Cover The airy living room of the Stacey Leong-designed Apartment 23, which boasts views of Singapore’s southern and eastern coastlines (Photo: Marcus L Photography)
The airy living room of the Stacey Leong-designed Apartment 23, which boasts views of Singapore’s southern and eastern coastlines (Photo: Marcus L Photography)
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With a specialisation in refined yet functional family homes, interior designer Stacey Leong reveals how she infuses abodes with warmth, tactility and personality, all the while evoking timelessness and a luxurious appeal
Interior designer Stacey Leong launched her eponymous studio when she noticed a gap in the market—the result of “several failed attempts at finding an interior designer who understood how to design crisp, beautiful and functional spaces that worked for a young family”.
Her studio now specialises in precisely this: refined, timeless and practical homes perfect for family living, driven by the search for a deeper meaning of home within the four walls of a house.
The spaces she crafts tell a story, weaving connections between people and materiality, and integrating intangible memories and lived experiences into a space. In her own words: “Good design is nuanced and sensitive, smart but not lofty, simple yet never basic.”
We caught up with Leong to find out more about her design philosophy, her approach to selecting furnishings for interiors, and her prized advice for designing remarkable spaces.
Above The curvaceous and enveloping Poliform Saint-Germain sofa, from Space Furniture
The curvaceous and enveloping Poliform Saint-Germain sofa, from Space Furniture
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Introducing a play of light and shadow, moulding connections between areas, and defining ergonomic zones that encourage circulation and rest—these are some of Leong’s key priorities when approaching a residential project. The designer often works creatively with doors and dividers to achieve these effects.
“Our best work is always a strong study of proportions, negative space, lighting, and unexpected textures and materials,” she shares. When it’s artificial light she’s working with, one of her go-tos is the Moooi Meshmatics chandelier from Space Furniture. Designed by Rick Tegelaar, it is a lighting fixture she never tires of. A classic Flos light is her alternative recommendation.
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Above The sun-drenched kitchen of the Leong-designed modern tropical landed property House CC (Photo: Marcus L Photography)
The sun-drenched kitchen of the Leong-designed modern tropical landed property House CC (Photo: Marcus L Photography)
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Another one of Leong’s key principles is to set aside perfectionism. “Not all details carry the same weight in a project,” she points out. “The ability to zoom in and out, and keep the vision intact, is just as important as refining the details.”
A good example of this philosophy is her work on Apartment 23, a family home in Singapore. The studio transformed this spacious, light-filled apartment into an urban retreat with a brief to introduce warmth, tactility and sustainability.
“Deep emphasis was placed on spatial harmony, a soothing yet uplifting palette, and organic, robust materials,” Leong shares. The details of the material palette here were as key to the final result as the overarching ambience that now defines this inviting abode.
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Above Interior designer Stacey Leong
Interior designer Stacey Leong
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Above The airy living room of the Stacey Leong-designed Apartment 23, which boasts views of Singapore’s southern and eastern coastlines (Photo: Marcus L Photography)
The airy living room of the Stacey Leong-designed Apartment 23, which boasts views of Singapore’s southern and eastern coastlines (Photo: Marcus L Photography)
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While Leong maintains that there is no set formula for designing a space and injecting it with personality, she adores making use of natural materials such as limewash, marble and linen, which feature in many of her studio’s projects.
These include one of her most remarkable recent works, a landed house designed for a young family in Singapore, dubbed House CC. Designed as a modern tropical concept in a quiet enclave, the home forgoes “fussy furniture arrangements” in favour of “creating the right mood by imbuing warmth and character”.
Limewash paint and custom hand-woven oat rugs meet naturally veined marble, feature lighting, custom brass handles and Casson barn door hardware, resulting in a soft yet characterful palette reflective of Leong’s relaxed yet elevated style.
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Above Flos Bellhop lamps, from Space Furniture
Flos Bellhop lamps, from Space Furniture
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“The most beautiful homes are layered and complex, coming together to create rhythm, tension, playfulness and personality,” Leong shares. Like the most renowned of her peers, she has an innate ability to bring design elements together and weave a unique tale for each client.
Some of the pieces she enjoys working into these narrative interiors include the Cassina Cab dining chairs, designed by Mario Bellini and sourced from W.Atelier; these chairs are comfortable and classic, with a “strong masculine silhouette” that gives the space an understated personality.
The Utrecht armchairs from the same brand, designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, are a solid, boxy option for the living area that she finds particularly versatile. If it’s bar stools you’re looking for, she finds herself drawn to the SP01 Thomas bar stools from Space Furniture, designed by Metrica.
Regardless of her furniture and design choices, Leong’s process remains fluid, and she refuses to be tied to “silly design rules”. She also emphasises that, while she takes her work and deliverables very seriously, she tries not to take herself too seriously in this process. “My job exists to solve very first-world problems,” she quips.
Above The sculptural Cassina Utrecht armchair, from W. Atelier
Above Moooi Meshmatics chandelier, from Space Furniture
The sculptural Cassina Utrecht armchair, from W. Atelier
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Resulting in easy, understated luxury, Leong’s design philosophy is defined by the attention she pays to scale and proportions as well as materiality and detailing. She shares that many of the studio’s clients gravitate towards fine craftsmanship and exquisite materials, often via “beautiful finishes, custom-made furniture, vintage collectables, and interesting objects”.
As for her personal preferences, she finds herself leaning towards an eclectic, complex combination of materials, “where pieces like art or chairs can be changed out to create different looks”.
One of her long-time favourite pieces to furnish residential interiors with is the Poliform Saint-Germain sofa from Space Furniture, designed by Jean-Marie Massaud, which she considers “beautiful from all angles, with many options to curve and create fun shapes”.
The B&B Italia Camaleonda sofa is another favourite, designed by Mario Bellini and from Space Furniture as well, appreciated for its versatility, comfort and luxurious appeal.
Credits
Images: Courtesy of the respective brands and Stacey Leong Interiors
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