JUN Ong and Kyle E, co-founders of POW Ideas, seemed to have mastered their flair for thought-provoking art installations in a short amount of time. In fact, the design duo has worked across a wide range of projects since the firm’s inception in 2015, combining aesthetics with functionality.
From the Miami-inspired pink-hued poolside of Kuala Lumpur Journal Hotel Swimming Club to the eye-popping Merchant’s Lane in Chinatown, the pair has earned several prominent clients and a significant amount of attention on social media for their sophisticated concepts.
“Though it is a bonus to be featured on Instagram, it is not our main priority. Instead, we spent our time focusing more on coming up with ideas and concepts for our projects,” says Ong who furthered his studies in London. Before becoming the founders, Ong and Kyle were classmates in the architectural programme at a local private university.
Kyle who went on to pursue his studies in Melbourne agreed to join Ong for their first assignment together. It was only until its completion, that the group was formed. “Although we did not set out to be interior designers initially, we always had a strong passion for art and design. We believe it comes in various forms and since we were getting many opportunities, we decided to pursue it,” says Kyle.
Walk us through your creative process.
Ong: I think for us it starts out with the brief, especially since we do not have a particular style or aesthetic that we imposed on any of our projects. Hence, it usually starts out with the brief and what the clients want and the context of the project. Is it in a back lane or a house?
Once understanding all of these, we bring all of these together to fit into what the clients truly need. In fact, if you were to look at the range of projects, there is no particular style and our clients like that. So, essentially it is about bringing out the essence of each project.
Do you keep up with the latest trends for inspiration?
Kyle: We do not like the word trend because we think it is fashionable as its ages. And it does not age well. So, to us, good designs are everlasting, not trendy. So, where we get our inspiration really depends on the brief. We are quite particular about what the project is about or where is it located.
And usually, we like to find the quirks in everything. There is always something that we like to harness on. Things that are not particularly the main focus. So, there is where we get our inspiration from.
What is a project that you are most proud of and why?
Ong: I would say Merchant’s Lane because it is the genesis of our ideas. That is the project that got us rolling. At that point, we did not even think that we would even start POW Ideas. We had our own jobs; our projects and it was kind of an experiment. And that really started the ball rolling. It was not something we would do now but it was very verse – the colours, the adaptive use of the ideas, the plants and the Malaysian culture aspect to it.
What has been the biggest challenge and how have you overcome it?
Kyle: I think it would be Covid-19 and we have been managing it by being very careful in terms of money. And unlike many other interior designers, we like
to have a very robust contract – to prevent people from ditching the project halfway. Especially in today’s day and age, there are quite a few people
who do not know how to honour an agreement.
Ong: With a smaller set-up like us, people have a tendency of taking advantage of us. So, this is our way of making a stand as we believe even the smallest ideas have value to them regardless of their background. Aside from this, we are also slowly getting used to working from home. Though it is not easy to work virtually, we are slowly learning to adapt to these circumstances.
Any piece of advice for aspiring designers?
Kyle: I think to not limit yourself to just interior designing. I think this is a common practice among designers – to limit yourself to just your field and that is where it becomes limiting. So, I think my advice would be aspire beyond that. There is a lot of things that you can do with the skills that you have.
