed my first piece. It feels amazing. This sofa will soon be available in China!”

A graduate of the University of Oregon with a degree in architecture, Daniel won second place in a California architecture competition while still a student. He recalled the great satisfaction he felt during university when he turned his teacher’s design into actual furniture, and later personally made all the furniture in his own apartment, including bookshelves, beds, coffee tables, desks, and more. However, after graduating, Daniel Wu chose to enter the entertainment industry as an actor, so he never had the chance to become an architect. Yet he has always loved design, architecture, and furniture. Now, seeing that mainland furniture factories have matured, he believes it is the “best time” to create his own furniture brand.

Daniel Wu named the brand AROX (Architectural Resonance Original Experience), and the first product is the “Anchor” sofa created in collaboration with manufacturer Moyu. Explaining his wishes for his sofa to be like an anchor that keeps a ship steady “because when you come home, you want a sense of stability, just relax and stop moving”, Daniel hopes to achieve both good looks and comfortable seating. After the video was released, netizens praised him, calling him “architecture department heartthrob”, saying, “He could obviously rely on his looks, but he insists on relying on talent.”

The actor previously showcased his skills while filming the mainland reality show Beautiful House <漂亮的房子> where he led an architecture team to renovate old rural houses.

The finale project was creating the grassland starry sky library “Mulanfang” for local residents in Mulan Weichang, Hebei. He participated throughout the entire process, from sketching, measuring, and carpentry to assembly. “Mulanfang” not only was shortlisted for the Royal Institute of British Architects Award, known as the “Oscars of Architecture,” but also won the “Red Dot Best Design Award”.

Additionally, last year Daniel publicly revealed for the first time his self-designed mansion in Los Angeles, where he incorporated feng shui and the five elements into the design, focusing on a modern minimalist style, and the extensive use of natural wood materials and natural lighting to create a warm yet upscale atmosphere, complete with a private courtyard and a giant swimming pool.

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