DEFYING
THE ODDS
Taking on a challenge and excelling at it, is an achievement that needs to be lauded as not many people would want to tread on uncharted path. But Darren Gan, took a leap of faith to delve into the world of interior designing and he has definitely made a mark in the industry.
GONE are the days when young adults are asked to pursue academically inclined courses that would set them up for life. these days, more and more people are advocating the need to follow one’s dreams and passion as it gives fulfillment, happiness and contentment – some of the things that money cannot buy. One of the individuals who had gone out on a limb to turn his interest for interior designing into a successful business is Darren Gan, the founder of inD’finity Design who hails from Gemas, Johor Bahru.
Hailing from a small town, though Darren’s knowledge on interior designing was limited, so he made up his mind to equip himself with the knowledge as he was intrigued with the Interior Designing industry. He enrolled in the Malaysian Institute of Art and after years of learning, unlearning, and re-learning, Darren founded his interior design firm in 2009. Fast forward to the present, inD’finity is today backed by a team of young, passionate and committed designers who aspire to transform and innovate the global design industry.
Slightly more than a decade being in this industry, inD’finity Design is a firm that focuses on both residential and commercial projects where Darren in his role as project consultant works with his team to bring the ideation to life. Not one to box his company and team, Darren doesn’t encourage the firm to have a signature style but prefers to make their client’s dream designs come true as such amongst their highly successful projects are the open concept office for Boustead Travel.
This concept maximizes space use while creating a physically and mentally comforting modern workplace where employees can perform and function at their best, and customers can relax and browse their dream tour destinations. This special design has debunked the normal perception of boring offices. All in all, this interior design stimulates creativity, collaboration and communication; increases productivity; reduces stress and anxiety; and speaks strongly of the corporate identity of Boustead Travel Service Sdn Bhd.
As for one of their residential projects, one of their crowning jewels is the Banyan Tree’s award-winning brands residence that is tucked amongst Kuala Lumpur’s skyline. Inspired by the play of the sun throughout the daily hours, they have fully utilize light reflective surface and noble materials palette in combination with clean, modern lines of the furniture elements and wooden shades dominated colour palette. The combination of different beige, grey and ivory nuances starts from the foyer of the home, exploring the calm and luxurious feel of the design.
The entire spaces are decided with shinning bronze, marble and hand scraped surface timber floor which reflect the light beautifully. Different textural patches and alternating wooden, brass or marble cladding of walls represent the different functional zones of the spacious living premise. Yet wooden cladding ceiling, wallpaper and custom-made furniture add warn caramel colour sparkle and organic feel to the materials composition.
inD’finity’s repertoire also include designing and furbishing the interior for My Mishaltit Restaurant that is modern and contemporary and features graffiti art. The high ceiling of the restaurant is the perfect place to lightbox the name of the restaurant to create that classy retro look. Despite the modern design, the team also made use of real wood tables to make this restaurant interior glow with sophistication. Employing the latest trend in restaurant design, the inD’finity team has incorporated two types of floor finishing so guests can enjoy a unique experience. The ID team included a unique and attractive idea -- huge Zip design to decor the jug that is used to serve food, offering customers a memorable experience even before they taste the food. The open kitchen delivers a sense of confidence and cleanliness. The design concept is simple yet impressive, bringing the urban street atmosphere indoor in the fast- casual style food environment.
The graffiti art with cement and metal finish in the walls take customers to the streets of Tel Aviv and delivers a sense of elegance and relaxation.
Having been actively working on many projects, Darren and his team were thrown a curve ball when the Movement Control Order was implemented in March to flatten the curve of Covid-19 as a handful of projects were put on hold or even cancelled. Not one to be fazed, Darren put on his thinking cap and devised a plan to keep the momentum going but modified to suit the current circumstance.
As a nod to the founder’s initial, and as a mark of respect for the call for everyone to stay at home (duduk rumah) and aspiring to help individuals own their dream home, d’Ruma – a medium cost interior design package to help homowners get their dream design – was incepted. Not a stranger to innovating and adapting to changing conditions, Darren hoped with the inception of d’Ruma, inD’finity will be able to provide an interior that is creative and provides functional comfort for all and sundry, where dream homes can be turned into reality.
Promising to go above and beyond for all their clients, inD’finity is fast becoming an interior design firm that looks after the needs and wants of all of its clients while striving to meet the budget of their clients, especially so during this period where no one is left untouched by the pandemic.
WORDS / VATSALA DEVI
IMAGES / IND’FINITY DESIGN
www.indfinitydesign.com
03 9283 0992
