In an era with legions of interior designers making their mark on the world, it is no easy feat to stand out from the crowd. That’s where staying true to yourself comes in – understanding and utilising your strengths to help you rise above the rest. AB Concept, a renowned interior design firm based in Hong Kong, is an excellent example of just that.
The creative brainchild of Ed Ng and Terence Ngan, AB Concept was founded in 1999 in Hong Kong, and has since expanded to include local and international big names in its very impressive portfolio, which include the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and the Rosewood Hotels.
“We are currently working on one of the most expensive residential developments right in front of Central Park in New York City,” says Ng, who describes himself as the more outspoken one of the introverted design duo. “We’re also working on the renovation process of the Beijing Hotel, as well as another project in Portugal.”
With so many projects to work on, there’s no doubt the pair has an incredible design team working for and with them. “I think one of the reasons our work stands out is because within our team, we try to think of ideas that are different from each others’. We are constantly trying to improve and evolve our projects,” says Ng.
Work ethic and dedication aside, AB Concept is distinctive thanks to its founders’ backgrounds. “Some people believe our work is an interesting mixture of the east and west,” says Ng. Although the twosome was born in Hong Kong, Ngan, who is chiefly the lead architect of AB Concept, went to college in Toronto while Ng studied design in Hong Kong when the Special Administrative Region was still a British colony.
“I think the mixture of eastern and western elements in our designs is the natural result of our background,” says Ng.
Given its frequent association with luxury brands, the sought-after design firm can easily be seen as targeting the luxury market. However, Ngan believes that it wasn’t AB Concept who set out to target the luxury market, but the other way round. “We didn’t target the luxury market; it just turned out that all our clients were from there,” he says.
Moving forward, the duo is excited to take on more exciting projects from ultra-wealthy clients “who don’t want to be named”. Yes, there is a lot of supply of good interior designers and the market is more competitive than ever, but it’s not likely to come out as a surprise to anyone if AB Concept eventually goes on to dominate the creative world interior designers.
Text: Sadia Lima