Adrien Kent, of KL-based design studio Studio Kanta, talks his creative heroes and design inspiration
Adrien Kent, one half of local design studio Studio Kanta (and winner of reality TV show The Apartment), is responsible for some of KL’s most Instagrammed spaces – like those modern tropical interiors you know and love.
He created co-working space Common Ground’s immediately identifiable interiors – a calming blend of sage greens, blonde wood and rattan furniture – and lent his touch to the light-filled Fern Batik boutique with herringbone doors and bursts of tropical foliage.
“My designs gravitate towards clean, minimal lines, punctuated by soft touches of texture and pattern,” Adrien says. “Those accents range from old-school materials, foliage, to art.”
The best part of Adrien’s polished style? His love of local design elements and markers. “I’m currently obsessed with vent blocks,” he says. “They’re humble, versatile and inexpensive, and add that local flavor to a scheme. I think the Malaysian flavour is injected through elevated heritage – a contemporary twist to traditional local design elements.”
And whose work does Adrien himself most admire? “I love Kelly Wearstler’s designs, specifically her most recent work, the Santa Monica Proper Hotel.”
To keep up with Adrien’s design work, follow Studio Kanta on its Instagram page @studiokanta.
This story originally appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of Going Places magazine.
