There has been much excitement and cheer among design buffs in the past few days over the Singapore Design Week, which is set to wrap up tomorrow.

The jewel in the crown was undoubtedly the official opening of the National Design Centre (NDC) on Wednesday. Finally, there’s a place our designers can call home and where their creations can be showcased to the rest of the world.

Other highlights included the launch of the first Singapore Design Business Summit, and a Memorandum Of Understanding between the Design Business Chamber Singapore (DBCS) and three educational institutions, which will provide DBCS memberships as well as other opportunities to design students.

And let’s not forget the glamour lent by the presence of Paris’ trade event Maison&Objet, which made its Singapore debut.

For Tai Lee Siang, DBCS President and Group Managing Director of Ong&Ong, the flurry of events was “a dream come true”.

“It’s like every part of the jigsaw puzzle is falling into place. Now we’re going to be a serious global player.”

We take a second look at these important events.

1 The National Design Centre will make your life better — and prettier

This long-awaited space on Middle Road is taking its role as a design hub seriously. It has two galleries for exhibitions, an open-access prototyping lab, the Design Thinking & Innovation Academy, 16 office spaces, five training rooms, a design advisory to find out everything you need to know from grants to directories, and an auditorium for talks and film screenings. “This was never meant to be a museum,” declared Design Singapore Council Executive Director Jeffrey Ho. “It’s an enabling place.”

Some NDC tenants have already settled in, from British packaging design agency JKR to five-month-old furniture firm Industry+. “Industry+ is a new brand and we want to engage the public and broadcast the value and appeal of Asian designs,” explained Brand Manager Zarani Risjad. The company has done just that with a range of furniture that was specially created by eight Singapore-based designers. Feel free to pick up benches by Phunk Studio’s Jackson Tan, a lamp by OutofStock, stools by VW+BS and vases by Olivia Lee. Prices range from S$25 for the vase to S$3,500 for a croc-embossed coffee table.

You can also check out other products from Industry+ in Kapok. Currently in a pop-up format, the multi-label concept store will launch a bigger Singapore flagship next month and will carry at least five times more than its current stock.

“It’s great that we got this space in NDC. Besides being a charming and historical building, it is a centre for design and we’ll always make it a point to collaborate with Singaporean designers,” explained Country Manager Francisco Villanueva.

Kapok has already tied up with homegrown graphic firm Kult to produce a limited-edition series of digital prints from 10 different designers. In fact, 40 per cent of Kapok’s wares will be dedicated to all things Singapore, including furniture by Grafunkt, perfumes by Code Deco and plates by Supermama.

2 Maison&Objet is putting Singapore and Asia where they belong.

In the spotlight, that is. Paris’ famed home decor trade event makes its way out of Europe with an Asian edition and another one in Miami next year. M&O Managing Director Philippe Brocart cited the “atmosphere of creativity” as a big factor in its decision to hold the fair at Marina Bay Sands.

“The idea for an Asian edition was discussed four to five years ago; we made the decision 18 months ago. The Singapore Government and the local authorities are really pushing creativity and design, pushing communication. And Singapore is well-connected — for exhibitors and visitors, it’s easy to do business and organise meetings.”

With 272 brands presented at the show, it was well beyond Brocart’s initial expectation of 150 to 180 brands. “Thirty per cent of the exhibitors are Asian brands, so that’s also more than anticipated. We also have a platform for young Asian designers and that’s good exposure,” said Brocart. Among the Asian brands is one of our very own, Luzerne, exhibiting for the first time in M&O and more than holding its own among the big boys of French tableware brands with a whimsical booth designed by Asylum.

“M&O is such a prestigious event to be participating in and it was such opportune timing as we’re beginning to make our mark in the retail market,” said Luzerne’s Global Brand Head Elaine Lek. “We are extremely happy with the results as it’s helped create awareness for Luzerne, not just among retail buyers but also within the design communities in Asia.” So pleased is Lek that she revealed the company is considering participating in M&O Miami.

Acclaimed designer and M&O’s Designer of the Year Tom Dixon thinks Singapore has potential to become a city like London, where design is an intrinsic part of everyday culture. “People always seem to be interested in design here; it’s one of those countries that’s putting a lot of effort into the development of design knowledge,” he said. “There is already a Singapore aesthetic that is developing — it’s quieter, refined, detailed and quite crafty. There is a lot of culture and sensibilities here that make Singapore unique. The most important thing is to maintain that uniqueness and stand out in a very crowded world.”

3 Singapore Design Business Summit looks to the next generation

Wednesday’s launch of the Singapore Design Business Summit also saw the introduction of a Singapore Design Class certification, a Design Career Development Committee, Intellectual Property Advisory Services, and the signing of an MOU with Nanyang Polytechnic, Management Development Institute of Singapore and Raffles College of Higher Education. DBCS President Tai said these would address key concerns in sharpening the design industry’s competitive edge, protecting the designs of homegrown creatives while also encouraging design students to go into the business and giving them fair remuneration and reward.

The heads of the three institutions are heartened by these developments. “Previously, parents didn’t really want their kids to go into design, but every business needs design solutions. The industry is a worthwhile one to enter — especially now that the Singapore Government is promoting design businesses in a big way,” said Yong Reei Pyn, Assistant College Director of Raffles College of Higher Education.

Tai revealed that this is just the first phase and the chamber is already in talks with other design institutions for the next MOU signing either in October or next year.

Singapore Design Week runs until tomorrow. For more information, visit http://www.designsingapore.org/