Whenever we go into a nice luxury building, we usually admire the amazing design and creative ideas of the architects. But the architecture of a building not only depends on the outside – it also depends on interior design as well.

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Sitting in a nice decorated room, Ma Channara, 30, is an interior designer.  While using a pencil to decorate an interior for a shop in Phnom Penh, he turns to me briefly and tells me his study background and current works.

Ma Channara began his work in 2010, after he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Interior Design from Raffles University in Singapore. He said he chose to study in Singapore because he wanted to learn more about the interesting concepts of architecture in their metropolitan country.

“Designing an interior is a very difficult task.  Besides needing to have creative ideas and in this field, all designers need to do research and be well-prepared for everything - especially materials in the building,” he said.

He added that whenever he begins a project, he has to know the needs of his clients. He also visits the building about to be re-designed. After that, he does his research about the project and draws the first draft for the clients to discuss.

When both architect and interior designer start to design one building, they not only care about the decoration of the building, but also the quality and convenience for those using the building.

“The wonderful interior design does not only rely on the nice and attractive decoration but also the uniqueness, security, and comfort.

“Most of the time, I need to draw the decoration in 3D because it is better than 2D technology, and is a lot more similar to how it will really look. However, I have to be patient and spend a lot of time doing that.”

He said it takes about a month to finish the decorating, and several months to finish a big project,  so many late nights are spent finishing every last minute detail.

After talking for a while, he opens his laptop and shows me some examples of his work - mostly in Singapore. He said he hasn’t done much interior designing in Cambodia, so designing the interior for a shop in Phnom Penh is a new market for him.

“Using expensive materials does not mean that we ultimately have a nice decoration. A cool decoration depends on the designer and how creative they are.”