Interview with Nora Voon

I didn't start out as a designer, I was in Finance before but have always wanted to be more creative and loved design since I was very young and working at a bank did not give me the fulfilment and satisfaction I was looking for. I went back to do my postgraduate degree for interior architecture in London, UK. Since then, I've never look back.

I tackle every project differently and sometimes I do revisit things I've done in the past before. As for the design process I generally look at the brief first and always ask about the budget beforehand because what we recommend in the design concept should reflect the feasibility of costs associated to the project. Then I look at all the elements and also the surrounding space including the country it is in, the climate and the specific requirements of the project as requested by the client. So each interior project is different and subject to budget constraints.
As for designing products for our collection, I usually think of a theme first, for example, I have a Take a pill collection where I reference our society in a world where we are all on some form of pharmaceuticals, it is an homage to our current society and the role pharmaceutical companies play. The collection include lighting, ashtrays, trays and cabinets. Each of these items from the collection share the same colour schemes and shapes.
We do a lot of research before launching a new product including prototyping, testing (furniture) and we use mock ups like 3D printing and renderings.

I do get excited with each project whether I'm designing a product or an interior space. I take each project with a clean slate and new eyes and try to bring a certain uniqueness or character into the design concept. I get excited at the beginning of the project because the possibilities are endless, however I also do love the end of a project cycle when all the installations are in place and we have a final product to reveal.
As for product design, I can't wait to see the final product in reality. It always put a smile to my face and a satisfied feeling.

Due to the fact that I'm a self proclaimed art junkie and a travel addict, these two factors alone had honed my skills as a designer in a significant way. Art plays an important role in our industry which really helps when you are doing an interior project for a client. Travelling opens your eyes and will train you to look at things differently. Every country I have travelled to gave me a new perspective on design, whether it was the culture or architecture of the place, or any other influences such as history or climate it taught me something new and approach my designs differently. In addition, travelling will teach you a lot about the details of certain designs. Details are important to consider as that is what makes good design, the little details that adds personality, differentiate your design from others.
My biggest influence on my design work is art, colour, and textures. I've always used these elements in my design work with references to the clients' personalities and needs.

At the moment, Noda Designs is still growing and making our mark in our community. Our goal eventually is to have a lifestyle department within the company that hosts events, create lifestyle products (expanding on our collections within the design spectrum) and expanding our commercial design area. My dream project would be to do work on a film set, something I have never done before and would seem like a good challenge for me. Another dream is to design interiors of aircrafts (private & commercial)

Go to trade shows, it's like getting an upgrade to your hard drive mentally. Learn your brands, study them like a bible and then do your own research. Trade shows bring new innovations, new designs and new products into the industry and as designers to stay current we need to know what's new in our industry. In addition to trade shows, travelling as mentioned before changes you as a designer. The more you travel, the more you develop your eyes as a designer. Travelling to different countries hone your eyes to see the different cultures, climates and details of places, objects and details. I go to about 3-4 trade shows a year globally and my knowledge of art, brands and products in the design industry is quite extent.

I think that defining your own aesthetics and design style is important to establish yourself. Having an identity in your style is important because eventually you will gain enough experience to elevate your profile and as an industry leader in your field of a particular aesthetics. For example, if you look at Jaime Hayon or Kelly Wearstler, they both have very specific and individual style to their designs, this eventually sets them apart from the rest and gained recognition in the work that they do.

My day to day includes studio work - drawings, designing, sometimes liaising with trades, clients and customers. Some days I have to go to site to check the progress on the construction, client meetings, and meet new potential clients. Usually I go through emails first thing, getting back to people or sending emails, then I usually have a team meeting to go over the day's work and each of our responsibilities.

keeping up with trends is important as a designer if you want to know what's current and what seems to get people excited over, however, my designs usually don't follow any trends. Trends come and go and usually date eventually so although it's cool and fun to go along with design trends, I think that finding the right balance is more important than staying trend. Going to trade shows will enhance your brands and product vocabulary.

Good design doesn't have to be complicated, in fact, it's harder to design something well when the design is simple. The execution and the craftsmanship is key to a well designed product or project. For me, good design means attention to details, user friendly, beautiful and good quality are key.

Gosh how do I answer that, when you know, you know. lol
Usually you'll know if your design is well executed based on the reception/feedbacks you get from the public and your peers.

There are a few that I'm quite proud, one in particular is the project we did in Israel, a residential home that we designed and built for our client. The project finished in 2013 however, to this day, almost 10 years now, the project is still relevant and remained timeless which is why we don't follow trends. :-)
In terms of product designs, we won a few awards for our HQ table ( designed during Covid 2020 and reflected/addressed the need for a change in our design industry during/after the pandemic. We actually won the Bronze award from A' Design in 2021, in addition, we also won the SIT furniture award in USA as well.

I don't have a favourite designer as there are too many good ones so I can't decide but I do love the work of some companies that are outstanding in execution and quality. Such companies include Based Upon ( UK), Rosanna Orlandi (Gallery that represents designers), Nilufar Gallery and also Vincent Decotis.

My favourite city is London where I live half the time. I live between London, UK and also Toronto, Canada. However, I do love Milan and find a lot of inspiration when I'm there, I almost moved to Milan before the pandemic! Culture definitely effects design, how can it not? Your natural environment and background definitely shape you as a person and the work that you do. I'm lucky to have lived in many countries and experienced many different cultures which shaped me in the way I see design. Good design is necessary for the advancement of society because that means we progress as a society by eliminating bad form and function. Good design means efficiency, works well, and is user friendly. For example, look how far mobile phones have come along? They used to be so big like a water bottle and overtime phones became smaller, more convenient to carry around and now that we all have built in cameras in our phones, I feel that life has become more visual!

I give a lot of freedom to my designers at the studio, I always believe that to grow we need to think like a team, but it's also giving your fellow colleagues the opportunity to shine and showcase their creativity. When I'm teaching my interns, I throw them in the deep end because I believe that there is no better way to teach than to just do.

During 2020 when the pandemic hit the world, I was approached by a friend from Australia and her partner in Peru who asked me to help them create an eco business that will help artisans ( particularly in Peru at the time) find work and gain experience because tourism had stopped suddenly and there were a lot of people that had no way of earning income due to roadblocks and supply chain issues. I helped designed a collection of cushions, tapestries, rugs and also outdoor furniture all made sustainably using natural dyes, hand loomed and weaved. In addition to hiring and training these artisans, we pay them with fair trade wages - the collection has done very well since.
In general, I think as designers especially now, we need to design consciously and try to reduce waste including using ecofriendly materials as much as possible and also supporting artisans where their crafts are preserved from traditions and history.
In our studio, we often hire students as interns to teach and help them gain experience in our industry. We are affiliated with some local universities in this case.

Winning an award is definitely a high point in any designer's career, it is a validation of your hard work and appreciation of your creativity. In order to stand out as a designer, it's important you participate in competitions because a) it's good to know your peers and what's out there (what designers are thinking) b) elevate your profile as a designer c) exposure to industry affiliates and partners d) gaining trust from clients and customers.

I've always loved architecture and design since I was young and after working in an entirely different field after University I went back to do my post graduate in Design. Being able to make or design something and see it come to life is very satisfactory.

I chose to become a designer after being in the banking industry for many years.

I design interiors both commercial and residential, but I also design products and lighting.

Go to trade shows! You must educate and update your skills and knowledge within the design community and learn about what's new, innovative and materials available in the current market and industry.

a good designer does a job well, a great designer resonates with you.

A good design means it flows, user friendly, good quality and craftsmanship, lasts longer, and is timeless.

when you invest in good design means you get to have a product that is well made, and sometimes it can increase in value over time.

I would love to design a residence for an eccentric artist whom I can collaborate with, it will be super fun and creative with a lot of bold and unique details.

My dream project is designing an aircraft or space ship!

I think the secret to success in design is really your individual style that you develop over time and experience, and going to trade shows! I can't stress that enough, it's important to go to these trade shows to expand your knowledge on the industry and also travelling, travel will hone your eyes to see the details and learning a new culture or place will also help you as a designer to better your understanding of your surroundings.

There are so many, Carlo Scarpa, Mario Bellini, Frank Gehry, Vincent Decotis, Jaime Hayon, Kelly Weartsler, Axel Vervoodt, Marcel Wanders, Peter Marino, Joseph Dirand, Pierre Yannovavich.

oh dear too many to count - I love vintage so my dream is to own a vintage piece from Kagan or Bellini would make my day!

I'm loving my collection Take a Pill as that is a passion project. I love working with artisans that know the craft so well and also preserving a dying art such as hand blown glass. I also love this collection because of the story behind it, referencing our society and the role pharmaceutical companies play in our lives. It's definitely sending a message.

Don't try to be anyone else, develop your own sense of aesthetics and style which eventually will help you elevate your profile by being specific in your field. That way you have a clear identity to your brand.

probably an artist

Design can change lives and evoke powerful emotive feelings so for me design needs to move me.

Other than my team of designers I work with, I guess I owe it to them for helping me with a lot of my success. :-)

I go to a lot of trade shows every year (3-4) to update myself on what's new in the current industry. I also travel extensively to see and discover new cultures, art and spaces.

Getting the confidence from clients to hire you and getting that dream project that can push you to the next level was difficult, however once you get over that threshold

I think it all depends on what kind of design one is presenting. If it is interior I like to present my ideas and concepts digitally with sample boards and also mock ups if applicable.

I'm working on my next collection of home accessories for Noda. It's going to be a funny one and I'm excited to showcase those once we get the prototypes going.

My ultimate goal is to have my own luxury lifestyle brand that consists of doing events, collections for home interiors and also do interactive art installations/projects.

I think people generally looking for authenticity, uniqueness in style and also how realistic you are in executing a project such as meeting budget and time/schedule constraints.

As mentioned earlier, design can change lives and evoke powerful emotions. Good design can better society for example, look at how far the mobile phone has come along. It used to be

I'm currently waiting for the prototypes of my lighting from the Take a pill collection - these are being made in Murano, Venice by artisans and I'm super excited to see them.

I think for me designing a product gives me the most satisfaction because a lot of work goes into the research and development of

I think we should have new building codes whereby we should be using sustainable materials as a requirement instead of optional. If we are going to help preserve our world for the future, we have to start somewhere.

I think we are now heading into a time where people are valuing more on quality over quantity. So more artisanal and local craftsmanship.

It depends on the scale of the project. It usually takes awhile as our projects are always very intricate or larger in scale.

I start by looking at the

You buy shit you pay twice.

It depends, generally I would rather design sets trends but sometimes it's not the case. For example, remember when Phillipe Starck

It's important for designers, we can't do anything without technology! Drawings, rendering, 3d modelling these are all essential to our design process.

we use autocad, vectorworks, rhino, 3ds max, corona, photoshop and also adobe suite.

Color, materials and ambient in design play an important role because when designing a space, you want to create a space that has character or personality and through colours, materials and ambient can achieve that, in addition it can also add certain feeling such as intimate/coziness and textures.

This is so cool! hahahah

This is so cool, let's check out the details.

I sometimes collaborate with other designers when the project is big. I think it's great to co-design, you always

I think my fellow designers - it's always great to bounce ideas with other designers to hear their opinions and ideas.

Design books and magazines.

Through lots of mistakes and practice!

I would love to pick the brain of Carlo Scarpa or Mario Bellini. These guys were legends.

I enter every design competition with no expectations, I think that's the best way to go into it that way if you win, it's great

Favourite:
colour - you know that's not a fair question to ask a designer! Let's just say I'm seasonal to my colour mood.
place - Italy
Season - summer
Thing/brand - currently in love with my latest painting I purchased from the Saatchi gallery by Alo.

I once solicited a celebrity as a client through Instagram. I thought that was very funny and lucky!

When there are no interruptions and you can design in peace.

Not really, I did however wanted to be in design at a very young age.

I hope there is a future a thousand years from now given the environment the world is currently going. If the world does exist a thousand years from now

I don't do white kitchens. lol

Noda Designs was founded in London UK in 2007 however we moved our studio to Toronto, Canada in 2013 and we do commercial and residential projects internationally. In addition to interior design, we also have our own product range that includes outdoor furniture, home accessories and lighting.

Design is non-linear, it is a process to understand the brief to create something imaginative but challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to a project.

I love designing products especially lighting and furniture, but I also adore a good challenging interior space.

The Fornasetti flagship store in Milan on Corso Venezia is pretty spectacular. I love everything about it. So much history, story telling and good design means timelessness which is what I love about this space. Although the interior is constantly changing it never ceases to disappoint.

Countryside Mansion - I was part of a team working on a countryside property for a client in Hertfordshire, UK

Jesmonite - an ecofriendly product that is known as the Chameleon material because it can replicate a diverse range of textures and fine details. The potential with Jesmonite materials are endless, from terrazzo and marble designs to mixing pigments to create unique colours are just a few ways to create amazing bespoke products.
As designers, we all love archiproducts because it's a platform that has everything one needs for anything relating to design.
Technology - Corona renderer is pretty awesome, the render image is very realistic and the quality is super refined.

Most creative in the late hours of the night.

The process is important. Getting the brief right is crucial to kicking off a successful project.

I usually start each project with a lot of enthusiasm

Satisfied. :-)

It's functional and beautiful to look at but also seamless - Good design should feel like it's always been there, that one can't think of any other way it would work but exactly the way it was meant to be.

I look for functionality, if it's user friendly, and of course the beauty of it.

As designers it is our duty to make sure that we design with a conscious mind using sustainable resources where possible, and making sure that we leave something for the future generation to look forward to and continue to make and design products and environments that are functional, serves a purpose, create positive energies and moods. Design has the power to enrich lives and evoke powerful emotions.

I think the future of design is focusing more on artisanal craftsmanship, less waste and more sustainability. It's definitely asking designers to design more consciously, with an effort to make sure that we choose quality over quantity. Technology also plays a big part in our design industry these days with new innovations on many products that we work with, things have come a long way. I remember I had to learn manual hand drafting but today when I interview new hire, they have no clue how to do manual hand drafting anymore. :-(

We were the finalist in Toronto for 2020 on our HQ table competition hosted by UMBRA for DesignTO and our table was part of that exhibition.
We also won the Bronze award from A' Design award (2021) for our HQ table and it was featured in the Museum of Design at Lake Como.
At the moment we don't know when our next exhibition will take place but we are actually talking to a few artists that may do a solo exhibition in our flagship showroom in Toronto.

I travel extensively in search of inspiration. I find different cultures and cities fascinating and often feed my creativity by using the knowledge and experiences I collected over the years. As I produce my collection of furniture and home accessories in many different countries, I work with local artisans and sometimes I find inspiration in the history and culture of the place I'm producing from and also incorporate that into my interior design as well.

Eclectic bold? lol I don't even know how to describe my style. I don't follow design trends and I love a mix of vintage and very contemporary design styles with an injection of colours and textures. I guess you would call it Maximalism. I approach each design differently depending on the brief, place, atmosphere and surroundings because I believe that good design not only looks good and works well but it also has to suit the environment it's in and the current surroundings.

I currently live between Toronto, Canada and London, UK and spend my summers in the Middle East. I was born in Malaysia and grew up my first half of life in Asia.
Of course where you live influences your style immensely, as a self proclaimed nomad that can't sit still, I move around a lot and as a result of that i think that is why I have an eclectic style. I don't think it is necessarily good or bad as a result of living in the country you live in in the design process, I think that one is greatly influenced by their surroundings, so in a way, it will effect the way you design for sure and whether or not your community accepts your style and design views.

We usually work on a commission base structure. If it is a bespoke item we work together to make sure the elements and details are correct for execution.

In today's environment, companies can have a pretty good idea by going to the designer's website or social media page to see their work. I would also suggest getting to know the designer and also ask a lot of questions.

It varies, sometimes you get a project and it's already inspiring from the start then that's an easy execution because it's fun and exciting and you want to get your hands on it as much as possible. For interior design, usually I start by accumulating a lot of inspirational images to get the creative juices going and develop a unifying theme/style for the overall project. From there, I look at the brief and what are the necessities and making sure that those are incorporated in the design, and after that I make sure to add a lot of textures, or patterns and colours to add that personal touch. I love to add humour to my designs and it's very prominent in my product design.
For product design - that also varies, sometimes all it takes is a 10 min brainstorming and I know what I want to design and execute it pretty quickly like the Memphis chair or the HQ table, both of which I've won awards for but took me no more 30 mins to design them. Then there are products that took me years to research and develop like my lighting collection from finding the right materials to use or simply finding a factory or artisan who can actually realize my vision.

My pair of 70s vintage armchairs from Italy upholstered in a fluffy Loro Piana fabric, my collection of vintage Murano ashtrays and vases, my very own Noda Charlie tray, Mario Bellini Camaleonda sectional and my bookcase Henge07.

Not really, let's just say it's full of colours and possibilities. lol

Travel as far as you can, as often as you are able to. This will change you as a designer and hone your eyes to see the details and unique things. You will learn so much from understanding different surroundings including how people design due to different weather conditions, culture and the use of different materials and textures, I can go on forever but ultimately travel is key.

Pros - you get to design things that you like and make it come to life is a pretty awesome feeling, or the satisfaction that one day you may change the look of a city or place.
Cons - long hours, if you are a product designer, there is no guarantee that your work will be successful or well received,

Can I say 'you buy shit you pay twice' ? just kidding, Golden rule, make sure it works!

Listening

I use vectorworks for designing, corona, 3ds max, photoshop, Rhino.

Any creative person will tell you we are the worse at managing our time... I work late hours, sometimes into the weekends especially when I'm in the zone, I sometimes work through the night to get a presentation finished. I find that the key is to manage your team with delegating responsibilities. That way you get to have a few brains working together on ideas and of course efficiency.

It depends, sometimes I can design something in less than 20 minutes and sometimes it takes years to develop a good product.

what inspires you?

working on site with trades and going through the details and technical components, because that's where you learn the most.

Our clients come from all over the world, we have projects locally and internationally.

I enjoy commercial designs actually because it is less personal and creatively one gets more freedom with that.

My future plans are to expand our products range, do more commercial projects especially in hospitality.

I work with a team of designers to develop our design ideas

Interior projects we have a few running concurrently and they are all quite big so it will take us some time to finish.
We are currently working on a collection of giant snow globes. I like to incorporate humour in my products and this time it's no different. The snow globes are reinterpreted

website https://nodadesigns.com/
email info@nodadesigns.com