What is the Young Designer Award?
Together with Houzz, we recognise Singapore's most promising future designers
The Young Designer Award is a competition held annually for future interior designers in Singapore. Students from design colleges such as Raffles College of Higher Education, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Institute of Technology and Temasek Polytechnic, vie for a cash prize, trophy and job offer (following graduation) from Design Intervention, plus $2,000 worth of design books for their school library, an iPad Pro from Houzz, and a one-year subscription to Home & Decor magazine.
Design Intervention’s International Property Award-winning interior design
First, a message for the students: Design matters, and you should be proud of your chosen field. I often meet people who regard design as frivolous – just another superficial way for rich people to show off their wealth. But design is far, far more than just assembling a selection of beautiful pieces. Good design can improve quality of life. Great design can affect mood. It can literally transform the way people feel. And there are few things more important than that.
I know that design is not a career that is actively encouraged by Asian parents. When I was the same age as these design students, I gave in to parental pressure and became a banker. I am sure many have faced the same pressure – Asian parents want their kids to be bankers, doctors, engineers, maybe an architect. To go home and tell your parents that you want to be an interior designer takes guts, guts and passion. And passion is exactly what is needed to succeed in this business. If you really love what you do, you will be successful.
First, a message for the students: Design matters, and you should be proud of your chosen field. I often meet people who regard design as frivolous – just another superficial way for rich people to show off their wealth. But design is far, far more than just assembling a selection of beautiful pieces. Good design can improve quality of life. Great design can affect mood. It can literally transform the way people feel. And there are few things more important than that.
I know that design is not a career that is actively encouraged by Asian parents. When I was the same age as these design students, I gave in to parental pressure and became a banker. I am sure many have faced the same pressure – Asian parents want their kids to be bankers, doctors, engineers, maybe an architect. To go home and tell your parents that you want to be an interior designer takes guts, guts and passion. And passion is exactly what is needed to succeed in this business. If you really love what you do, you will be successful.
Design Intervention’s Andrew Martin Interior Design Award-winning project
To parents, I have this message: Design can be a financially rewarding career as well. Human creativity cannot be replaced by robots… at least not yet! In fact, There has never been a better time to be a designer in Asia. This region has the fastest growing home improvement market in the world. It is now a bigger market than the USA, with far fewer design professionals. Last year, Asia-Pacific home improvement sales reached more than $100 billion!
To parents, I have this message: Design can be a financially rewarding career as well. Human creativity cannot be replaced by robots… at least not yet! In fact, There has never been a better time to be a designer in Asia. This region has the fastest growing home improvement market in the world. It is now a bigger market than the USA, with far fewer design professionals. Last year, Asia-Pacific home improvement sales reached more than $100 billion!
2016 Young Designer Award winner Aung Naing Linn (third from left) with Kissa Castañeda, strategic content director of Singapore Tatler Homes (left); Design Intervention’s Andrea Savage; Vinson Chua, senior assistant director and unit head for Sector Development at the DesignSingapore Council; Nikki Hunt; and Jason Chuck, managing director of Houzz Asia Pacific
I also have a message for the faculty members: When interns come to us, or when we hire fresh graduates, they have been trained well technically. But design is emotive, not rational – it is about creating a feeling. Technical skills are just tools that allow us to innovate. When I interview a fresh graduate, I will ask them what inspires them or who are the designers they admire most. There is no right or wrong answer to these questions, yet many students are unable to give an opinion. That is why, as well as giving a prize to the winner, we are giving a gift to the college who has nurtured today’s winner – wonderful design books that Andrea and I have carefully selected for your library. They show a variety of styles and celebrate the very best achievements in our industry.
I also have a message for the faculty members: When interns come to us, or when we hire fresh graduates, they have been trained well technically. But design is emotive, not rational – it is about creating a feeling. Technical skills are just tools that allow us to innovate. When I interview a fresh graduate, I will ask them what inspires them or who are the designers they admire most. There is no right or wrong answer to these questions, yet many students are unable to give an opinion. That is why, as well as giving a prize to the winner, we are giving a gift to the college who has nurtured today’s winner – wonderful design books that Andrea and I have carefully selected for your library. They show a variety of styles and celebrate the very best achievements in our industry.
Aung Naing Linn’s winning entry
Singapore has been good to Design Intervention and so if, in some small way, we can help inspire the next generation of Singapore designers, we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to be able to do so.
Singapore has been good to Design Intervention and so if, in some small way, we can help inspire the next generation of Singapore designers, we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to be able to do so.
2017’s Young Designer Award winner Simon Tan (fourth from right) from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with (from left) Andrea Savage, Houzz Singapore Editor Chiquit Torrente, Home & Decor Editor Young Lim, Nikki Hunt, Singapore Tatler Editor Kissa Castañeda; and Tan’s lecturers
Design by Simon Tan, grand prize winner for Young Designer Award 2017
Young Designer Award 2018 winner was Ryan Tan (fourth from left)
These are the future of our industry and the Young Designer Award is all about them, celebrating their creativity and enthusiasm, showcasing their work, and inspiring and giving them an insight into this industry that we love.
These are the future of our industry and the Young Designer Award is all about them, celebrating their creativity and enthusiasm, showcasing their work, and inspiring and giving them an insight into this industry that we love.
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This is the fourth year of the now annual Young Designer Award; and the second time that this student competition is incorporating a Voters’ Choice component with the Houzz community. It’s been eye-opening to see the Houzz community select a winner who is different from the grand prize winner selected by the jury panel.
I want to share why and how Design Intervention came to organise this competition among Singapore’s design schools.