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Interview with ETHOSpace Pte Ltd |
Home > Designer Interviews > ETHOSpace Pte Ltd |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer ETHOSpace Pte Ltd (EPL) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of ETHOSpace Pte Ltd by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
EPL: My first physical encounter with art was at Antelope Canyon when I was much younger. The rock formations shaped by water over many years resonated deeply within me and I aspired to become a sculptor ever since. This was unfortunately not meant to be. This permanent curiosity towards nature’s artistry led me to study architecture at Cornell University; and, over time, I eventually gravitated towards interior design.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
EPL: ETHOSpace is a boutique interior design firm based in Singapore and Indonesia.Our service coverage involves commercial/offices,hospitality,residential, food and beverageand cultural projects.
FS: What is "design" for you?
EPL: In my personal view, design is the process of collaboration to create a lifestyle with specific end-users in mind; and, one of the means in which designers are able to enhance and reinforce client vision and brand. In essence, functional and commercial purpose is what often stands in the way of a designer from becoming a pure artist.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
EPL: Every design project can be likened to a child that requires shaping and nurturing, so picking favourites isn’t an effortless process. But if we had to choose which works we find most fulfilling, it would likely be the projects that authorize us to break free from conventional norms, giving us the opportunity to originate designs that are uniquely different, daring and bold, regardless of scale.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
EPL: We are particularly fond of our work for the interiors for the Art Rotana Hotel in Bahrain. Within this project lies the culmination of our perennial endeavours to seamlessly weave together a site’s ancient origins with the building’s modern architecture; and, how these two seemingly opposing constituents should serve as the source of our design inspiration for the present age, in relation to how our interiors might stand in future. We also explored the various types of flora surrounding the site; and, extracted relevant shapes that appealed to our aesthetic sensibilities as the basis of influence for our design language in relation to the interiors
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
EPL: A boutique gift shop for a heritage hotel, which to our pleasant surprise, is still standing till this very day after 15 years.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
EPL: Any instrument that frees the imagination and empowers us to generate the unconventional, which at this time would be 3D printing.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
EPL: We feel most creative when we have a clear picture of client objectives and end-user requirements, without which, we would naturally be flying blind. We find that having parameters to work with from within can often enhance creativity.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
EPL: We focus on Look and Feel Aspects
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
EPL: Within each design process, we find great satisfaction in becoming one with our clients, vendors and contractors, by virtue of our close collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and skills. This sense of fulfilment is magnified when all parties are aligned and moving toward the common objective of creating something fascinating and out of the ordinary. Likewise, it feels rather therapeutic when it comes down to working on the actual sketches and digital models with our design team.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
EPL: Being able to show how our quality is the best feeling we have
FS: What makes a design successful?
EPL: Successful design would be a multi-faceted composition that is robust enough to pique curiosity, trigger emotion and opens the imagination by paving the way to new possibilities, while concurrently addressing the functional and commercial needs of a client and their end-users.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
EPL: N/A
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
EPL: Ideally, it ought to be every designer’s fiduciary duty to exercise the trust placed in him to select ecologically sustainable materials appropriate for an ecosystem that would ultimately be bequeathed to our future generations. While this is still a challenge to fully put into practice today, it ought to be the direction all designers should be heading towards.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
EPL: Boundaries between our many cultures, while still distinct, are gradually in the process of blurring and becoming vague. While this does have its benefits and downsides, designs in future will likely follow similar trends, for better or worse, with a predominant theme that would prevail over other themes. Design today, it appears, is gradually distancing itself from our traditional understanding of the linear aesthetic and transitioning towards nature vis-a-vis organic forms and ethereal materials. However, even with an eventual predominant theme in place, the various degrees of cultural fusion and growth in the diversity of building and decorative materials would hopefully help to balance the scales between design uniformity and culture-specific originality.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
EPL: N/A
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
EPL: In general, our inspiration is often derived from abstract sculpture and stunning visuals of nature. When it comes to a specific project, we would also find inspiration in understanding the cultural and architectural context of a site, both past and present, as the basis upon which we can create something different and unique for the present and future.
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
EPL: We believe that design, from an artistic perspective, should be an abstract and metaphoric expression of a client’s / end-user’s inner-world. Every personality is different and it falls under our scope of responsibilities to propose the most appropriate design style or language that would enhance and strengthen our clients’ brand or persona. But if you would like us to point out that one single factor that unites all our projects, then that factor would be more of a design process rather than a design style. A design process that is firmly reliant on how we view the site’s specific cultural past and architectural context as the source of our design inspiration for the present age, in relation to how our designs might stand in future.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
EPL: N/A
FS: How do you work with companies?
EPL: N/A
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
EPL: N/A
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
EPL: Our process begins with developing an in-depth understanding of our client’s vision and objectives. When full clarity is achieved, we proceed to study the drawings and/or physical site, it’s cultural heritage and present day architectural context. Keeping these in mind, we then envision the interiors in relation to how we would like to experience the given space ourselves, within a perfect and idealistic setting. When the general atmosphere and feel of the space is determined, we move onto selecting the materials and lighting types aimed at triggering and amplifying the various moods and key aspects relevant to the client’s ultimate purpose. Once material selection is complete, we would then sketch the forms required to express the full potential of the site. We then go through a repetitive process of refining the forms until they resonate with our own aesthetic sensibilities. This is when we finalize the design for submission.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
EPL: To make a difference in our small but meaningful way in relation to how we believe beauty should feel and be seen
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
EPL: N/A
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
EPL: We encourage our own designers to perceive space not measured merely by scale and function, but to also transcend these obvious requirements by placing an equal amount of emphasis, if not more, on the intangible and intuitive aspects of the end-user experience.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
EPL: To fully express and even sensibly exaggerate what our clients envision so as to exceed expectations brings much fulfilment. Downsides are the long and rigorous hours required to bring forth a stunning final solution, which is why it is good to love what you do because by doing so, you would never have to work a single day in your life.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
EPL: Our creed is to design interiors that we would personally enjoy experiencing; and, we have never wavered from this simple guiding philosophy.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
EPL: Listening with one’s eyes; and, seeing with one’s heart. Giving full attention to clients and end-users requirements without predispositions, while invoking the emotional design aspects of site’s full potential can help to significantly improve the final outcome of a design project.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
EPL: The source of our inspiration would be anything natural or man-made that is visually stunning and how they fundamentally trigger interest and influence emotion. We implement our ideas using a combination of hand-drawn sketches and digital programs such as 3DS Max, amongst others, to realize a site’s full potential.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
EPL: While there is often a design team leader to point the way in the general direction the team should be heading towards, effective and long-lasting results still come down to group effort. Nurturing a team and appropriate delegation to the persons who are best suited for specific roles help our firm generate and execute good designs consistently. I do not believe for one moment that any of our projects that have won accolades would have been possible without my team’s fervent support.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
EPL: Generally, the quest for perfection is a process that comes with its own beginnings without end. Fortunately or unfortunately, a client’s schedule, which could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, prevents a designer from continually refining his work without end. To a greater degree, there comes a time when a design team has to stop the refining process because doing more would only serve to dissolve the primary message. At this point, the process of refinement is complete for the project at hand.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
EPL: N/A
FS: What was your most important job experience?
EPL: Perhaps having worked as a part-time waiter before college helped me to better understand the critical basics of listening and delivering exactly what was ordered by our guests, at the right time and with a smile. This experience may have been instrumental in providing the foundation to develop an intuitive sense of listening with one’s eyes; and, seeing with one’s heart. In relation to my profession as a designer, this philosophy entails giving full attention to clients and end-users without predispositions, while invoking the emotional design aspects of site’s full potential can help to significantly improve the final outcome of a design project.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
EPL: Hoteliers, developers, corporate entities, residential and restaurant owners are some clients who fall under our coverage.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
EPL: Unusual project requirements that often lead to unique finished results. We also particularly enjoy projects that give us artistic license to break away from conventional notions of beauty. This gives us the means to push design boundaries and travel down less explored territory.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
EPL: Our hope is to continually evolve our design methodology. The quest for perfection is an endless process. As Salvador Dali said, “Have no fear of perfection – you will never reach it.” In that light, we are consistently refining and mastering our craft and our processes, while nurturing our design team to continually adapt and morph with the times.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
EPL: Our ethos is to work as a team towards a common objective: To reinforce our clients’ brand; and, in the process, create stunning interiors that challenge the imagination.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
EPL: N/A
FS: How can people contact you?
EPL: ETHOSpace can be contacted through our website at www.ethospace.com.sg
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
EPL: N/A
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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