The design principal of Brewin Design Office has an ethos of "discreet luxury" means each project is timeless, unhurried and fine-tuned to the smallest detail
If you’re looking to get your home or office renovations done in a jiffy, the last person you should call is Robert Cheng.
The design principal of Brewin Design Office, does not believe in rushing—even the architect and interior designer himself, who’s in his mid-40s, was a long time in the making, it seems.
"A well-designed interior is more than just a good-looking picture on Instagram, viewed for an instant. It needs to have a timelessness, a permanence to it, and meaning for its users."
Born in Pittsburgh, USA, he moved to Singapore when he was four. At age 12, he was sent to boarding school in the UK.
“I didn’t appreciate being shipped off to London at such a young age, but that’s when I discovered London’s museums and parks, and how immersed in history the world’s greatest cities that are two to three hundred years old are, while still remaining relevant and contemporary," Cheng told CNA Luxury.
"The patina of certain items and places made me think about how people used to live, what their stories were. How were these things made? What were they meant to be used for? How did things use to be done? That’s why in my design work, it’s never just about the material, but also how it references a period of the past, how it alludes to a tradition of craftsmanship."