“I believe leadership is not gender-specific, although there are certain differences in the basic traits and qualities men and women have,” she shares. “I focused on continuing to experiment and express my ideas, no matter the resistance I faced. In the words of designer Barbara Barry: ‘I have never felt the glass ceiling. As a woman, I feel uniquely suited for design centred around the home’.”

It is also clear that her clients appreciate her work which evokes a modern and timeless design approach. Take, for instance, the transformation of a historic Peranakan shophouse that was given a contemporary spin, with the addition of polished touches that complemented the vibrant ambience of the space.

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Known best for her portfolio of thoughtful and contemporary interiors, the Lasalle College of the Arts-trained alumni Molina Hun turned her passion for interior architecture into a dream career. Together with her husband and business partner Sujono Lim, Hun co-founded two multidisciplinary design studios, Sujonohun and Parenthesis Studio. Both homegrown practices focus on creating bespoke residential designs that riff off the couples’ combined strengths in interior design, branding, and the creation of custom furniture and lighting.

Finding joy in crafting the stunning personalised interiors for landed residences and apartments in Singapore, Hun has found a sense of calm when designing homes for any client with this guiding principle: “We always look at our project as a whole; the journey from room to room and the touch and feel of the hardware and finishes must be well-thought, well-resolved and crafted.”

Additionally, Hun has found award-winning success with her projects that finely balance comfort, context, and emotion. Sujonohun received the title of Designer On the Rise at the Tatler Homes Design Awards - Singapore in 2021, and more recently, has won two prestigious awards at Singapore Interior Design Awards 2022 for the residential designs of a house on Rosyth Road and The Commodore show flats; the latter was inspired by hotel suites “where the spaces are open and interconnected, the lights are dim and the materials used to blend in seamlessly without causing a jarring contrast in the interior.”

Fuelled by a strong passion for design, Divya Anthony’s initial experience began in her youth when she helped run her family’s home furnishings store in the nineties. Culminating a wealth of experience in the interior design industry, Anthony worked on a number of hospitality projects and residential interiors while working for several firms before setting up one of her own.

Today, she is the founder of the Singapore-based interior consultancy studio, Antone by D, which specialises in bespoke luxury interior designs for homes. Fulfilling Anthony’s desire to create, it goes without a doubt that she gets empowered when discovering what her clients want and making each dream a reality. “I get butterflies in my stomach when approached with a new project brief because homes are personal and private spaces,” she admits. “It’s about engaging the senses and offering an experience as the user journeys through them. It is also a collaborative journey for my clients as much as it is for me.”

Perfecting her skills in the industry for the last two decades, Anthony finds greater meaning as she continues to grow and evolve into an informed leader and interior designer. “My journey has taught me to be adaptable to changes and be fast on my feet to adapt and improvise; there is never a dull moment,” she says. “Being a female entrepreneur and leader in my area of expertise has its own set of challenges as you wear many different hats like all leaders need to, but I take both the good and bad all in stride.”

Beyond giving homes a personal flair, she still takes on bespoke interior design projects of interest. This includes the revamped design of an office in River Valley inspired by the comforts of luxurious residences and five-star hotels. “The client’s brief was to give him a space where he could entertain his clients, one that did not look like an office but more like an actual home that also represented his lifestyle and love of hosting,” she says. The project at the 1,580 sq ft property took four months to complete and featured understated textures and elegant details for a refined look.

When it comes to being creative as an interior designer, Shermaine Maena Ong of Mosh Interior believes that there are a few rules to abide by—despite the nature of design as a form of art. “Many people will think being creative needs to be trendy, colorful, or extravagant, but I think it is about making something timeless or providing an elegant solution to the end user,” shares Ong. “There needs to be a process, and you need to have the right mindset when solving someone’s problem. It is to think within the box to make my work functional yet aesthetically pleasing. Having a good mix of form, function, and the homeowner’s expectation in mind to create a satisfying experience and a great final product.”

Much like most designers, Ong’s road to success was not a breeze. In fact, she shares it was a testament to her persistence and adaptability after “learning from many mistakes” and having the chance to “have a good mentor in a later stage of my career who helped me change my perspective of interior design.”

“After setting up my own design firm, I needed to build my skills and even, had to learn accounting, marketing, digital marketing, human resource and even, business law which is not my forte—till today, I continue to upgrade myself when there are workshops and seminars,” she recalls over her humble beginnings as the founder of Mosh Interior. “Over the years, I also realised as a designer managing our project well is not enough and that we need to be able to communicate better so as to manage the client’s expectations and desires. But at the end of the day, I do find my job to be rewarding especially when I have returning clients who would like us to work on their second house or when my published works are appreciated by others.” 

With over two decades of experience in architectural and interior design projects, Ong has been able to craft welcoming interiors in several luxury abodes in Singapore, such as the apartments within South Beach Residences and Nassim Park Residences and houses such as a landed property project in Jalan Kathi.

Inspired by glamourous fashion houses and the art-deco design style, it is fair to say that Angela Lim of SuMisura certainly has a flair for imagining bold and charming visions in the residential and show flat projects she undertakes in Asia. Being in the industry more than a decade, Lim became motivated to start her own design studio after crossing paths with many great designers. “I always felt that I could take all that I have learned, and amalgamate them to another level, if given the creative freedom,” shares Lim.

Establishing SuMisura in 2009, the co-founder has since felt grateful to share her expertise in design among numerous bespoke interior projects in homes across countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. “My clients have also given me much encouragement, for me to want to stay a designer,” quips Lim. “For many intelligent, experienced business people, creative ideas they’ve never seen before can be unsettling as they have no basis for judgement. My novel ideas and bold design choices can be hard to take in sometimes, but clients have often allowed me to express myself and maximise the design potential of any space.”

Lim has also been behind the design of numerous inspiring award-winning properties. For instance, the South Beach Residences in Singapore, received the title of Readers’ Choice: Best Bespoke Concept in the prestigious Tatler Homes Design Awards 2022. Other noteworthy projects that have clinched several awards recently include SuMisura’s 3 Orchard By-the-Park penthouse in Singapore and the Le Nouvel KLCC in Kuala Lumpur. In 2015, Lim was also named one of the top 50 most influential local design tastemakers by Tatler Homes Singapore.

Beyond custom interiors, Lim designs furniture for the firm’s sister company, SuMisura Petite, that includes a range of exquisite chandeliers, pendant lights, table lamps, wall lamps, console lamps, floor lamps, and decor designed for luxury homes.

A trailblazer in her own right, Terri Tan, design director of Designworx Interior Consultant, has remained steadfast in her mission of crafting beautiful interiors that can shape offices, show flats, landed residences, retail spaces, hotels, institutions, and mixed developments. “There were not many established boutique interior design houses with female principals when we started in 1998,” reflects Tan on her design firm’s beginnings. “As we journey into our quarter-century anniversary soon, it is most encouraging and heart-warming to see more talented female lead designers in the interior field.”

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The Singapore-based interior design company continues to make a name for itself with Tan’s recipe of designing with intention and close collaboration with clients. “Designing interiors is all about creating a space to enhance and elaborate on the story the client wants to tell,” she says matter-of-factly. “Whether it is an office or a residential space, the interiors should relate to the clients’ principles, experiences, and personalities and what they wish to accomplish with the space.”

A recent instance of Tan’s creative genius is seen in the firm’s Good Class Bungalow project in the Bukit Timah neighbourhood. Renovated as a modern family home for jovial gatherings, the luxury property exudes timeless elegance while keeping feng shui requirements in mind. Living spaces throughout the 12,387 sq ft abode maintain a calming and clean-lined look with a palette consisting of white, light, and neutral hues.

Creating luxurious spaces is the name of the game for seasoned interior designer Karen Gan. With over 20 years of experience in her arsenal, she founded design consultancy KGID with her husband, Kelvin Gan, as they shared the desire to realise bespoke yet stylish interiors for commercial properties, showrooms, and homes in Singapore.

While Gan is fondly known for her contemporary and impactful designs, she also remains a true advocate of fostering strong client-designer relationships as she believes it can offer up some of the best results: “I am always inspired by my clients’ stories and their lifestyles. It is so important to be open to hearing their ideas and discovering their needs to develop great ideas. From there, I can translate their thoughts into the final design so that we can achieve our goals and vision.”

Due to her innate passion and confidence seen in her elegant yet multifaceted interiors, it is no wonder that she has garnered the loyalty of many clients. The Eave House project, for example, was done for returning clients who wanted to create a family-friendly abode together with KGID, following the prior renovation of their former house that the power couple had previously designed. “This was the second home we had worked on for the client, and we enjoyed their trust and were given a lot of freedom with the design,” shares the designer with pride.

Leading her eponymous design firm, Isabelle Miaja’s open-minded attitude and passion for interior design has truly brought her ultimate success. With over two decades of experience, she has been able to record a strong international portfolio of clients within the spaces of luxury hotels and residences—but her creative approach is uniquely a philosophical one.

“German philosopher Immanuel Kant conceived of an artistic mind as an innate capacity to produce works of ‘exemplary originality’ through the free play of the imagination; a process which does not consist in following rules, can neither be learned nor taught, and I totally agree with his philosophy,” shares Miaja. “My personal quest consists of creating unique projects that reflect the person, place and purpose.”

While Miaja is shaping the future for the female designers today, Miaja admits that she had difficulty starting out in the industry when she felt out of place from the industry’s “boy’s club” at meetings or on construction sites. 

“When I was younger, at the beginning of my career, I never had the consciousness of being a leader or understood that role and instead did my work with my head down, responsibly handling one project at a time,” she reflects. “I did face those moments where I felt my gender made a difference and while it was difficult, I never dwelled on it long enough to feel victimised since I learned how to be resilient from my mother and come from a hardworking family of leaders.”

It is also safe to say that she walks the talk and this is evident with the numerous award-winning designs and spaces she has created. The work she is most proud of currently is her recent project the JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa which borrows design inspiration “from nature and fauna with a distinct emphasis on organic elements, clean lines, and modernity.”

In Jennifer Murray’s opinion, there are three qualities to describe a successful leader: “open communication, passion, and curiosity.” 

Spearheading the multidisciplinary design studio, Evocateurs, the creative director continues to be a strong force in the industry with services such as interior design, branding, and consultancy. In a broader picture, Murray also believes that the company can create sensory experiences and solutions throughout residential, commercial, retail, and sales gallery projects.

“My creative philosophy is to start with a question, not what you feel is the solution, and really delving into the design to understand the users and their needs,” shares Murray. “I tend to get asked why design can be so influential. I feel it’s because design informs and delivers a message, tells a story, and ignites our curiosity.” 

Murray has also been part of several luxury interior design projects such as rooftop fine dining restaurant Vue and recently, a five-bedroom private residence in Keppel Bay that features calming yet restorative interiors designed in warm neutrals and stunning golden details and boasts picturesque waterfront views. 

After being in architecture and interior design for around eighteen years, Murray has truly honed in on her practice and leadership skills. “My process is now more crafted, infusing and engaging the five senses; to create intrigue and excitement through a heightened anticipation of what is possible within the design world environment,” reflects the interior designer on her career trajectory.

Imaginative and whimsical, there is never a dull moment when coming across the multi-sensorial designs of Nikki Hunt. The principal designer behind homegrown practice, Design Intervention, Hunt has never stopped in her mission of creating exceptional luxury homes that are liveable and spark joy.

Originally from the United Kingdom, the English designer first relocated to Asia in the nineties to pursue a career in finance with her background in economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. After living in Hong Kong and Jakarta, she settled down in Singapore where she then let her creative journey take flight and realised interior design firm, Design Intervention in 2004.

Today, Hunt has become an award-winning designer and has notably clinched the award for Best House (Interior Design): Design Intervention at the Tatler Homes Design Awards in 2022. The shophouse imbues a maximalist spirit with its bold use of black and white and rich application of golden accents.  

She is also passing the baton to fellows in the local design community by providing talks to aspiring designers and organising several editions of the Young Designer Award, an annual competition that welcomes entries from students studying in interior design courses at tertiary institutions in Singapore.

Acclaimed for her distinctive yet modern style, Hilary Loh of 2nd Edition continues to have a stronghold in the local interior design scene with the universes she creates in luxury homes and commercial projects in Singapore.

The design director has gained a following in the local scene with the elegant flair and creativity she brings to show units, such as the South Beach Residences in Singapore. “The theme for South Beach Residences is ‘city living from day to night’. To differentiate the two units, we adopted this concept to showcase how there can be two sides of the same coin,” says Loh on the project. “The ‘Day’ concept utilises a soft palette of colours, paired with elegant curves. The ‘Night’ concept highlights darker, bolder tones and plush materials.”
 

For the luxurious Ki Residences showroom, 2nd Edition bagged the award for the Best Show Unit - Readers’ Choice category at the Tatler Homes Design Awards 2022.

“For us, Japanese-inspired modern living incorporates modern sensibilities and elements into traditional Japanese design foundations,” explains Loh, commenting on the project concept. “This makes Japanese design principles more palatable to current tastes and trends required by the market.”

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