Founded in June 2003 by Echo Chang, Latitude Design Sdn Bhd was conceived with the aim of supplying residential and commercial projects with high-quality original interior design work. This mission is rooted in her personal goal of enhancing lifestyles through her designs which she has relentlessly pursued throughout her career of more than two decades.
Through its team of brilliant and experienced designers, the company has achieved numerous successes which have served to build and burnish its reputation over the years. Today, its large portfolio spans a wide variety of completed projects from single-room renovations to the construction of an entire bungalow on a piece of empty land. Style-wise, the team leans towards modernism with Echo’s personal specialisation being classical European and transitional designs.
A good example of the company’s talent, experience and flair is the transformation they wrought upon a semi-D condominium unit in Puchong, Selangor. Artistically lavish from wall to wall, the residence boasts a modern contemporary style that still manages to pack every square inch of its space with personality. Aside from the trendy choices of furniture such as the curved glass coffee table, there are also eye-catching design features such as the silvery geometric mirror walls that creatively add to the sense of spaciousness in the dining area and its surroundings.
There have also been instances where Latitude Design has drawn their inspiration from other places and individuals. One such instance was a serviced apartment in Puchong South, Selangor with the source of inspiration being famous Dutch painter and theoretician Piet Mondrian whose name is synonymous with modernism. The designers applied the artist’s preference for simple geometric elements to this home’s interior with nearly everything being defined by clean and crisp straight lines. The same principle was applied to the colour palette which is predominantly white with complementary shades of brown courtesy of a generous usage of wood elements.
However, the company’s skills have also been applied with great success to commercial spaces where it is the brand instead of an individual that is the focus. In the case of a high-end miniature masterpiece retailer in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, an interior driven by Echo’s speciality which is classical European designs kept the spotlight on the store’s glamorous products. The timeless combination of white, light brown and marble gave the space an effortlessly luxurious ambience that perfectly matched the brand’s image.
That is not to say that Latitude Design is incapable of going bright and bold when the situation calls for it. Tasked with crafting a place where a culture of innovation can be nurtured among the company’s employees, it created a design that is both fascinatingly unconventional and deceptively simple. At its core, the space employs an open office concept and a modern industrial style but it is the details both great and small that help it serve its purpose of encouraging creative thinking and collaborative work. Frosted glass walls and doors broke up in irregular rectangular pieces line two sides of the ‘lab’ which is furnished with blocky wood tables and stools. Adding a touch of vibrancy to the space are brightly-coloured chairs and beanbags which are sure to excite the imagination of the employees.
While Echo herself has primarily worked on residential projects especially of late, she continues to champion the importance of designing from the heart regardless of the property type. It is her wish that there will come a day where everyone will be able to afford an interior designer. This is due to her belief that interior design is the key to creating an environment that is faithful to the wants and needs of its residents or users. However, she also stresses the need to be patient when dealing with the amount of details and thought that are part and parcel of interior design no matter whether the project in question is a residential or commercial space.
