The award recipients also emphasised the importance of having the support of the people who do the behind-the-scenes work. These included the FF&E suppliers—what the industry terms as the removable elements of furniture, fixtures and equipment—that help turn a house into a home. As Terrence Quah, co-founder of Architology Interiors, would elaborate, it typically takes a small army to accomplish a build and complete a house.

“In every building project, you need to give credit to a lot of parties. First and foremost to the client for trusting us for the project, and all the builders and also the workers, and there are so many other people like Hafary; our client really loved the Antolini marble [supplied by them]. As well as V-Zug appliances and Sol Luminaire lights, and so many amazing people that collaborated and helped to make the project a success. I’m so happy that we can bring this to our client and show her that all the hard work and dedication paid off,” said Quah.

Don’t miss: Watch: A Stylish Kitchen With V-Zug Appliances and Beautiful Treetop Views 

While the past three pandemic years almost passed in the blink of an eye, the winners took the chance to reflect on how that fateful period impacted their creative process and the challenges they overcame to realise these beautiful projects. 

“This project emerged in the middle of the pandemic. We called it a pandemic project that gave us so much hope as a project for a Singaporean bank by Singaporeans. We thank the client—of course—and we also thank the fellow collaborators that we brought into this amazing opportunity: people like Sol Luminaire, Scene Shang, Roger & Sons, and This Humid House. That collective synergy gave us so much encouragement and tonight, this acknowledgement gives us so much hope,” said Dennis Cheok, founder of UPSTRS_, who bagged the Best Workspace accolade for the OCBC Premier Private Lounge.

Emcee Tyler Wisler injected the event with both brevity and a dose of fun. As a practising interior designer himself, Wisler noted the practical challenges of the recent years, while not forgetting to rib the guests about their interpretation of the evening’s modern Asian dress code. To match the festive look, Fiore Dorato added floral flourishes to the setting, accompanied with a verdant mix of tropical plants.

The venue itself made a memorable impression on guests too. Designed by notable local architectural design practice WOHA, the Claymore Ballroom at Pan Pacific Orchard presented ample photo opportunities for the invitees, who admired sunset views of the skyline at the outdoor cocktail area and within the spacious, pillarless ballroom on the eighteenth floor.

A beautiful array of products from Akusträ by Arova, Erco, Roche Bobois and Technogym were also displayed at the venue, accentuated by artworks by participating local artists Genevieve Ang, Jays Phua and Charles Wong Tze Chau. These included the acoustic panels that were produced by Singapore brand Akusträ by Arova, which were clad in eye-catching laminates, along with the Lucy task light from Erco, and a personalised Technogym Bench featuring the hand-painted design by local artist Tiffany Lovage. Each winner received a custom trophy from Barovier & Toso, handcrafted in Venice by its talented craftsmen; Farm, the Best Bespoke Concept winner also received the Technogym Bench that was on display.

As Roy Teo, founder of Evocateurs, poetically summed up the night, the local design community benefits from the synergy that come from the spirit of collaboration; his firm received the accolade for the Best Show Unit (Readers’ Choice) category. “As an artist, we are like playwrights. We do need a stage to perform; thank you for this opportunity for these multiple stages in my career,” said Teo.

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