How Interior Designer Beam Ker Seeks Inspiration From Her Travels

The co-founder of Singapore design firm Luxur enjoys bringing together cultural influences from all over the world

Beam Ker, director and co-founder of Luxur, is a wayfarer in the truest sense. She globe-trots whenever she can, drawing inspiration from her travels. “Culture has a big impact on design,” says Ker, who enjoys backpacking and chatting with the locals and people from all walks of life.

The firm, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, services residential and commercial clients in Singapore and Malaysia. Besides travel, Ker is also inspired by her passion for art and design. This love of the arts sparked her decision to start a gallery within her office; here, she discusses her design approach and future plans for the firm.

Above The interior designer crafted an Asian-influenced look for dining room, which pairs rounded proportions—traditionally considered auspicious in Chinese culture—with a modern interior scheme

Above This home features a courtyard with a green wall inspired by both fengshui principles and European courtyards

How did you become an interior designer?
Beam Ker (BK) I studied in Australia and became a registered architect there. I worked on many interior design projects in my early years, so I get to practice both skills, which really comes in handy on projects that involve architecture and interiors. This has made my career much more fun and diverse.

What are your firm's guiding principles?
BK To be creative, adventurous and honest; we often encourage local clients to be more adventurous when it comes to design. This approach has turned many of our clients into our friends, and they have recommended us to their friends.

Above The open-plan living room of this house was designed to create a variety of social spaces for the family

Tell us about your most memorable project.
BK If I had to name just one, I would pick the first overseas project we worked on, in Malaysia. This was our first villa project outside of Singapore and due to its scale, we worked on the design and planning of it for two years. The client was open to various ideas, and we managed to incorporate lots of different styles into the home to suit the individual needs of the inhabitants. To top it off, we also won an award for it!

What are your sources of inspiration?
BK These can be very wide-ranging, from travel and photography to books, fashion and movies. They can even come from my young nieces and nephews. They are pure and innocent creators with no restrictions or limitations when it comes to their imagination. People like us, who have been working in the industry for a long time, can sometimes lose our child-like curiosity along the way, as we are trained to be so practical, which can kill creativity.

Above Beam Ker, co-founder of local interior design firm Luxur. Portrait photography: Benny Loh, assisted by Samuel Gan

What does luxury mean to you?
BK Luxury in a physical sense refers to material items, but in cities like Singapore and Hong Kong, space can also be a luxury. I also believe luxury can refer to the collective spirit, moral values and beliefs of a person—this can shape your visual perception (of the world).

What's on the cards for Luxur?
BK We would like to work on more overseas projects. We just won a project in the Middle East for a 25,000sqft villa. We also want to diversify our business; we’re thinking of setting up a gallery in our office to display the work of local artists and offer the space for events such as painting classes. It’s one way of bringing people who love art, culture and design together.

Topics

beam ker luxur interior design decor architecture

Tatler Asia

How Interior Designer Beam Ker Seeks Inspiration From Her Travels