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Meet Interior Stylist, Swee Lim
An interior stylist with a background in fine art history, Swee Lim brings her eye for detail and impeccable style to her work at Swee Design. Offering the full package of furnishing, art consulting and styling, Swee helps her clients to create a beautiful layered look for their homes.
Early in her career, Swee worked with artists, galleries and cultural institutions. After taking a break to start a family, Swee wanted to return to a more creative, hands-on pursuit so she retrained in interior design.
“I worked for a few different interior design studios,” she recalls. “I specialised in furniture. And then when I was doing all the furniture for these contemporary, beautiful homes., clients needed art for their walls but didn't know how to do it.”
So Swee tapped into her gallery and art industry contacts to select artworks for homes. The styling naturally flowed from this, with the three fields coming together into a holistic, integrated package.
The design process
Swee describes her style as “eclectic”. She effortlessly blends contemporary furniture with art, unique objects and bursts of colour, delivering a completely unique and personalised result for every client.
It would make sense then, that she is particularly drawn to Australian design, notable for its sophisticated palette of natural and earthy tones highlighted by occasional accent colours.
“Australians are confident to mix different styles… We have beautiful open spaces, we have houses, we have gardens, there’s a real integration of inside and outside.”
King Cove Sun Lounges and Lode Ottomans create a relaxing outdoor retreat.
Swee’s flair for personal design touches is evident in the work she delivers for her clients. She emphasises her collaborative process, making sure to refine her clients’ interests and vision so as to “pull together a really cohesive look”.
As for her design process, Swee starts with a consideration of proportions and composition, fabrics and textures, before finishing with a touch of colour and layered accessories.
“There’s no hard and fast rules to design in space but… it’s really important to get the bones right.”
Featured: Quay Armless Dining Chairs (left) and Cassia Bar Stools.
Trust yourself
First and foremost, Swee says the number one design rule she encourages people to subscribe to is to follow your gut and trust yourself.
“If you fall in love with a piece of furniture or an artwork, then you should get it,” she says. “First choice, best choice… At the end, I almost always come back to that first choice.”
Building on this, Swee believes that a home should be curated over time, building upon statement pieces that have a meaning and history to the homeowner.
“It’s the sense that it’s a haven, you feel relaxed, you feel safe, you love walking into home, it gives you great energy.”
The Kato Sofa and Issho Coffee Table and Side Table create an ideal setting.
Furniture and fabric
Swee appreciates that every home is different. Her love for versatile design is reflected in the KING collection, which offers modular yet aesthetic pieces.
“There’s a very broad range that covers different types of homes, whether you’re living in a small apartment or a large beautiful mansion. I think the modular design is great for family living, it seats a lot of people but still maintains that stylistic edge.”
The Quay Outdoor Sofa and Armchairs effortlessly combine with the Oasis Outdoor Coffee Tables.
Swee also speaks highly of the integrated indoor and outdoor collection. She admires the continuity of textures and fabrics across both ranges, allowing for a coherent flow of colour and organic design edge.
She says that one of the most important skills a designer can bring to furnishing a home is the ability to customise and layer different fabrics for the client.
“I love that the KING collection has natural materials like cotton, linen and boucle but you can also layer that with leathers, as well as richer, more glamorous fabrics like velvet, which are hard wearing and durable but still look gorgeous. Across that you have very sophisticated colour palettes and interesting patterns.”
To discover more style inspiration, follow Swee Lim on Instagram or visit her website.
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