Page 41 - Masala E-magazine Vol 9 Issue 3 December 2017-January 2018

What is your favourite style?
My taste changes every hour! But currently I love what I refer to
as ‘relaxed luxury,’ which is a design that uses furniture that is not
too formal, but still gives a sense of luxury. It would be the kind of
place you can walk into and feel comfortable sitting in, as opposed
to pure luxury which can often feel unapproachable.

What di erent backgrounds and skills do your interior
designers o er?
We o er everything from graphics and procurement to sourcing
and product design. We did a pop-up store for a stationary brand,
The Paper Bunny, including the display units. We also completed
all the art for the pictures in frames, as well as the signage for
Hyatt Place.

Where does the inspiration come from?
Inspiration is everywhere. It can come from our travels, the food
we enjoy, the books we read or the movies we watch. For example,
for one project, I used a print I had seen on a lady’s jacket in one of
my favourite series. I wanted the same pattern as a mosaic print
on the counter-top, so I took a screenshot and sent it to my team.

What materials do you normally focus on? Anything unique?
We try not focus on one particular material and instead explore
all kinds. For many years, I have been particularly fond of wood.
I try to mix it with a lot of other materials like bronze or stone to
give it a contemporary nish. As for unique materials, we do use a
lot of textured paint, bronze and stone. We use more wood in our
residential projects, while for hotels, we use more durable things
like tiles, quartz and fabrics.

What are some of the challenges in running an interior rm?
Every day brings a new kind of challenge. The hardest is when
you’re blocked and you don’t know how to tackle a project while
working on deadline. Another one is when we have con ict within
the team. When this happens, we really have to take a step back
and deal with it maturely. Lastly, every project lasts three to four
years, so it takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

What are some of the latest trends in interior design we can
expect to see more of?
For us, we talk about it every day because we have to stay up-to-
date with what is new and trending. Recently, we have noticed a lot The best part of my job is
more curvature in design layouts, for instance curved sofas and learning how to turn the
curved tables. There are also a lot of baby pinks, yellows and gold
metals being used. client’s dream into reality.

How do you manage to balance work and family life?
I have three kids. How do I manage? (laughs) My company has
basically raised my kids, as they are always in my o ce. My rst
child was on-site when the Dream Hotel project was happening.
What are the future plans for ASC Interior?
Do your kids have any interest in being interior designers? We want to expand into China and that is already in the works. We
My youngest one joked and said that I am going to be an architect
and steal all of mummy’s clients. picked China because we have some upcoming hotel projects
there. We want to be one of the leading Thai rms with a bigger
What is your advice for aspiring interior designers? reach internationally. Right now, we are looking for the right
Be passionate. Be curious. Be persistent. Push for what you want candidate to handle the initial documentation for China, due to
and be con dent in your ideas. If you believe in your design, push language barriers.
for it. Always ght for your design!

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