BRAUN X Dieter Rams Collection
built in BrickLink Studio 2025
Context
With an architect as a father and as a design student myself, I’ve always been drawn to the work of Dieter Rams. His 10 principles have shaped the way I think about form, function, and the role design plays in everyday life. For this project, I wanted to merge that philosophy with my passion for LEGO, creating something that celebrates both timeless design and the joy of building.
The Braun Dieter Rams Design Collection is my way of honouring his influence while making it accessible and interactive. It’s aimed at adult LEGO fans and designers like me who appreciate the stories objects tell, and how they can inspire us when translated into a physical build.
Concept
The collection includes 10 modular sets, each representing one of Rams’ principles through an iconic product he designed or inspired.
The Vitsoe 606 shelving is the “core” set. Once built, it becomes the display space for all the other models, turning the collection into a cohesive installation. Each set comes with a LEGO plaque showing the object and the principle it represents.
Design
The design process involves three main considerations:
Accuracy in Form: Each object has been faithfully translated into LEGO scale, capturing proportions, colour palettes, and defining features while working within LEGO’s part library.
Consistency Across the Collection: Despite the variety of shapes and functions, each set maintains a consistent visual language and scale so they display harmoniously on the Vitsoe shelving.
Modular Play: While these models are primarily display pieces, they are designed for interaction. Builders can rearrange them on the shelves, swap configurations, or integrate them into larger LEGO creations.
The act of building mirrors Rams’ philosophy: a process of thoughtful assembly, clarity of purpose, and appreciation for detail. For designers, this becomes a meditative exercise in form and function; for LEGO fans, it is an opportunity to own a piece of design history in brick form.
Message
This collection is more than a group of miniature models. It is a celebration of timeless design values. It invites builders to slow down, reflect, and explore how design shapes our everyday lives. By physically interacting with these miniature replicas, builders experience Rams’ principles in a tangible way, reinforcing their relevance in a fast-changing, disposable design culture.
The stories these models tell are about care, intention, and restraint, from the groundbreaking transparency of the SK4 to the minimal aesthetic of the apple ipod. Each set holds a piece of history, but also sparks conversations about what makes design “good” today, and forever.
Old English Pub Set
built in Person 2023
Context
The Old English Pub is a set I built from my own LEGO collection, inspired by my English heritage and my British grandfather. Some of my best memories are of us sitting inside English pubs together. The kind of pubs where the wood smells of history, and you can feel the life that’s passed through the place over decades.
When I visit the UK, I’m always drawn to the riverside inns and countryside pubs with their timber frames, stone foundations, and roofs that look like they’ve weathered a hundred winters. This build is my way of bottling up that feeling and presenting it in LEGO form. A tribute to those spaces and the memories I’ve made in them.
Concept
The Old English Pub is a countryside watermill tavern you could easily imagine in 16th–17th century England. I pulled together details that instantly bring that world to life:
Timber-frame walls in warm tans and browns to capture the Tudor look
A working water wheel to hint at its past as a mill, maybe even one that brewed its own beer
A raised foundation with stairs — practical for riverside flooding but also visually interesting
A small pub sign (from an old LEGO piece I had) that gave the build its name and anchored its personality
Stonework and greenery to place it firmly in a rural, riverside setting
The name “Chudley Cannons” feels like it could be the kind of quirky, charming name you’d actually find in a small English village.
Design
Because I only used bricks from my own collection, I had to get creative with what I had. Some pieces aren’t perfect matches for what I envisioned, but those limitations actually gave the build a bit more charm. Like an authentic building that’s been patched and adapted over the years.
The model is built in layers so the top floor can be removed to access the inside. I used mixed slopes and tiles on the stone base to give it a natural, uneven look, and the reddish-brown roof tiles mimic the clay shingles you’d see on real English countryside buildings. A smaller red roof section breaks up the silhouette and keeps it visually interesting.
If I had access to more specialized pieces, I’d refine some of the internal structure and add more interior details. But honestly, working within limits was part of the fun, it felt like solving a design puzzle, just like real pubs evolve over time with whatever materials are available.
Message
This build is more than just a model to me. It’s a little piece of my own history. When I look at it, I think about being with my grandfather, hearing his stories over a pint, watching the light change through the old leaded windows of a pub. I wanted the Old English Pub to have that same lived-in feeling, not pristine, but cared for, with character in every corner.
It’s the kind of place I imagine mini-figures gathering after a day’s work, traveller's renting a room upstairs, or locals still brewing beer in the back using the old mill equipment. It’s built to invite storytelling, whether you’re a history lover, a LEGO fan, or someone who just appreciates the comfort of a familiar place.
NBA Off the Court Collection
built in BrickLink Studio 2025
Context
The NBA Off the Court collection is a concept that flips the usual way athletes are shown. Instead of highlighting game-day moments, these sets celebrate players’ personalities, style, and passions away from the court. As a basketball player myself, I know the culture of the game is just as much about what happens outside the arena as it is about what happens during it.
This series gives fans a new way to connect with their favourite players — through the cars they drive, the clothes they wear, and the lives they live.
Message
The NBA Off the Court series is about showing the human side of professional athletes. These aren’t just “basketball sets” , they’re snapshots of who these players are when they’re just being themselves. Whether it’s Booker cruising in his Chevy, Shai carefully curating his wardrobe, or Jokić enjoying time with his horses, each set tells a story fans rarely get to see in brick form.
It’s a chance to mix sports fandom, culture, and LEGO creativity into one product line.
Nikola Jokić - коње (The Horses)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - The Closet
Devin Booker - Classic Cruiser
LEGO Concept Design Application Task/Assignment:
LEGO Rectangle Art
built in BrickLink Studio 2025
Concept
This project is about making LEGO art that people would actually want to hang in their homes. There’s already LEGO art out there, but most of it feels like a mosaic or a pop-culture portrait rather than something that could fit naturally into a modern living space. My idea was to create pieces that keep the brick-built look but take inspiration from minimalist art so they feel timeless, clean, and intentional.
Target Audience
I designed these for adult LEGO fans who also care about design and how things look in their space. These are the people who already appreciate LEGO as more than just a toy. They see it as a creative medium. They might be collectors who want something different from character-based sets, or design enthusiasts who would never normally think about putting LEGO on their walls until they see something that actually fits their style.
The sets are meant for people who like modern, minimalist interiors but still want personality and texture in their décor. That could be a LEGO fan’s office, a creative studio, or even a living room wall. They work as standalone art pieces but also as part of a series, so people can build a small collection over time and arrange them however they want.
Inspiration
When I was visiting an art gallery in San Francisco, I saw work by Josef Albers and Agnes Martin. Their use of shape, space, and colour was simple but powerful, and I immediately thought about how well it could translate into LEGO form. I liked the idea of using the natural grid of LEGO as part of the design instead of hiding it.
Direction 1 - Grid & Structure
This version is inspired more by Agnes Martin’s style, with intersecting lines and calm, balanced colours. It has an architectural feel, almost like looking through a window. The glossy surface of the tiles and the visible seams between bricks give it extra texture that works well with the design.
Key points:
Blue and grey palette for a calm, modern look
Simple shapes that make the grid stand out
Modular sections that could be displayed together or apart
Direction 2 - Colour Frames
This version is based on Albers’ Homage to the Square, focusing on how colours interact with each other. Each piece is a set of nested rectangles in bold, contrasting colours. The LEGO tiles add depth and shadows, making it more dynamic than a flat painting.
Key points:
Bright, distinct colour palettes for each piece
Works well as a single artwork or in a series
Very simple build but strong visual impact
Why I Think It Works
Lego Rectangle Art is a way for adult LEGO fans to bring LEGO into their living space in a way that feels intentional and stylish, not just playful. It’s still clearly LEGO, but it can stand alongside other art on the wall. Both directions are easy to build, but they each create a completely different mood. They give fans a new way to interact with LEGO. Not just as a build they put on a shelf, but as a piece of art they live with every day.
Thank You for Viewing my LEGO Portfolio!
built by kcr 2025
