Looking for a trusted collaborator to renovate your home or workspace? Here, we highlight some of the notable Singapore design firms to know, as featured in our brand new Designers section
After years of chronicling beautiful interiors in Singapore and around the world, we often get asked what makes a home memorable and made to last. While there’s no one magic formula, having a trusted designer certainly helps.
We’re pleased to debut our new Designers section, which highlights the portfolio of a curated list of Singapore-based design firms. From stylish restaurants and bars, and inspiring home interiors to the most stunning workspaces you’ll love to work in, these local firms have done it all, and scooped up accolades for their meticulous work, demonstrating an attention to detail through every project that they have done.
Be it modern minimalist spaces or bold and beautiful zones that maximalists will adore, these projects offer ample design inspiration and illustrate the significance of good design.
Don’t miss: Tatler Homes Design Awards 2022: The Winners
Here, we offer an introduction to these 10 firms and their repertoire—and why you should keep these creative luminaries in mind for your next renovation.
EightyTwo
With offices in Singapore and Ho Chi Minh—and soon in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur—this homegrown firm is certainly among the notable design studios to watch. Helmed by Terence Neo, co-founder and CEO, EightyTwo believes in crafting impeccable spaces with an understated sense of luxury, while conveying soothing elements that connect people with nature. Having completed close to 150 residential projects since its founding in 2012, the firm’s most notable recent projects include apartments in developments such as Nassim Mansion and Wallich Residences, as well as a family’s landed house in Singapore that elegantly combines art, design, and craft within its calming interior.
Learn more here
Elliot James Interiors
Influenced by his engineer father and decor-focused mother, Elliot James Barratt always dreamt of becoming a designer. “As I grew up, I always found myself fascinated by the psychology of how people interact with and are influenced by physical spaces. This fostered an inherent love for understanding how things work, whilst also a need to make them look beautiful,” says Barratt, who founded his namesake firm Elliot James Interiors in Singapore in 2012. The British talent is currently based between Singapore and London and is known for crafting a wide array of luxury homes, offices and stylish dining venues in the island-state, the UK and beyond.
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Jia Studios
If you were suitably wowed by the interiors of the Gucci Osteria pop-up restaurant held in Singapore in 2019, this is the firm to know—the homegrown firm is the creative mind behind its stunning look. Founded in 2007 by Jackie Lai (pictured above) and Agnes Xue, Jia Studios bears a name inspired by the initials of the founders while representing three of its key values: joy, innovation, and aesthetics. Known for its multidisciplinary approach to design, the firm aims to achieve a holistic blend of form and function for every project. “I sought after simplicity in my designs where it would stand out in a world where complexity and extravagance abound,” shares Jackie Lai, creative director of Jia Studios. “This simplicity allows personal touches to shine around occasional surprises of magical flair.”
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K2 Group
Design maven Kelly Kawahara Cheah started K2 Group with the following mission: to create spectacular projects that demonstrate her team’s interdisciplinary expertise in architecture, interior design and styling. Backed with over a decade of experience, the designer melds a harmonious blend of materials, forms, textures, colours and patterns in each project to create a bespoke interior for each client. Among the firm’s notable work is Nassim Quattro, a luxurious multigenerational property in Singapore, as well as Momley Loft, a family-centric wellness and confinement centre.
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Lighting Design Atelier
Singapore lighting designer TingYu Ng understands the magic of light—the homegrown talent who founded Lighting Design Atelier has steadily grown her portfolio with customised solutions for a wide variety of projects across the region. An industrial designer by training, Ng found her calling after an apprenticeship at Parsons Brinckerhoff (now renamed WSP), a multinational engineering firm, and graduated with a Master’s in Architectural Lighting from Wismar Germany. “Lighting can affect one’s mood drastically and also evokes many senses and emotions. We create a unique atmosphere for each space by realising its full potential and bringing a new identity to the space,” says Ng, who counts projects such as sales galleries in Guangzhou and Shanghai among her recent work.
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SkeTchworks Design & Style
Interior designer Sulini Tjoeng considers herself a dream maker: one that turns her clients’ aspirations into reality through the stylish spaces that her firm designs. From the lively Rumours Beach Club in Sentosa to a bevy of beautiful abodes, the founder of SkeTchworks Design & Style enjoys sketching and bringing to life custom-made designs that cater to each client’s needs; her love of drawing techniques in fact inspired the moniker of her firm. “Each design assignment that I lead exemplifies the integration of art, design, and technical expertise. My strength lies in producing creative concepts for all the projects that I lead,” says Tjoeng.
Learn more here