When did you first become interested in interior design? Kezia Karin laughed when asked this question. She was afraid that people would get bored with her answer. Understandably, she has been answering similar questions for almost two decades. However, for those of you who don't know Kezia Karin, it's time to get acquainted.
Since childhood, Kezia Karin has been immersed in design books, surrounded by architects and artists. All thanks to her parents' profession in architecture. She herself prefers to be an interior designer. "Because I don't want to be hot," she said with a smile when met by the editorial team. Written at booth TACO which he designed for Indobuildtech Part 2 exhibition in early August.
This practical reason did not mean that he could relax and not work hard. After college in Surabaya, he continued his internship at PTI Architects for 6 months, doing work for freelance for 2 years, until finally establishing his own design studio, Kezia Karin Studio.
What is the journey and thoughts of the recently awarded designer APSDA Young Designer of the Year this? Check it out in our conversation below
About the Journey as an Interior Designer
Written: Why did you finally decide to open your own studio?
Kezia Karin (KK): At that time, my reference was foreign design magazines. About 15-16 years ago, I noticed a significant difference between foreign magazines and local projects. Here, it seemed like the designs were the same. When I was studying in Surabaya, I was probably even more behind. At that time, designers were not yet valued. But the hope is that within 5-10 years our design industry can be catch up, and it turned out to be true.
I think the simplest designer is input must be equal to output. If you never fill your brain, never read, never see good designs, don't want to admit that other people's designs are better than ours, it's hard.
So when designing, it's actually (getting) the content out. library our brain. If we have a lot of content and richness, it can come out in all kinds of ways. We need to be open and not feel like we know everything. When we feel like we're already smart, that's when we become stuck.
Written: How do you approach each project?
KK: When I was in high school, I majored in science, so I was used to collecting data, reading data, and analyzing. I wouldn't be able to work if I didn't have any data because I wouldn't know where to start. What kind of client, timeline-what it's like, site and what the architecture is like. That data is very important.
The approach in terms of design is also different because I learned a lot from artists. So I see space as a work of art that we can use. The role of interiors is important to shape people's behavior in appreciating a good space. There is a close relationship between our behavior as a society and design. That's why our role as designers is big.
Written: How important do you think it is for a designer to have a certain character? How far has it been implemented in the project?
KK: Our design character changes with each project and we want it to be unrecognizable if possible. When people say that they didn't know this project was designed by Kezia Karin Studio (in a good connotation), it feels like we succeeded. We achieved our goal.
If you ask me what kind of character to build, how about self-character first and then design character? Many people ask me that question. My answer is always: if I limit myself and only want to work on style I feel a certain loss. I don't know how far I can go with my work.
So how important is personal taste My QC is not based on my taste. Pride me lies in the fact whether the client happy or not, the project was completed well or not, and the project was good in terms of design or not.
On International Recognition and the Importance of Cultural Implementation
Written: Can you tell us about the recent award?
KK: APSDA (Asia Pacific Space Designers Association) gave several awards. Two of our projects received 1 gold (Louis Vuitton Savoir Faire exhibition) and 1 bronze (House in Jakarta). But the proudest thing is the award Young Designer of the Year. When I got the information, I had to check with the committee if this was true.
Why is it so rewarding because it feels like someone thinks our work is right. It means we're already in track and can continue in the same direction. In the past, our designs were considered too idealistic, there were no market-her. When the design was demonized, I questioned myself: "do you wanna go there?”
Written: What about the activities at the Manila Interior Design Summit?
KK: I was invited to be one of the speakers. I shared the stage with Lyndon Neri, Jonathan Matti, and others. I shared about the collaboration between design and culture.
Why do we make so many references to Indonesian culture in our designs? What is the significance of taking references from culture, how to interpret it, and so on. We have to understand why we need to learn heritage and bring that into everyday design. We have to understand traditional houses, traditional fabrics, carvings, food, sandals, clothes, anything traditional.
Written: Why is bringing culture so important?
KK: If we can't make them relevant in our daily lives, one day they will just be references in books and disappear. We have to try our best to interpret whatever is traditional into our daily lives.
What's also very important, if we keep designing a house for example, after 5 years, it becomes ordinary. The living room has a sofa, chandelier, lamps, tables, and so on. If you don't put any meaning into it, it will just be space and furniture. And if you have to do that until old age, you'll be designing meaningless space for how long, 30 years? I don't think so.
Identity as a nation is important. If not, we can forget who we are. The goods are imported, the tastes are foreign, nothing is local. Of course, I can't apply this in all projects, but I will do my best. As much as I understand Indonesian culture, I think I only know 1%. The rest I still have to learn.
I feel that we are given different talents, and it would be a debt to me if I don't develop the talents that I have. Those who cook, cook well. Those who design, design well.
About TACO Booth Design at Indobuildtech Exhibition
Written: Can you tell us about the design booth This TACO?
KK: The design is layered to build curiosity. The frontmost area is the facade, which is inviting. The second layer designed darker is the discover and experience center. Here people can see the product and a little bit of the application form.
The innermost space is bright, so people will feel invited to enter. In this area everything is product application. Made as loungeThis is where TACO meets with its distributors. All TACO products are applied to tables, walls, light fixtures, cabinets, and more.
Written: What brief design provided from TACO?
KK: TACO let the idea go free. From ourselves, because last year booth-It has raised the concept of funthis year we want to look a little more high-end. I want to show that HPL is not just a replacement material, but has many uses.
Written: How long did it take to make and why did you want to collaborate with Taco again?
KK: The process took approximately 3 months. I felt that TACO had the ambition to introduce its products in an unconventional way and was always open to new ideas. That's where I felt I had a common wedge. So we wanted to create a new design.
