< STUDIO
Profile | A Conversation with
Terence Neo
Founder of EightyTwo
Representative Member of Interior Design Confederation Singapore
With more than a decade of experience in interior design, Terence does not believe in being boxed in by labels and conventions. He set out to change the public's perception of interior design when he started EightyTwo by going against industry conventions, focusing on design so that others would accord more respect to the trade.
To him, the hallmark of a good designer is his fluidity and dynamic ability in melding a client’s needs with his own professionalism and creativity to manifest ideas into reality.
He fully subscribes to Eames saying – “The details are not details. They make the design”- a subtle splash of colour, playful combination of textures, careful selection of materials, or thoughtful little touches to enhance ergonomics – the harmonious amalgamation of such details, together with efficient space planning, can make the fullest spaces come to life.
While interior design is his passion, he is also ardent in his drive to nurture a team of humble, like-minded designers who are serious about elevating interior design into a respectable art form and profession.
A Decade of Design Excellence
EightyTwo was founded based on our deeply rooted passions in designs, our desire to defy conventions and to create a difference in the industry. For the most part, our longevity and success really came from our clients who believed in us and allowed us to achieve this success through their trust.
The key to building this trust really is in the spirit of collaboration with our clients. And in the last decade, we have accumulated quite a few really good clients, especially those who endured the Covid pandemic in 2020 together with us. This year, given the re-stabilisation, we have big ambitions to roll out expansion plans into Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
This story originally appeared on A Design Conversation with Terence Neo X CDL
Noteworthy Project
Best Residential Design Private House in Interior Design Excellence Awards 2021
Exhibiting the purity of design with simplicity in form, Watten Residences was awarded the 12th Singapore Institute of Architectural Design Awards, recognised for its unique expression and exemplary design.
The living space is intricately detailed, with emphasis placed on materiality and bespoke elements. Embracing a refined and restrained aesthetic in designing this home, serene Japanese aesthetics were combined with Scandinavian functionality and minimalism. The design explores the idea that art and design are separate disciplines but also that art can be fused with everyday life. Beyond its understated luxuriousness, however, is evident incorporation of design elements that reflect the homeowners’ penchant for the arts and is full of creative expression and individuality.
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“My vision is to one day build a global team comprising humble, like-minded designers who regard interior design as an art and desire to elevate the profession. We’d all draw on one another’s experiences and cultures to broaden our design horizons.”
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A decade on, the founder of interior design firm EightyTwo is ready to look “beyond the horizon”. For Terence Neo, it’s a mix of all three. Demand for renovations dropped, and the pandemic forced him to postpone the long-awaited expansion of his Singapore-based interior design studio, EightyTwo, to Southeast Asian cities including Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, and Kuala Lumpur.
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“Our design scene is developing and a design culture is shaping as a result. To solidify an identity takes time and can only happen with more contributors in the scene. It requires more willingness for experimentation, more support to allow for failures, from which successes may emerge to define a language which we can call our identity.”