SINGAPORE – Designer Jessica Wong, 37, who’s educated in structure, is the co-founder and director of latest Asian furnishings and homeware model Scene Shang.
Whereas on a design internship in Shanghai in 2007, she found a love of effective crafts that replicate Asian heritage and tradition. In 2013, she began Scene Shang with former non-public banker Pamela Ting, additionally 37. The model shuttered its flagship retailer in Seashore Highway and its boutique at Raffles Resort this 12 months, and not too long ago opened a 6,000 sq ft showroom within the Tai Seng industrial space.
Ms Wong’s heritage-inspired designs have garnered accolades – together with a particular commendation on the President’s Design Award 2014 and a silver prize on the Singapore Creator Awards 2019. She additionally served as an adjunct lecturer for design at Singapore Polytechnic from 2011 to 2016.
“Earlier than the Covid-19 pandemic struck, I needed to journey steadily to China and across the area for enterprise.
However when journey restrictions kicked in, I discovered myself appreciating having a weekend routine wherein time has slowed down a little bit.
My good weekend includes three facets – a little bit of time outside, time at residence and, most significantly, high quality time with associates, household and family members over shared actions comparable to home-cooked meals and laughter.
I really like out of doors actions comparable to climbing, fishing, kayaking and biking, which implies getting time away from the pc display. This is essential for me as a designer, because it retains my senses eager.
The pandemic has pressured me to hunt out lovely locations in Singapore, comparable to Thomson Nature Park, which, apart from having majestic tropical bushes, additionally has village ruins hidden within the woods.
I additionally take pleasure in spending time at residence in Tanjong Katong, protecting it tidy whereas I burn some incense or diffuse my favorite Scene Shang important oils.
The downtime permits me to potter about within the backyard, wash my patio and manicure my crops.
Lately, I went to Pulau Ubin for a tour of the mangroves on a kayak. I’ve all the time heard one may try this, however haven’t tried it till a good friend requested me to accompany her. It abruptly poured, so we needed to look ahead to the rain to cease earlier than persevering with in our kayaks.
Our information led us to a extremely lovely spot in Pulau Ubin when the rain subsided. It has a small physique of water surrounded by mangrove bushes. There have been just a few of us and the water was calm, because it was a standing tide, the place there was no change within the tides or the quantity of water.
The solar was gentle and shaded by the clouds, and it was so quiet, you would hear birdsong and refined sounds emitted by bugs.
I felt blessed to have the ability to take pleasure in this second of calm – actually ‘after the storm’ – and be healed by nature.”