My Perfect Weekend with award-winning interior designer Jackie Lai

Who: Mr Jackie Lai, 45, founder of local interior design firm JIA Studios, which has bagged a string of awards since its inception in 2007. These include the 2021 iF Design Award in Interior Architecture from Germany and the 2020 Singapore Good Design (SG Mark) Award. He is married to Dr Agnes Xue, 39, associate professor and head of design factory at the Singapore Institute of Technology. The couple have a daughter Joan, 11, and son Josh, six, who are aspiring designers.

“A perfect weekend for me usually starts with a cosy family dinner on Friday evenings or, sometimes, catching up with good friends after a hectic work week.

The weekends are when things wind down for me, and I try to make the most of the fleeting minutes by finding a balance for my physical, mental, emotional and social well-being.

I usually go for an early walk on Saturday mornings along the beach at East Coast Park, which is near my terrace house in Kembangan.

My family and I also like food and cafe-hopping in Singapore’s historic districts such as Boat Quay, Chinatown and Kampong Glam, immersing ourselves in nostalgia and the foodie culture.

I try to put in some time for exercise as well during the weekends. I cycle regularly with my group called the East Coast Avengers, as well as go running for a few kilometres.

I am also into mountaineering. In August 2021, I hiked up to the peak of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah. In 2023, I will be climbing up Mount Bromo and Mount Ijen, which are part of active volcanic complexes in East Java, Indonesia.

On some weekends, I try to include time to look for inspiration for my interior designs through trips to the museums, such as the ArtScience Museum; catch weekend events and exhibitions; or exchange talks at the Singapore Interior Design Festival.

The creative downtime opens a window into possibilities in design which I draw on in the week ahead.

On Sundays, the family attends church. In the evenings, we usually stay at home to catch up on work commitments.

Since the pandemic in 2020, we have grown fond of watching Netflix series on interior design. With both parents as designers, our children have also taken a shine to watching and critiquing design documentaries such as Interior Design Masters, Motel Makeover and The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals.

Joan and Josh love coming up with artists’ impressions of spaces which we discuss and refine together.

The children sleep early on Sunday nights to get ready for school the next day. That is when I head to my study to gather my final thoughts on design as well as prep for another week of deadlines and meetings.”