Interior Design Students Win with Innovative Designs!

The MIID Students’ Saturday also creatively named 20LIMA.10, organised by the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers is an annual congregation of interior design students from various universities and colleges in Malaysia to compete in multiple design competitions. The event also creates a platform for students to network with peers through seminars, lectures and talks.

The theme this year, “ISI: IMAGINATION + SENSES + INVENTION” addressed the issue of current interior design trends that prioritize aesthetics alone. Thus, students had to come up with multi-sensory architecture and designs. The goal was to orchestrate a harmonious integration between interior design elements—such as volume, light, colour and texture with our human senses—like sight, smell, touch, and sound. This innovative approach put the participants’ problem solving and creative skills to the test.

With over 600 participants from 15 institutes nationwide, the students and lecturers from The One Academy’s School of Interior Design bagged several awards for their unique and creative projects. These students collectively won a total of 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 4 Bronze Awards whereas both lecturers who participated each received a Gold Award in the Art Attack Category.

“The One Academy always reminds us to think out of the box," said Belle Chin, Gold Award winner in the Art Installation Category. She expressed gratitude toward her alma mater where ideas and concepts are encouraged to go beyond conventional boundaries. The art installation she and her team crafted on the topic, 'kidnap awareness' stood out for its creativity and impactful message.    

In describing their work, Chin explained the diverse elements they incorporated such as circles, ribbons, gloves and wooden blocks—each carrying its own metaphorical significance. The circles symbolized the victims who were kidnapped, the ribbons represented the enduring light of hope, and the gloves depicted people who are ready to offer a helping hand. This led to the creation of a meaningful masterpiece made up of beautiful elements.

Despite encountering the challenge of the installation being too heavy to hang on the ceiling, Belle Chin and her team didn't let it deter them. Instead, they found a creative solution by having team members physically hold up the installation. “This way, we were part of the installation by supporting this cause,” she said. Chin was also grateful for the collaborative efforts by her team that enabled the flawless execution of their unique concept.

Lincoln Tan who won the Gold Award in the Design Issue Category, shared his experience working as a team on this category. The competition required Tan and his team pick an issue surrounding their daily life and come up with a creative solution through sketches and mind maps on-the-spot.

When Tan was asked to share his advice with aspiring designers, he simply replied, “Never doubt the power of research.” He mentioned the importance of consistent research and frequent sketching. This practice not only prepares designers to come up with split-second ideas but also builds a library in their minds of great designs that they could easily put together whenever needed.

The One Academy is committed to providing the best art education programmes and continues to nurture its students passionately through its “Masters Train Masters” coaching philosophy, which has been practised for over 30 years, by providing diploma and degree courses in Advertising & Graphic Design, Digital Animation, Digital Media Design, Film Visual Effects, Interior Architecture & Design, Illustration, Fine Arts, Paris Fashion Design & Pattern Making, Computer Science & Game Design. For more information, visit www.toa.edu.my or call 03-7875 5510 or e-mail your enquiries to [email protected].