It takes a special kind of person to just roll with it when things go sour. With Dennis Cheok, when life gives him lemons, he doesn’t just make lemonade; he turns it into an Avant Garde sculpture with a story to tell.

Dennis Cheok is the founder and creative director of UPSTRS_ (no, there’s no typo). An architecture school graduate from the National University of Singapore, he has made a name for himself studying at the prestigious Domus Academy in Milan, Italy and working under Colin Seah of Ministry of Design, Singapore. When he’s not busy winning design awards regionally and internationally, he’s contributing to the younger generation as a lecturer at National University of Singapore (NUS) and SIT-Glasgow School of Arts.

For such a busy and sought after individual, we couldn’t wait for him to fit us into his schedule; we just snuck into his office and weaselled an interview out of him.

1. Every artist has their humble beginnings. What is your origin story? How’d you get into interior design?

I grew up not having a lot. Both my parents were makers — my father, a contractor; my mom, a seamstress. By emulation, there was a lot of making for me, even as a young child. I just made things with whatever was in my reach. I also destroyed a lot. The perfectionism started young. (Laughs)

I read a lot too. From the books of my childhood, I moved on to glossy magazines in my formative youth. The spreads of art, fashion, culture was astounding and I consumed whatever was available in my reach. 

Seems like you were already pretty arty even early on! Where did you end up studying?

I began at JC (Junior College) where I took theatre studies and literature. Theatre was my life but not as an actor; I found my calling backstage instead of reciting lines and emoting.

Problems started when I went to NUS (National University of Singapore), where arts and social sciences were considered dumping grounds for the aimless – and, as such, heavily populated. Lots of competition. So when I ended up late for the ballot, I didn’t get what I wanted – theatre studies. I was so angry (laughs). I quit out of anger and rebellion and without a plan for my next step.

Well, you’re here today. Something else must have fallen into place. What was it?

NUS had a relatively new course – Industrial Studies. It was all about product and furniture design. I applied for it.

You got it?

They didn’t call me back (laughs)! I called them in tears. I dropped school for this. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t expect not to get in. While I don’t remember the exact criteria, I remember fulfilling them.

The reason they gave? Students in the previous batch who didn’t have science or math backgrounds struggled with the engineering aspects of the course. I was livid! They didn’t mention that in the criteria (laughs)! I was on the verge of tears! That could have marked the end of my education; I would be roaming the streets (laughs)!

Could have but clearly it didn’t! What then?

They went on to recommend architecture to me.

Seriously?

That’s what I said. They wouldn’t admit me into a course to design a chair but they would admit me into one to design a building (laughs)?! 

I was called up for the aptitude test and it all came naturally to me – things like drawing to scale and perspective. Then I got in. That sparked my next passion in life, from theatre to architecture. I suppose this particular lineage formed my approach from narratives to form-making and expression to architecture. 

I’m curious – how did the course go?

When I started I told my tutor that I felt too stupid for the course (laughs). But what’s great about NUS is that they pushed both technicality and conceptual grounding for projects. Some schools just focus on conceptual stuff that just ends up being unbuildable. Others just focus on technicality and all the buildings just end up looking the same. NUS has a good mix of both. 

I struggled with the conceptual part at first. Coming out of theatre, we dealt with literal forms of symbolism, and that didn’t translate well into architecture – it was a different kind of expression. The first year was hell. But once it clicked, it sparked something and drove me. Then I really gave it my all. That kind of rigour and tenacity is the method which still persists with me today. 

Architecture made everything possible, including interiors and objects, though my non-linear background continues to shape the way I approach design. Narratives, expression, and experience. 

2. Who’s your inspiration in interior design?

There are many architects and designers whose work I admire and draw inspiration from but I owe the foundations of my understanding, and in turn, my design approach to interior design to Colin Seah from Ministry of Design (MOD). 

MOD was the one and only firm that I wanted to work at, as a fresh architectural graduate. The bold, conceptual groundings of their work blew my mind. 

I joined the firm fresh eyed, brimming with concepts and ideas, but Colin steered me towards translating these ideas in my mind into something tangible and usable. 

The greatest lesson that he taught me wasn’t something that we can glean from bold, pretty images. I learned to abandon the god-like, top down approach to design, and forced myself into the plans and to sense what each line could mean, experientially. 

The ability to switch between bird’s eye view and worm’s eye view in my design process is something I don’t take for granted. It was learned through so many years of hard grit and literal tears. 

If I didn’t join MOD, I might have become quite a different designer. Probably a very bad one (laughs). 

3. What would you say was your first real foray into interior design? 

My years at MOD were a long series of practice and training. But I wanted to find my own voice and identity. So I quit… but I didn’t have a plan for my next step (laughs).

Coincidentally, a friend recommended me to a local brand N.Tyler. I, and a bunch of others, worked on their flagship boutique at Marina Bay Sands. Because of billing, we had to start a company.

Hang on… you founded a company because you needed to bill a client?

(Laughs) Yeah, I did. I started my own practice. No more directorship, no guidance, no one to hide behind but my own voice. It was at once thrilling and petrifying (laughs). 

That project set the tone for what I wanted to do: create spatial experiences. Apart from interior design, we created a retail concept for the brand. The space itself was inspired from Damien Hirst. We created a new spatial typology. We also designed branding, things that we touch and hold; name cards, gift boxes, paper bags. That set the tone for what we liked to do. Full on 360 experiences. That was the start. 

4. Every artist has their proudest work. What would you say yours is?

The lineage of projects in our oeuvre mark many milestones for us. It’s a progression of opportunity. approach, and finesse. I remain proud of these moments that define who we are and what we do at each particular juncture, and hold on dear to the mistakes lessons learnt in retrospect as well. 

At this moment, I’m particularly proud of the work we closed, executed, and pushed out over the course of the pandemic. There’s a heightened sense of sensitivity to space and experience, of collaboration and creative synergy, and also many new typologies and opportunities that we were blessed to be able to innovate from. 

Tell me more about the stuff you did over the pandemic.

There was this work we did for OCBC Bank. We created a lounge experience, the Premier Private Client Lounge. I was a crazy brief. The place was perched on a terrace deck that overlooked the Singapore River on one side and Chinatown on the other. The panoramic-framed picturesque scene grounded how we designed the place that took on both oriental and modern cues in every aspect of it. 

We pulled in peers in the industry to help out; Humid House for botanical design, Roger&Sons for woodwork and furniture using felled trees from along the streets of Singapore, Scent by SIX to create custom aromas for the space, and ourselves as art curators. OCBC gave us access to their archive of artworks. For the unfilled gaps, we pulled in local artists to create additional art. That was a really fun and amazing opportunity to do things together. That it happened during the course of the pandemic – it gave us all hope in a time when everything was uncertain in the industry.

During the lockdown, we sat down and reached out to all these folks without inhibition. I’m usually quite shy. So we started doing everything through Zoom.

I’m starting to notice a theme with you: everything happens out of necessity rather than an elaborate master plan.

(Laughs) But always with a purpose!

Commercial projects really give us the license to go the distance. Experience and usage is important for homes too but I wouldn’t go as far as I do with showrooms (laughs).

That said, we’re usually blessed with private clients that tend to have “big” personalities. They have an appreciation for the nuances so that we can go just as big as they are.

Any examples that come to mind?

We had one guy who came to us. His brief was a floor plan, and it had all these notes in tiny fonts and lines criss-crossing all over it; it looked like a mind map of a serial killer (laughs). It was so cool. He was a young guy, and had just sold a business; I think he was a prodigy. A genius. Created video games. The brief was about brutalist environments, the type you would encounter in a video game. Spectacular and cavernous concrete caves with swathes of light coming in creating depth and shadows. The entire design process was just him going to London, taking pictures of buildings and details that he liked so we got to see his world through his lens. We curated everything that rocked his boat and let that inform the way we designed his project.

But as they say, the best is yet to come. Much more is brewing in the back burner, and we cannot wait to complete and push out the slew of new projects in our bag. 

5. What guides your work? What would you say your design philosophy is? 

We craft experiences through pragmatic rigour, conceptual ideation, collaborative processes, and hands-on material exploration. 

Each component is equally important, and flesh them out in varying measures for every project that comes our way. 

6. It is said that no idea ever comes from a vacuum. What inspires your work? Where do your ideas come from?

I absolutely agree with that statement, in fact these exact words were spoken to me during my lowest point in architecture school. 

I’ve learn to quickly adapt, draw inspiration, and dream freely and wildly from what I know, and continue to learn. It’s pretty much intuitive for me at this point in my practice and career. Kelley Cheng calls it “our library of knowledge”. 

Whilst all that are internalised sources of inspiration, every project, client, and brief is brimming with its own pool of opportunities and points of inspiration. It is equal part personal sensibility and strategic thinking to abstract, curate and translate where and what we see the most opportunities to deep dive and pursue. The process, being design, could be non-linear, and calls for mistakes and lessons along the way. But it makes it all fun, exciting, and feeds our curiosity and passion. 

7. What is one advice you’d like to give up and coming interior designers?

This is a very exciting time for designers, and we see so much diversity and creative voices that are emerging within such short periods of time. 

But learn to take your time, find your voice, and stay true to your lane, though make it as wide as you can. A true sense of self, and the self-assurance that comes with it, will take you through the long haul.

Posted on 25 November 2022

Kenny Tan,

SIXiDES Editorial Team