Founded by interior architect Leslie Seow in 2016, Ensemble was built on the design principle of making life better. Over the past five years, the group has developed a reputation for evocative and sensorial spaces that are described by Seow as having a clear design language. “Spaces shouldn’t just be beautiful, our design solutions must be purposeful, have meaning and be sustainable,” Seow remarks. “Nothing should be frivolous”.
Ensemble’s interiors for apartment towers, hotels, restaurants and corporate headquarters have earned the practice recognition and awards, most recently an Honourable Mention in the Singapore Interior Design Awards for The Golden Duck. Despite it being a difficult year as design practices around the world navigated new ways of working, for Ensemble it was also a year that saw the studio hit a number of goals that included the completion of the high profile Eden project with UK practice Heatherwick Studio and Hong Kong's Swire Properties. The 20-storey residential skyscraper is a vibrant vertical additon to the garden city with interiors that open up to abundantly planted balconies and views over Singapore, and it was shortlisted in the 2020 Dezeen Design Awards. To find out more about Ensemble, More Space caught up with Leslie Seow to hear about the group’s philosophy, projects and what Seow describes as “Covid Ergonomics”, now an essential part of the studio's design vocabulary.
When did you launch Ensemble and what is the story behind the name?
Ensemble was formed back in 2016. The word ‘Ensemble’ is largely defined as a group of individuals who work together as a collective unit. This represented us perfectly, a group of interior designers coming together to create emotionally-charged environments.
Please tell us about your design philosophy and the kind of projects you like to take on.
Ensemble places a strong emphasis on good spatial quality and a clear design language as a catalyst to all our work. Spaces shouldn’t just be beautiful, our design solutions must be purposeful, have meaning and be sustainable. Nothing should be frivolous.
What is the best thing that has happened to your studio in 2020?
In early 2020, Eden, a residential development which we worked on with Heatherwick Studio and Swire Properties since 2016, was finally completed. A client based in Jakarta also engaged us for their son’s matrimonial home despite the current ban on travelling due to Covid-19. It feels reassuring to have our services rendered to a new generation and away from our home base. And in December our design for The Golden Duck’s retail kiosk in ION Orchard Mall and Changi Airport won an award from 620 entries across the Asia Pacific in the Singapore Interior Design Awards organised by the Society of Interior Designers Singapore.
"Ensemble places a strong emphasis on good spatial quality and a clear design language as a catalyst to all our work. Spaces shouldn’t just be beautiful, our design solutions must be purposeful, have meaning and be sustainable. Nothing should be frivolous."
Leslie Seow, Founder, Ensemble
Portrait of Leslie Seow, founder of Singapore-based design studio Ensemble.
The Babilou headquarters by Ensemble.
The dining area of the GCB project by Ensemble.
Sub Zero Wolf project by Ensemble.
The living area of the GCB project designed by Ensemble.
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The Golden Duck at Changi Airport by Ensemble received an Honourable Mention in the Singapore Interior Design Awards.
"The word ‘Ensemble’ is largely defined as a group of individuals who work together as a collective unit. This represented us perfectly, a group of interior designers coming together to create emotionally-charged environments."
Leslie Seow, Founder, Ensemble
In what ways has 2020 changed your practice?
Having to be physically apart was initially challenging for the team. Information, ideas and thoughts were not so easily exchanged. Misinterpretation and assumptions sometimes came from Zoom meetings, phone calls and text messages. It took us some time through trial and error to figure out the
best approach for effective communication. We are very fortunate that with half the team now able to work from the office (thanks to the containment of the virus by the Singapore government), we have settled into a formula that works for us. The same challenges apply to our relationship with our clients, where it's hard to read client nuances when we share proposals and ideas via Zoom. Communication is not as intuitive so the process takes longer.
The pandemic has given the design industry a lot to think about. How is it impacting your approach to design and what long term changes do you see?
For us, the biggest impact is still effective communication and our solution to this is still an ongoing process. The pandemic has not changed our design philosophy but instead added a new thought process, specifically in addressing safety measures in spaces as advised by the government. We are currently designing a new sales gallery for a residential development where we are introducing visual touchpoints that act as safety distance markers. This is now part of the design language and not seen as a temporary afterthought or a garish physical element. What we are calling ‘Covid Ergonomics’ has become part of our design vocabulary and we now apply this to all our projects.
What is on the drawing board for Ensemble in 2021?
We would like to continue working on making Ensemble a stronger and more effective team with our clients. We seek to be constantly challenged with exciting possibilities in creating spaces using new materials and to explore technology more thoroughly in our projects.
Thank you Leslie, it was good to talk with you.
