The architectural Interior 01

I say 'Interior' with a capital 'I' as this is afterall an interior work confined within the 1,200 sqft shell of an existing loft apartment. More and more we are getting ourselves into this field of work and finding opportunities within the typology to intervene. But I say it is 'architectural' not because we are architects - for, architects are supposed to conceive of a space differently from say, how an interior designer/stylist would anyway - but rather - a mode of thinking. We see plan layouts as typological constructs to interrogate, cabinets and storage as space defining, furniture as built-up elements to organise program and we tend to limit the quintessential interior designer's palette of materials to only a colour or two at our disposal. Perhaps it is about setting ourselves a kind of constraint to innovate out of, a kind of working method and approach?

Some pictures of the recently completed apartment :

The entire apartment interior is gutted out, revealing the existing attic structure.

Completed.

[Photos : Jeremy San/Stzernstudio]

I just realised that the photos do not have furniture in them. Guess we are just not cut out to be interior designers. Visit the project on our website for full description.

3 Months

Its been hectic and a busy 3 months now since we started out on our own. On the work front there's been a couple of interior projects to work on, we took part in one competition, completed the design for a 500 unit residential development overseas and got to know a few potential clients with whom we are pitching for a varied spectrum of work, from conceptualisation of a shopping mall's spatial identity to exhibition design, amongst other things. Although there were times where we worked stretches on end, of which we must have spent a record least number of hours with our kids, I must say its been a very fulfilling experience. Sometimes we wonder why we have not done this earlier.

Now that we have our own little practice going something that has kept us constantly thinking of is how we are defining our practice in terms of its direction and approach to design. But more importantly - what we are doing to reach that ideal with each project that comes our way, or at least to set the trajectory right. Its no easy task as it is largely a result of what projects you get to work on, whatever comes our way.