Meaningful Spaces

With a specialisation in refined yet functional family homes, interior designer Stacey Leong reveals how she infuses abodes with warmth, tactility and personality, all the while evoking timelessness and a luxurious appeal

- YAIZA CANOPOLI

Interior designer Stacey Leong launched her eponymous studio when she noticed a gap in the market—the result of “several failed attempts at finding an interior designer who understood how to design crisp, beautiful and functional spaces that worked for a young family”. Her studio now specialises in precisely this: refined, timeless and practical homes perfect for family living, driven by the search for a deeper meaning of home within the four walls of a house. The spaces she crafts tell a story, weaving connections between people and materiality, and integrating intangible memories and lived experiences into a space. In her own words: “Good design is nuanced and sensitive, smart but not lofty, simple yet never basic.” We caught up with Leong to find out more about her design philosophy, her approach to selecting furnishings for interiors, and her prized advice for designing remarkable spaces.

CARVING SPACES

Introducing a play of light and shadow, moulding connections between areas, and defining ergonomic zones that encourage circulation and rest—these are some of Leong's key priorities when approaching a residential project. The designer often works creatively with doors and dividers to achieve these effects.

“Our best work is always a strong study of proportions, negative space, lighting, and unexpected textures and materials,” she shares. When it's artificial light she's working with, one of her go-tos is the Moooi Meshmatics chandelier from Space Furniture. Designed by Rick Tegelaar, it is a lighting fixture she never tires of. A classic Flos light is her alternative recommendation.