The Huy Ninh
What do you do in your current job?
Having fun and putting out excellent designs… if only it was that simple. Most projects I am currently on require a lot of coordination and collaboration with other consultants, including architecture, mechanical, and electrical, to name a few to ensure the designs are delivered on time, and on budget while still having similar quality and impact. Although those are my main tasks at the moment, I am still joining other projects for schematic and design development phases.
What are you doing right now that you are most excited about?
We are working on a restaurant chain with a well-known client who wants to relaunch and expand the chain from Toronto to the West Coast. The project requires integrating the client’s design guidelines and our design investigations to create a new series of restaurants with a different aesthetic and vibe while maintaining their core value of a fun, casual restaurant. This project is where I have the chance to work on every design aspect of a project, from interior design to custom furniture & lighting design, to art curation. The first location will be opening this fall in Toronto, the next will be in Vancouver next year, and at least three more to follow.
What is your proudest achievement since graduation?
I have significantly improved my presentation skills. I’ve struggled with presenting for my whole (academic) life and tend to let the works speak for themselves. However, the more I learned and worked, I realized that the work indeed cannot speak for itself. People focus on different things when looking at an image. Communication is the key to delivering the idea, pointing out where to focus on, and explaining the reasons behind the designs. I’m proud to say “Not today, stage fright.”
What do you find to be the most challenging, and the most rewarding aspects of your career?
Ensuring the design stays as designed in construction might be one of the biggest challenges I have faced these last few years. Schematic design can be all fun and games but real life will bring obstacles and challenge us. These challenges range from budget constraints, site conditions, conflicts with other consultants, or just an email simply saying “This product is not available in Canada.” I think these challenges are also opportunities to grow in problem-solving, coordination, negotiation skills, and flexibility. It’s satisfying to know that boundaries can be pushed, and the design remains intact (in spirit?)
What advice would you give to those who are considering a career in interior design?
Don’t be afraid of being extraordinary.
What drew you to interior design? What do you love most about it?
As a child, I hoarded household items to create a small well-decorated, well-function corner. Interior design is my childhood fever dream come true. What can beat creating cool spaces for myself, other people, and even commercial spaces? In other words, the interior design god called, and I picked up the phone.
What do you see as the most compelling trends in the interior design field?
Biophilic design and Revit. We have passed the green-washing and surface-level of biophilia. Greenery is being incorporated into projects in more strategic and meaningful ways. At my design firm, we strike to bring back the same green space the new building replaced and more. That way we are not only put back what was taken but increase that in number and quality. Revit is also becoming more prevalent in the interior design world. It might sound strange in Winnipeg since U of M alumni push for Revit usage, but it is still quite new in Vancouver, where I’ve been since graduation. Revit is a superior tool for designing with options, and information. It is the perfect software for coordinating with architects, engineers, and other consultants.
If you could turn back time to your MID years, what would you have done differently/ have taken advantage of as a student?
One thing I regret during my MID years was staying safe and designing projects that I felt more comfortable doing and knowing they would work. If I could go back, I would go wilder to experiment with different ideas, approaches, concepts, and theories. School is one of the last places where the sky is the limit. I would also not design a whole building for my Practicum and focus more on the interior design part.
How did your MID degree at the UM help to prepare you for your career?
Before joining the program, I only focus on aesthetics and function in design. For context, I came to MID at UM as an international student with over three years of working experience in Southeast Asia. MID program gave me a different perspective and showed me that interior design can be more than that. Designs can come with meaning, emotion, experience, and inclusivity while maintaining the aesthetic and functional aspects.
In what ways did your experience at the UM contribute to your success?
Studio crits prepared me with critical criticism and openness to change. I think as designers, we need to be flexible and open to change. Sometimes, “kill what you love” might open the doors to success and great(er) designs.
What was the most valuable lesson you learned at the UM?
1. Wear layers and have a pair of alternate, non-winter shoes in the studios.
2. The step-by-step experimentations and interpretation in Studio 2 with Tijen helped me realize a great approach to design: don’t come with a fixed idea or view for the project. Let the design brief, site constraints, and cultural-social conditions lead you to the answer(s).