Her projects may make it seem like interior design was something Douven was born to do. However, as a teen, she wanted something very different
How I’m Making It is a weekly series in which Tatler speaks to influential individuals about their unique journeys and what keeps them going.
12 years ago, interior design firm White Jacket was started in Patricia Ho Douven's tiny apartment. With no portfolio and no staff, Douven worked her way up project by project. Today, the interior designer has brought her design firm across Southeast Asia with multiple offices globally as they work to disrupt traditional hospitality designs.
Her journey though started with an artsy streak she had as a child.
“I was always really good at creating things even when I was very young. In fact, I actually made most of my own toys from scratch. It was my next-door neighbour who realised that I had a talent and pushed my parents to send me to an art school,” Patricia Ho Douven, an award-winning interior designer and the founder of White Jacket Studio said. “It was the best decision that was ever made.”
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With award-winning hotels such as JW Marriott South Beach, the upcoming Kimpton Naranta Bali and Rosewood Ningbo in her portfolio, it would seem that interior design was something Douven was born to do.
However, as a teen, she wanted something very different.
“To be very honest, I was drawn to the fine arts and wanted to do that and a fashion design course at first,” Douven explained. “I had to self-fund a portion of my education and leave my home in Malaysia to study in Singapore and I needed to be safe with my career options.”
However, it was while she was pursuing fine arts and fashion design that she chanced upon the works of Carlo Scarpa, an accomplished architect.
“That kind of ignited a spark in me. I didn’t realise that it was possible to combine all my passions into one with architecture and interior design and that led me to want to explore it more,” Douven said.
It wasn’t long before Douven decided that wanted to pursue interior design and she went to Temasek Polytechnic to get a diploma in Interior and Architecture Design. It was there that she got the idea of starting her own studio.
“I was only 18 and still in school but I just knew I wanted to start my own studio and that I would do anything to make it happen,” she said.
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When she graduated, Douven went into Eco Id Design Consultancy where she worked her way up over five years to become the head of interior design. She then moved to Wilson Associates where she was design director for three years.
With significant experience tucked under her arm, Douven finally decided to revisit her teenage dream of starting her own firm and went about making it a reality.
