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An interview with Insight School alumni & interior designer Amrita Khanna

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We love hearing our student’s stories – their life and journey before studying with us and some of their successes after graduating. This month we spoke with Amrita Khanna, founder of interior design company Zip Code 888 and graduate of the Certificate in Residential Interior Design course. The talented interior designer and mother of 3 shares her story with us.

What is your background? What were you doing before coming to Insight School of Interior Design?
I grew up constantly surrounded by art as my mother is a fine artist herself as well as a patron of fine arts and she introduced me to the works of many great artists. I decided to pursue art in the form of textile design which I studied for 3 years with a major in the art of fabric weaving and then went on to work in the fashion industry with some notable garment buying houses that supplied design ideas and created garments for the likes of Karen Millen, Eddie Bauer, Monsoon and NEXT to name a few. Three gorgeous kids tore me away from work and I took a break to be a full time mom until Insight School happened to me!

Image: Concept board for Tai Tam apartment

What did you study at Insight School and what key skills did you learn?
I chose to study the Certificate in Residential Interior Design course at Insight School. In my opinion the school equipped me very well to deal with pressures, time lines and demands of the world of interiors. Just a few of the most important takeaways that have really helped me in my projects are that a good designer needs to be a psychologist to understand the needs of the client, you need to be able to create for the client a space that they envision but by using your aesthetic and not execute your own version of what is good design.

Another immensely valuable skill I learnt is that when you follow the steps and stages of the creative process that the school teaches you the design you create is very unique and evolved.

Image: Living room furniture board for Tai Tam apartment

Where are you working now?
After graduating from Insight School i knew I wanted to immerse myself in interior design and this led me to starting my own company “Zip Code 888”. I didn’t want the company to come across as intimidating but rather as fun catchy and approachable, with a nod to chinese tradition where the number 8 is believed to be lucky and auspicious.

My company logo is a stylized version of the cherner chair, symbolizing beauty with functionality and classic style which echoes the mission statement of Zipcode 888, to create beautiful functional classic spaces within any budget.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in starting your new career?
I’d say one of the biggest challenges has been to try and do something different with each project and another is to get to the point in your relationship with the client where they trust your judgement and are willing to go out of their comfort zone.

What is the big project you are working on right now/or just completed?
I have finished styling and decorating an apartment which got featured in the SCMP and Todays living Magazine last year. After this I completed a styling/ upgrade of a living room and balcony. These are both featured on my website zipcode888.com. And I am now starting work on other projects.

How do you stay current in the industry? What newsletters/blogs/social media tools do you read each week?
To stay current I subscribe to Design Anthology and Home Journal Magazines, follow a lot of my favorite designers on Instagram, and our art history course at Insight School got me very keenly interested in decorative arts and I invest in a collectible book each month on different topics the history of furniture.

Image: Dining room of Tai Tam apartment

Can you give any advice to students looking to start a new career in the Interior Design industry?
I would say you’ve already taken the right first step by formally educating yourself in design at Insight School. There will be hurdles to overcome but you have the foundation, it’s up to you to keep the momentum going and keep learning. I have realized that my design is constantly evolving, influenced by things that inspire and amaze!

Amrita studied the Certificate of Residential Interior Design at Insight School. Part time and full time courses start 11 September 2017. Only a few spots left, so call today to find out more or to reserve your place.

Craftsmanship honoured at Insight School: Atelier Brugier.

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At Insight School we want our students to have their eyes open to the world of craftsmanship. So we asked Nicole Brugier, owner of one of the most renowned lacquer workshop in Paris to give a lecture to our lucky students.

Lacquerware takes its roots in China more than 3000 years ago. From the 17th century, cabinets, chests and screens were imported to Europe. Lacquer technique has evolved since then and few studios master its every secrets like Ateliers Brugier.

The Ateliers restore pieces of furniture for private collectors (pieces from Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Jean Dunand or Eileen Gray). Museums like the Louvre, Musée des Arts Décoratifs or the Château of Versailles also feature in their customer base.

Their knowledge and lacquering expertise have led famous interior designers such as Peter Marino or Herve Van Der Straten to require their services for custom made pieces of furniture or wall panels.

Ateliers Brugier are most famous for works with Coromandel screens. A Coromandel screen is a Chinese wooden folding screen coated in dark lacquer that is carved before being painted.

12 panels Coromandel lacquer screen.1693.China

The famous fashion designer Coco Chanel was an keen collector of Chinese folding screens, especially the Coromandel, and is believed to have owned 32 folding screens eight of which were housed in her apartment in Paris.

Nicole Brugier was in Hong kong to present the extraordinary twelve panels Coromandel lacquer screen at Fine Art Asia, a leading international fine art fair. A growing number of Chinese collectors are now casting their eyes on these treasures.

 

Last July, Insight students had the opportunity to discover Nicole’s Brugier Ateliers in Paris during our “Paris design trip”. They met the craftsmen who shared their knowledge with them.

Thanks to its links to key industry players, Insight school of Interior Design is proud to offer both an inspirational and practical learning environment !

INSIGHT DESIGN SCHOOL IN TIME OUT HONG KONG

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Insight design school has opened its doors in newly renovated premises in Chai Wan . See what Time our Hong Kong has to say :

Insight design school in Chai Wan: the eastern creative hub is getting even cooler

East of Central’s white cube spaces and Wong Chuk Hang’s hip workshops, a quirky creative village is forming in Chai Wan. Ysabelle Cheung drops into the area to check out recently opened spaces

Insight Interior Design School

Insight design school Hong Kong

In a photogenic, yet space-constrained city where every square foot counts, conscious interior design can have a rejuvenative effect. Interior design programmes, however, are few and far between in Hong Kong, something Parisian designer Eve Mercier discovered when she moved to the city with her family. To remedy that problem, Mercier opened up the city’s first interior design school earlier this year. “Speaking with architects and designers, they all told me one thing – that there are lots of projects in the region but very few properly trained interior designers,” says Mercier.

The naturally lit space segues into several compartmented areas: three classrooms, a lighting showcase room, a study room, a pantry and an office. Offering a variety of courses, from the popular Designing for Small Spaces to a one-year intensive diploma programme, Insight design school selects esteemed specialists to tutor the students. Currently, there are eight full-time tutors (including Mercier), who all come from backgrounds in architecture, textiles, lighting and more. “I really want to be very thorough in terms of interior architecture – fabric and furniture, history of style, lighting, sustainable design,” says Mercier. Visiting mentors include GOD designer Douglas Young and Joyce Wang, who designed AMMO restaurant at the Asia Society. Although still young, Insight has already drawn interest from students of all backgrounds and Mercier is hoping to move forward with more courses, all tailored to ensure the students are equipped with real-life practical skills, as well as an open mind. “[Interior design] is just a matter of being able to deconstruct and not be afraid of thinking differently,” she says. “An eye for design has to do with the curiosity of a person, not necessarily just with knowledge.”

24/F, Federal Ctr, 77 Sheung On St, Chai Wan; insightschoolhk.com.

Article’s source : Time Out Hong Kong, Insight design school Hong Kong.