Interview with Darren Pirono

I chose to become a designer as I believe it is my calling, and through this, I could help make positive changes for my clients, resolve their needs and struggles, and create harmonious surroundings through the spatial quality that I made

I did choose to become a designer myself.

I designed various architectural and interior spaces for residential, office, commercial, hospitality, and industrial buildings. I want to venture more into commercial and mixed-use buildings as they cater to and significantly impact society and the surrounding neighborhood.

I would suggest that they first find their purpose for design and start walking the process with God. They should enjoy and work wholeheartedly in every stage of the design life, starting from school and ending in the professional phase, as all of the phases are blessings in this life.

I would say that as long as we care for other people and try to tackle all aspects of design problems given on a project in addition to just merely beautiful aesthetic design and focus on the importance of other people than of our own, we are more than a good or a great designer.

A really good design is much more than just a good-looking building. It needs to have a positive impact on the user and the surroundings.

A good design tackles the needs of the user and surroundings, as well as the current and future problems that might arise from it aside from just a good-looking building. It will save lots of costs and avoid unnecessary nuisances that could arise later on.

If I had time, I would design a public and social space to create a better place for them to do their activity through design, such as schools, co-working spaces, churches, gathering areas, kindergartens, and mixed-use buildings.

My dream project is to plan a city with a supertall skyscraper, which has motivated me to design since I was little.

It is to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, and all of these shall be added to you.

I do have broad designers to get inspired from and to study as precedents as they have their characteristics towards a design challenge, such as Kengo Kuma, Keiji Ashizawa, Fran Silvestre, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Woods Baggott, and many more.

Many designs have been my favorite, but most are Japanese designs, one of which is One Central Park Apartment, designed by Hiroshi Sugimoto. It's a tranquil Japanese-inspired space. The space is clean and straightforward, with just enough furniture or artwork to splash the spaces without making them plain or chaotic. The space has a poetic design and connects one place to another, like a storybook. Its precision and details is an excellent example of Japanese craftsmanship, and a great mutualism between the designers, clients, and the contractors.

The design that echoes the character and the needs of the client.

Design is to provide others with a solution by composing spaces with things that are accessible from our surroundings.

The obstacle is myself. But I decided to have faith in what He had promised me, that He is faithful enough to carry me into becoming a design master.

There are no guidelines on how designers should present their works, as their presentation is also part of the design. Designers will present however they like as long as it does not disturb the audience, creating a peaceful and harmonious environment for expression.

Many more exciting projects are currently and will be worked on. Notably, there are some residential and Hospitality projects. Stay tuned to Upper Room Collaborative Studio's Instagram page for future updates: @upperroom_studio

To give Glory to God through what I have designed.

Any projects that all parties are satisfied with.

It varies. Because each project has different needs, challenges, sizes, and uniqueness. Transparency in communication with all parties is critical to maintaining a good project delivery schedule.

I would start by praying and then meeting with the clients, gathering as much information as possible about the projects, both technical aspects and their life aspects, as this information will shape and create each project's uniqueness.

In everything you do, do it as if it is for God!

It is both ways, and it is a continuous cycle.

Technology helps a lot to visualize and shorten the design process, as well as helping to detect any problems that could be resolved before it get built.

We use PCs that support SketchUp, Cad Software, Lumion, and Adobe Software to accommodate our design process needs.

Think of a human as just a skeleton. It is a design without color, material, and ambient in design.

I believe in Co-design. In fact, I started my architecture company with a partner. It is a good way for us to give feedback to each other and understand our different backgrounds and approaches to design. In addition, even if we don't have a design partner, the way we interact with clients, vendors, and contractors is already a form of Co-design. Ideal design partners should have the same value and vision for a project.

All the people with whom I interacted influenced my design. Their stories or how they interacted gave me a different perspective and mindset on catering to them for my next or current design.

Those large, expensive, well-composed books of famous architecture and interior designers.

Patience. Practice. Observing. Learning.
Everywhere and every time.

Color: I like Blue, Black, and Wooden colors.
Place: Home
Food: Anything Noodles or Fried Chicken
Season: Fall and Spring
Things: Electronics, furniture, and Clothing
Brand: Anything Nice

No. I was thinking of design as my hobby. I like to draw and build my imaginary city with skyscrapers, taking inspiration from when traveling here and there. In fact, I wanted to become a pilot, but God has brought me into this field.

Established in 2020, upper room collaborative studio provides architecture and interior design service, where they focuses on residential, commercial, and hospitality projects. Our studio focuses on contemporary style simplicity with timeless and coherent design characteristics, where the design acts as a canvas that allows a custom environment for our occupants to express their life on their dwelling fabrics. We combine natural elements, cultural incorporation, materials, collaborations with occupants, and our partner's values and vision to create a built narrative through iterations of research and developments.

Design is to provide others with a solution by composing spaces with things that are accessible from our surroundings.

Anything Architectural and Interior designs, also a product that aids them.

Many designs have been my favorite, but most are Japanese; one is One Central Park Apartment, designed by Hiroshi Sugimoto. It's a tranquil Japanese-inspired space. The space is clean and straightforward, with just enough furniture or artwork to splash the spaces without making them plain or chaotic. The space has a poetic design and connects one place to another, like a storybook. Its precision and details are an excellent example of Japanese craftsmanship and a great mutualism between the designers, clients, and contractors.

I designed a small 3-bedroom apartment suite in Northern Jakarta.

I like to play between Wood, Glass, Metal, and anything kinetic.

I feel most creative, mainly during my relaxation time before sleep or leisure. I then make a quick sketch whenever the opportunity arises and use it for design ideas during office hours.

In architecture and interior design, we must go through and solve all design aspects during the process, as they are all interconnected and affect each other.

I don't know the exact word, but it is a mixed feeling of thrilled, excited, nervous, and a bit of adrenaline rush.

Of course, I would feel delighted and relieved. I then translated that into Thanksgiving.

When the design focuses more on tackling all aspects of the design problems, all parties are satisfied with and make an impact on the society, environment, and places it is built. The most important is when the design is less about you than others.

As designers, we should create, educate, and maintain our designs so that they do not harm society and the environment in which they are placed.

My designs are heavily influenced by simple geometry and Japanese craftsmanship. The design should act as a canvas to accommodate the client's needs; It should not have overpowered them. When beginning a design, a detailed interview with a client is essential as it will shape the final design product.

I live in Jakarta, Indonesia. The cultural heritage heavily affects my design process; aside from traditional culture, the world culture brought here also plays a big role. The pros are the chance is significant as it is a growing metropolis. The cons are that design services are still undervalued.

I started with prayer and self-bible study and began working out on some days. I went to the office, followed up on work, discussed internal meetings, and then periodically attended client meetings and site visits on a project. I went home, had some time with my family, refreshed for a while, and ended my day with a short Thanksgiving prayer before going to sleep.

I would suggest they find their design purpose and start walking the process with God. They should enjoy and work wholeheartedly in every stage of the design life, starting from school and ending in the professional phase, as all of the phases are blessings in this life.

In everything you design, do it as if it is for God!

Any management, especially time management, and communication with all parties involved.

To accommodate the design process's needs, I use PCs that support SketchUp, Cad Software, Lumion, and Adobe Software, as well as large, expensive, well-composed books by famous architecture and interior designers.

Schedule and Time Management are essential. Be disciplined and set a designated time when it is time to rest—you have to sleep—and when it is time to design, start to design.

It varies. Because each project has different needs, challenges, sizes, and uniqueness. Transparency in communication with all parties is critical to maintaining a good project delivery schedule.

The most critical Job Experience is actually outside the Job Experience. It is when you learn from people by interacting or observing how people work and behave. This adds a lot of unteachable experiences.

My Clients vary, ranging from Private Clients to Property Developers.

I work as a team. I started my architectural and Interior design company with my business partner and have single but talented designers. We must work on a design together, as we can conduct a peer review and give different perspectives and feedback to enhance the project. Working with Clients, Vendors, and Contractors is also a form of teamwork.

Reach me through my Company's Instagram account: Upper Room Collaborative Studio @upperroom_studio.