AR-kee Design Studio Triumphs at MUSE Design Awards 2025
Won 8 MUSE Design Awards — 7 Silver, 1 Gold
We’re proud to announce that AR-kee Design Studio won seven Silver and one Gold awards at the 2025 MUSE Design Awards across multiple categories.
The MUSE Design Awards celebrate creative excellence and innovation in the global design industry, and this recognition affirms our belief that great design is as much about storytelling as it is about aesthetics and function.
Following our win, the MUSE Awards team sat down with us for an exclusive interview — speaking with our Co-Founder John Chan, Lead Designer Jasen Chia, and Interior Designer Ian Vong — to learn more about our design philosophy, creative journey, and what this milestone means for us.
Here’s a look at the full conversation.
Congratulations on winning the MUSE Design Awards! Can you introduce yourself and share what inspired you to pursue design as a career?
“My inspiration for design began with a fascination with colours and art, which gradually drew me deeper into the realm of design. Growing up, I was amazed at how a well-designed space could influence its users — whether uplifting them or unsettling them. I’m especially drawn to adaptive reuse, where old and traditional architecture, layered with heritage and stories, can be preserved and reinterpreted in a modern context. To me, design is about shaping human experiences — how light, material, and proportion can influence mood, behaviour, and even memory.”
What does being recognised in the MUSE Design Awards mean to you?
“It is both an honour and an affirmation. As designers, we constantly balance creativity with functionality, and dollars and cents versus innovation. Being recognized by MUSE validates that our narrative-driven design approach resonates not only with our clients but also with the wider global design community.”
How has this achievement impacted your career, team, or agency, and what opportunities has it brought so far?
“This award boosts our confidence and fuels our passion for design. It has amplified our visibility and credibility, opening doors to collaborations with like-minded partners. Most importantly, it has strengthened the confidence of our team, attracting clients who share our appreciation for meaningful, detail-rich design.”
What role does experimentation play in your creative process? Can you share an example?
“Experimentation is at the heart of innovation. For one of our clinic projects, we explored the idea of ‘laser light’ as both metaphor and architectural form — using sharp lines, reflective surfaces, and dynamic lighting to evoke a sense of renewal. The outcome redefined how medical spaces could look and feel, and that project won us the Gold Award.”
“Even smaller design gestures — like how a beam of light hits a textured wall, or how curved forms soften clinical spaces — often come from experimentation. Curiosity drives refinement.”
What’s the most unusual source of inspiration you’ve ever drawn from for a project?
“One project was inspired by philosophy and surrealism, where we explored holographic colours and exaggerated forms to express an obsession with perfection and beauty. It was a bold departure from convention, and that project went on to win the Silver Award.”
What’s one thing you wish more people understood about the design process?
“That great design isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s also a science of problem-solving. Every curve, joint, and material choice is deliberate, balancing practicality, regulation, cost, and narrative. Design is a constant negotiation between vision and constraints such as budget.”
How do you navigate the balance between meeting client expectations and staying true to your ideas?
“We treat design as a dialogue. Clients bring their aspirations, and we bring our expertise. By anchoring every discussion to the project’s core narrative, we ensure the client feels heard while the design remains authentic to our vision. This makes every project unique — customised for that client and never repeated.”
What were the challenges you faced while working on your award-winning design, and how did you overcome them?
“One of the main challenges was reconciling good design with the realities of budget, competition, and strict regulatory requirements. We overcame this by viewing constraints not as limitations but as opportunities to innovate and refine our approach until we found solutions that worked. Ironically, that strengthened the design.”
How do you recharge your creativity when you hit a creative block?
“I step away from the desk and immerse myself in other experiences. Travel, shopping, working out, or even a walk through nature or a museum can reset my perspective. Creativity thrives when you give it space to breathe.”
What personal values or experiences do you infuse into your designs?
“Storytelling and authenticity. I believe every space should tell a story — whether rooted in cultural heritage, client personality, or future aspirations. Growing up in a region rich with diverse architectural traditions, I naturally infuse my designs with a dialogue between old and new.”
What advice would you give to aspiring designers aiming for success?
“Success isn’t about designing for trends — it’s about designing with purpose and conviction. Be true to a concept narrative, and let each design carry meaning.”
If you could collaborate with any designer, past or present, who would it be and why?
“I would love to collaborate with Tadao Ando. His mastery of minimalist yet monumental spaces, his sensitivity to detail, and his ability to layer history, craft, and modernity into a single composition align closely with how we approach our projects at AR-kee.”
What’s one question you wish people would ask you about your work, and what’s your answer?
Q: How do you ensure your design is for me?
A: “By anchoring it to the client’s brief and the space itself rather than to a trend. Trends fade, but a design grounded in story — whether personal, lifestyle, or conceptual — retains meaning across time.”
Closing Thoughts
Winning eight awards at the MUSE Design Awards 2025 marks a significant milestone for AR-kee Design Studio — not only as recognition of our work, but as validation of our philosophy:
that design should connect people, place, and purpose through storytelling and authenticity.
At AR-kee, design is never just about form — it’s about feeling, function, and the future.
