Charting The Path to Success: Session Three of ‘Deep Dive in Design’ with Kelley Cheng

This month, we welcomed back Kelley Cheng of Studio SML for the third round of Deep Dive in Design at Cosentino City Singapore, and just in time to fall in during Singapore Design week 2024! Organised by DesignSingapore Council, this year's theme is “People of Design,” linking perfectly with the talk’s topic ”I Will Survive!” where Kelley discussed with our esteemed panellist thought provoking ideas and experiences about their own personal design journeys.

This session's topic, titled “I Will Survive!,” discussed the issues that small design studios face, the changes and strategies that were necessary for survival amidst the unrelenting, constant changes affecting business operations, from the rise in manpower costs, to the evolving mindset of the younger generation workforce. A special thanks again to Kelley Cheng, Founder of The Press Room and President’s Design Award Recipient, for hosting another thought-provoking and valuable session which proved to be a great learning ground for the architecture and design community.

The panel guests for this session included husband and wife team Lam Jun Nan and Jax Tan from Open Studio, and Dennis Cheok and Mark Mah of UPSTRS_.

During their unfiltered sharing session and panel discussion, the designers shared their personal and professional struggles from the early days to today, where they have carved an identity for themselves and their studios.

Lessons Learned from the Early Years

The mindset of the founders of both Open Studio and UPSTRS_, shared the same “roll up your sleeves and commit” attitude that many other dreamers who boldly embark on the startup universe also can relate to. That is until financial constraints, limited resources, and slow pace of incoming projects presented a stark contrast to the orderly, predictable rhythm of a salaried employee. Thrilling as it may be, the chaos and uncertainty of running a business is fraught with limitations and financial icebergs. 

Despite these limitations, the speakers managed to set themselves apart from competitors, driven by an unwavering commitment to creating only the best spatial interior spaces, constantly challenging themselves to think out of the box, do better and more. For the team at UPSTRS_, the recognition came in the form of media publicity of the very first project they completed - N. Tyler Flagship inaugural concept boutique, a local Savile-Row inspired bespoke menswear label, which opened doors for them. At Open Studio, having an office address at the hip Teo Hong Road was the accidental strategic business decision which worked like a charm in making the right first impression. It lent prestige and credibility to the fresh-faced studio.

Evolution & Revolution

While the two studios have found success with an expanded team, the problem-solving continues as they navigate the next phase of growth with a different set of challenges. Every decision, every allocation of resources had to be meticulously weighed against its potential return on investment. The speakers concurred that building a network of professional contacts from different fields have proved useful in building their presence.

Businesses, both small and large, need to balance the founders’ aspirations and ambitions with the practical realities of external factors such as manpower crunch. The team at Open Studio has gone beyond spatial design to include branding identity, material experimentation and architectural services. At UPSTRS_, they’re embarking on a rebranding exercise that better represents their multidisciplinary expertise

The Deep Dive in Design series runs quarterly hosted at Cosentino City, with one final talk happening at the end of the year. Cosentino consistently aims to provide resources and platforms that enable professionals to advance themselves and discuss industry related topics. One of these efforts includes hosting events and discussions such as Deep Dive in Design. Cosentino strives to create a setting where people from the design industry can gather to share their work, opinions, issues, and solutions with one another. 

Stay tuned for more Information about the final session of Deep Dive in Design in time to come. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.