Summer 2019

107 Jun19237 Telling Inspirational Stories Through Design Based out of their offices in Singapore, Malaysia and China, SC+DC Pte Ltd (SCDC) is an award winning, multi-disciplinary design practice with a focus in ‘Omni Experience’ Designs and Private Residential projects. Named ‘Singapore's Most Innovative Interior Design Practice’ in the LUXlife 2019 Leading Designers programme, we spoke with Founder, Astley Ng to learn more about his work, inspirations and creative flair. “Design is intelligence made visible.” - Astley Ng Working predominantly across South East Asia, SCDC has built a reputation for creating spaces that challenge the very foundations and established paradigms of design. By approaching the firm’s projects from a more cerebral perspective, Astely Ng has forged an impressive and enviable position in an environment that is often challenging and unpredictable. No small achievement. Moreover, as Astley explains, SCDC’s recent successes have been built on the back of ‘heavyweight projects’, requiring an innovative flair combined with a skill for large-scale project management. “Of late, SCDC’s attention has been trained on projects like hotels, sales galleries, commercial malls and the like. However, as always, our design philosophy is a fusion of arts, design, culture, Feng Shui and sustainability. We believe design should not only be functional, but narrative – in that each space should tell a story.” This is perhaps not an entirely novel thought within high-end design, but nowhere is this inspiration been so internalised as with Astley’s work. Stories are, ultimately, the crux of his designs, and every space tells a very different story. Indeed, SCDC’s two focus lies on residential projects, which Astley has named “Life Stories”, and commercial projects, which he has called “Brand Stories”. “These distinct identities were created to accurately embody our design direction which offers a focus on building powerful experiences in the work we do. “Everyone is unique, and every home tells a unique life story. Well- designed homes should not only look good - they must exhibit characters and tell meaningful stories of their inhabitants. Stories of love, laughter and joy shared in a space that you call ‘home’.” On the commercial side, a business’s story is its brand , as Astley continues. “Branding a business is more than a logo or a sign. It is holistic and involves total involvement from marketing design, graphic design and interior design. A sustainable business practice must have a complete story with offers that cannot be refused and experiences that cannot be forgotten.” Moving onwards, Astley takes a moment to discuss one of the most prominent paradigms shifts on the greater design landscape – the growing role of online spaces and technological development in the entire design process. “In Asia we are seeing a huge shift in purchasing patterns. There is a lot of reliance on online research, hence why our company is taken to creating a strong online presence and identity.” Even here, Astley is hoping to tell a story, inviting clients through SCDC’s refined client-centric ethos and portfolio of work. “Design is also regarded as a luxury item of late. Mass middle income spending has dipped significantly in the three countries we work in. As such, we turned our attention to developments and commercial projects. This works to our advantage as well. Commercial projects tend to gain more attention, and contribute significantly to our portfolio growth,” Astley adds. Finally, Astley comments on the future of SCDC as they look to fully incorporate the business into the online space. “We are currently developing an online furniture purchasing platform. As we are regionally placed, we believe we can direct purchasing traffic to our platform. This is a direct and proactive approach to dealing with the emerging Gen Y purchasing power.” Schooled in Fine Arts & Interior Design, Astley Ng is an avid student of the arts, design, culture, Feng Shui and Sustainability. Armed with credentials in Feng Shui and sustainability in interior spaces from recognised institutions like Harvard, Singapore Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, the Singapore Feng Shui Centre and BCA Academy in Singapore, Astley gave life to SC+DC, a brainchild he has been incubating for almost a decade. Astley is of the faith that every space should tell a story birthed from meaningful experiences. Since heartfelt memories are not easily forgotten, the integration of clients’ stories and memories are an important ingredient in all his creations. Company: SC+DC Pte Ltd Name: Astley Ng Address: 57A Neil Road, Singapore Website: www.scdcasia.com Telephone: +65 8593 0418