Press Release
Chong Hean Teo Receives the Bronze A' Design Award for Montigo Wonderland Retail Interior in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Chong Hean Teo recognized for interior space and exhibition design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category for Montigo Wonderland Retail Interior by Chong Hean Teo, designed for Montigo. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Bronze A' Design Award Means
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
Regarding Montigo Wonderland Retail Interior
The Montigo Flagship Store explores how spatial design can influence mood within a retail environment. Located in Kuala Lumpur, the project introduces a composed atmosphere that contrasts with the surrounding commercial setting. The space is organised around a sculptural display that guides movement and provides visual orientation. Curved shelving and controlled lighting support smooth circulation and encourage unhurried exploration. A restrained material palette allows product colours to remain visually clear, shifting the focus from promotion toward experience and interaction.
Award Record
With this recognition, Chong Hean Teo is a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards span the editions from 2024 - 2025 to 2025 - 2026 of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award
The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Entries typically include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. Awarded interior designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/interior
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/178898
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/178898
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!178898
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/366559
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://shorturl.at/cqm75
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Montigo Wonderland Retail Interior
- Function
- Retail Interior
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Silver, Dark Gray, Light Slate Gray, Teal and Gainsboro
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Montigo
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Chong Hean Teo
- Country
- Malaysia
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #178898
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photographer All Is Amazing, Montigo Flagship Store, 2025.; Photographer All Is Amazing, Montigo Flagship Store, 2024.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Montigo Flagship Store redefines retail as an immersive spatial narrative rather than a transactional environment. Anchored by a monumental sculptural centerpiece, the space establishes a strong visual axis that draws visitors inward. Curved display walls and layered shelving create a continuous flow, encouraging exploration while enhancing product visibility. Soft lighting and pastel tones introduce a sense of calm within a high energy shopping context, positioning the store as an experience led destination that elevates everyday objects into moments of discovery.
- Inspiration
- The design is inspired by the architectural ambition in Kuala Lumpur and its transformation through iconic landmarks such as the Petronas Twin Towers, Merdeka 118 and Tun Razak Exchange. These structures represent progress, optimism and a redefinition of the city skyline. The flagship store aspires to achieve a similar impact at a human scale, introducing a calm and distinctive environment within a dense commercial setting. It is conceived as a contemporary landmark that reflects local identity while projecting a forward looking retail vision.
- Research
- This project employed qualitative spatial research to explore how monumentality and calm can influence retail behaviour. Objectives focused on reducing sensory fatigue in high density shopping environments. Methods included site observation, customer journey mapping, and prototyping of spatial layouts and lighting. Findings indicated that centralised layouts and restrained stimuli increased dwell time and engagement. The research demonstrates how experience centric design can redefine contemporary retail environments.
- Challenge
- The primary challenge was translating monumentality and emotional calm into a compact retail footprint located within the most visually saturated environments in Kuala Lumpur. The design needed to balance architectural presence with commercial practicality, integrate immersive digital media without overwhelming the space, and meet strict mall regulations, structural limitations, and construction timelines while maintaining a coherent experiential narrative.
- Realization and Technology
- The interior was realised using a combination of thermoformed architectural panels, custom built joinery, and modular display systems. Curved wall elements were fabricated using CNC milled substructures to achieve seamless surfaces. The central sculptural installation employs a lightweight steel frame with composite cladding for stability and reduced load. Immersive LED display walls are integrated into shelving systems with concealed cable routing and calibrated colour control. Low VOC finishes and energy-efficient lighting were applied throughout.
- Operation and Interaction
- Visitors enter into a visually calm space that slows movement and draws attention toward a central sculptural display. Circulation follows gentle curves around the core, encouraging intuitive exploration. Product discovery unfolds gradually through colour, light, and digital storytelling, before concluding at a customisation counter. The layout transforms shopping into a deliberate, immersive experience rather than a transactional activity.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was designed and realised in 2025 and is located at Pavilion Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, within the primary shopping and tourism district.
- Specifications
- The flagship occupies approximately 780 square feet within a double-volume retail unit. Architectural elements are designed at human scale with curved display walls optimised for ergonomic reach and visual continuity. Ambient lighting is set at approximately 4000K, with focused product lighting at 5000K for accurate colour rendering. The immersive LED display system supports high-resolution dynamic content synchronised with spatial zones. All dimensions and systems comply with local building and safety regulations.
- Keywords
- experiential retail, flagship store design, interior architecture, monumentality, immersive retail, digital storytelling, spatial centrality, Malaysian design, retail innovation, user experience
