In The Press | W a M a | D e s i g n s

5 questions with Wan Zainal Abidin

The founder of WAMA Designs, Wan Zainal Abidin has had over a decade’s worth of experience in the field. Having made his mark in Brunei, the prolific designer now seeks to bring his brand of expertise to Malaysian shores.

1. What drew you to design?

I’ve always been drawn to beautiful objects and particularly how they are made. And I always believe that most beautiful things are visually appealing because they are well designed.

2. What was the first design project you’ve ever worked on?

It has to be my bedroom. I would go through the entire family home to find things that I could fill my bedroom with. And I even drew paintings to fit into the look I was after.

3. When you think of quality interior design, which place comes to mind?

Japan. I love the fact that everyone is so design conscious. From the plating of food to the folding of clothes, everything is presented in a design-conscious manner. Of course this attention to detail translates into their interior design too, which I can’t seem to get enough of each time I visit the country.

4. If there’s one person in the world you’d really like to work with on design, who would it be and why?

Petra Blaisse – this extraordinary Dutch designer is multi talented. Apart from interiors, she designs architecture, exhibits, landscapes and textiles. I’d like to pick up on her creativity in combining all these different elements in her designs.

5. What aspect of design would you like to explore in the future?

I love chairs and sofas. In furniture design, it’s the detailing that differentiates a well designed piece. And I hope to someday be able to design my own furniture range. I have great admiration for furniture designers because getting the balance between comfort and visual aesthetics is not easy. I’ve designed a few pieces for my personal use, and I hope that I can hone my skills to design my own range in the near future.

For more on WAMA Designs and Wan Zainal Abidin, check out our coming September issue!