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Living By Design
For interior designer Leonard Lee, each of his projects begins with a story. “I see design as a way of bringing people on an emotional journey,” says the regional managing director and creative officer for Asia-Pacific at interior architectural firm, Wilson Associates. Leonard has been with the company for nearly two decades, during which he has built an impressive portfolio of projects with big hospitality names such as The Ritz‑Carlton, Shangri-La, Capella and Conrad.
And like Italian carmaker Maserati, whose inventive designs exude both elegance and sportiness at once, Leonard seeks to challenge the status quo through his work. With hotels, for example, “it’s not about the start and end of a guest’s journey as much as it is about what happens in between”, he explains. “So what we try to do is change the hotel arrival experience by having guests walk through ‘activated’ lobby spaces. For instance, we may emphasise the lobby lounge and bar over the reception counter. This way, a guest’s first impression of the hotel is full of activity and vibrancy versus the traditional stagnant reception experience.” This, he notes, can be done by adding interesting features and touchpoints such as cafes and interactive wall art.
