"MY HOME" Magazine

Ten years in the industry has only served to fuel Charlton Interior Design & Renovation into greater heights. Amongst the many residential and commerical projects it has doen, there was even a royal palace. MY HOME speaks to Mr Ong Ka Bio, its Managing Director, and unveils this company in revelation after revelations.

Tell us when and how Charlton was set up.

I've been in the interior and renovation industry for almost 30 years. However, Charlton has only been around for a little more than 10 years. I was thinking that, since my experience was adequate and my contacts were widely available, it'd be viable to start my own business. So the showroom was thus opened.

You must have had encountered so many clients....

well, yes, and I must admit that most of my clients are easy to service - it just requires a little understanding - after call interior design is a heavy investment for the home.

Some clients are more difficult to service than the rest.

I have encountered a few unreasonable demands, and these requests can be as minute as cracks in walls, which after investigation we discovered we were innocent of these faults. But we'd like to take it in our stride.

One of your projects included a bruneian royal's place. How was the experience like?

It was a breakthrough for my company...something different from the everyday project. One factor was the size of the project. It had more than 200 rooms, each having a different look for a different purpose...it really tested and stretch our design and operations abilities. We used a lot of bold and rich colour to bring out the sophiscated air. The addition of numerous sculpture pieces also contributed to the artistic, dramatic ambience. All the materials were imported from Singapore, and that made it pressurizing because of the frequent flying to and fro. It took about 8 months to complete, which I was very satisfied with, when i view the overall result.

Word-of-mouth does play an important role in business.

Of course, we have many projects based on verbal recommendation alone. That's why we emphasis on aftersales service. It makes no sense it we cannot help client to maximise the home, so we are always available to act on any enquiry. Keep our name is of vital importance in a business.

Is there a particular design style that is distinctly Charlton?

Most of our designs are contemporary and each design differs according to the individual client, because a main input and consideration has to be his lifestyle and his personality. what we are aiming towards is the Memphis, which is quirky unusual concept, and it is practical and affordable at the same time.

What are your own aspirations?

We hope, with the support of our clients, to be able to open more showrooms within the next two years.\