Cover A warm, wood-clad kitchen designed by Artistroom for a tight-knit family
A warm, wood-clad kitchen designed by Artistroom for a tight-knit family
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With a long track record crafting personalised interiors and elegant abodes, interior design firm Artistroom brings a thoughtful design philosophy and years of invaluable experience to the table
Countless interior design firms spring up in Singapore every year, but few and far between can still claim to be going strong 16 years later. First founded in 2008 by Mark Chen, Artistroom is one such firm, with a long track record of personalised, thoughtful interiors crafted for a wide variety of living needs and preferences.
Now a team of four, the firm consists of Chen himself, his wife, Katy Chong, dubbed “the mastermind behind a lot of the projects”, and spatial designers Patty Wu and Cai Shuhao Evangeline. While the firm’s key operations lie in Chen’s hands, the founder states that the four of them always come together to tackle new projects as a team.
We caught up with him to find out more about his design style, how he approaches residential projects, and some of the key lessons he has learned over the past 16 years.
The dining space in the Faber Drive home offers ample room for large gatherings
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How would you describe your style and what inspires you in your designs?
Our working style tends to favour a clean, streamlined, architectural feel. Our inspiration is drawn from everywhere, travel, books, and even just observing our surroundings. From there, we apply our design solutions to improve the functionality and aesthetics of a space.
How do you adapt the interiors you work on to their respective homeowners?
For each project, we spend a certain amount of time with the owners, from the design stage to the end of the renovation. The entire process gives us an insight into their requirements and preferences, which then guides us to have a clearer view of what can be proposed.
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Above The spacious master bedroom on Faber Drive was divided into smaller zones for a more intimate ambience
The spacious master bedroom on Faber Drive was divided into smaller zones for a more intimate ambience
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Space planning seems to be particularly important to you. Can you share more about your approach to this and why it’s so important?
We very much believe in space planning first, addressing our clients’ habits within their spaces. Each individual client has a different need or requirement for each space.
From there, we try to sculpt the space on the floor plan with the aim of addressing functionality, catering to adequate storage space, and having enough walking room. We look out for walls that we may need to remove, and how we can create pockets of space to suit the homeowners.
Above The classy powder room was wrapped in large-format marble tiles
The classy powder room was wrapped in large-format marble tiles
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What’s your approach to tweaking the aesthetic appeal of a home?
Once we’ve addressed the homeowners’ spatial planning needs, we move on to colours, materials, and overall style.
We don’t have a fixed style that we work with. Each client has their preference for the type of home they would like to live in, and we work with them closely to achieve the look they envision, guiding their choices for a cohesive environment.
This is where a home can be imbued with luxury—a feeling of contentment and comfort within yourself and your space.
Read more: Space Makers: How Mr Shopper Studio crafts home interiors tailored to different lifestyles
The full-height cabinet helps to conceal the odd angle of the Pandan Valley apartment while expanding the home’s storage space
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Can you tell us about some of your favourite recently completed projects?
One project is a landed house on Faber Drive, which we completed in 2020. We redesigned the entire layout from scratch, meaning we had to address the family’s collective needs, as each family member had different preferences.
In the end, we reconstructed the abode from a two-storey into a three-storey house, allowing each family member their own space, with seamlessly connected communal areas to facilitate family interactions and large social gatherings.
The dry kitchen and built-in island in the condominium apartment
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A more recent project is a condominium at Pandan Valley, completed this year. We wanted to respect the existing functionality of the spaces, something that the original architect delineated quite clearly. At the same time, we reconfigured the spaces to cater to the family’s sleeping arrangements and their love for cooking and entertaining.
The lower floor saw the conversion of a bedroom into a dining room, and the former dining room into a dry kitchen with an island. Because there is no dedicated storeroom, concealed pockets of storage space were implemented throughout the apartment.
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Above A trio of built-in fridges separates the wet kitchen on the left and the powder room on the right
A trio of built-in fridges separates the wet kitchen on the left and the powder room on the right
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What have been some of your greatest lessons and takeaways since founding your firm?
We have been in the industry for 16 years since the founding of Artistroom, and to this day we are still learning on the job as we go.
Every year, new materials and technologies pop up. Over the years, we have always been open to experimenting, and our projects have improved through the introduction of new materials or exploring new ways of incorporating them.
Above A pristine and luxurious sanctuary with a custom double sink and a bench for comfortable showers
A pristine and luxurious sanctuary with a custom double sink and a bench for comfortable showers
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Credits
Images: Courtesy of Artistroom
