Adrian Cheong, IA Interior Design
When did you begin your exciting journey into interior design?
Since 1992 – after college in Penang. I was taking graphics design back then, but then after a year and half I changed to interior design, and have been doing it since! It was a very fluid movement.
What influences you when you design?
When I was small I enjoyed drawing – I liked art, fine art. I also like costume design and jewellery design and in fact I was a jewellery designer for about 3 years before I actually took my interior design course – but now it’s just interior design. I guess if there was a chance for me to do jewellery design again, I may consider it.
In regards to interior design – where do you draw inspiration from?
My inspiration is Richard Meier, his architecture. He uses a lot of fine lines and has a very abstract style, plus it’s very minimal and simple, using a lot of white too, which I personally like.
So tell us about your winning Top 10 project.
I honestly didn’t expect to win to be honest. One of my colleagues actually suggested to me to join this competition, so I thought why not? Give it a shot. So I was very surprised! The project itself was a loft apartment though and I had a lot of freedom with the design of this home, as I had previously designed a house for this client.
An open concept layout is employed to capture the awe-inspiring cityscape and seascape vistas, resulting in a bright, spacious and airy home.
What are some of the key materials that you used in this project and why?
Most of the materials were laminated – the apartment was quite humid being at the very top, so even though I did a lot of insulation in the ceiling and walls, if I used solid wood or natural materials, they still would easily spoil. This was certainly the best material to use for this type of home.
What was the most exciting thing about this project?
Because I had already designed a house for my client, he basically just gave me the money and let me express myself through design. There was no pitch, no ideas, no concept – it’s such a rare thing! Of course in this situation you have to understand your client in order for them to trust you that much, but once I finished it – he loved it! He just loves my style.
Glass and mirrors are used to create a sense of balance between heavy and light materials.
Throughout the space, there is a unique mix of large wood panels and aluminum.
How would you describe the style of this project in three words?
That’s quite difficult…[laughs] For me, I would describe it as comfy and spacious, there’s a lot of space, and also very personal to my clients taste. So – comfy, spacious and personal!
What was the biggest achievement in this project?
Except from being able to do anything I wanted with this project, the biggest achievement would have to be when my client walked in, as straight away was like, “Wow!” His face and reaction was definitely the most satisfying thing.
What advice would you give to our readers who are considering doing a makeover?
Interesting… Well a good starting point would be to focus on the budget. In many cases that I have experienced clients are like “Adrian, I want this… I want that…” and then when I tell them, “okay, this is what you’re budget is going to be”, they are always so surprised and end up saying it’s way over what they expected. So you need to carefully look at the budget. For designers – it’s easier for us to design if we know what the budget is too.
For those aspiring designers out there, what words of advice can you give them?
Work hard. That’s it!
IA INTERIOR DESIGN
T +604-227 8117
E ia_interior_design@yahoo.com.sg
The Winning Project
Gurney Villa
Location
Kelawai Road, Penang
