Space Psyche
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text by Julie Edwards
photos by Tom Arban & Evan DionA boutique studio offering dynamic, inspired solutions, Munge Leung has established itself as one of Canada’s leading interior design firms. Their diverse portfolio features impressive designs for everything from upscale hospitality hotspots to exclusive residential work.
“Our background is in retail design, however, when we established our firm, we decided to move into other areas of specialty including hotels and high-end residential,” says partner Alessandro Munge. In a short period of time, the award-winning firm has garnered a notable roster of clients including the top developers in Toronto and five-star hospitality brands.
Munge founded the Toronto-based firm in 1997 with Sai Leung. The pair worked together at another firm before deciding to strike out on their own. Munge, whose mother ran a drapery business, says he finds satisfaction in making people happy through design. “For me, it’s all about the psychology of design—how people move, react and think in the space and how to make their experience as pleasurable as possible,” he says.
Currently, the firm specializes in high-end projects for hotels, restaurants, bar and lounge venues, condominium developments and select residential projects. “We are mostly known in the city for our luxury condominium work,” Munge says. “While we do take on one or two private homes per year, it has to be truly special property where we and the client see eye to eye.”
The firm’s condominium projects include designing a sales office with furnished model suites, residential lobbies, amenity areas and the interior finishes and layout. “What sets our work apart is that we offer design solutions that are not cookie cutter,” Munge says. “Our portfolio is very diverse, as are our clients, and our clients appreciate that each of our projects has its own personality.”
One of the firm’s most recent projects is the Bisha Hotel and Residences, a private-label boutique hotel located in Toronto. A collaboration between Munge Leung and longtime clients INK Entertainment and Lifetime Developments, the Bisha is slated to open in 2014. When completed, the project will feature 300 condominiums and 100 hotel rooms, and residents will have access to two bars and restaurants as well as an array of luxury amenities including an immense rooftop patio and an infinity pool overlooking the city.
“We have been working closely with the client to establish the sense and feeling of the hotel’s brand,” Munge says. “Because the client loves to travel, we’ve incorporated elements from some of the exotic locales he’s visited as well as the wonderful artwork he’s collected.”
The resulting design is an eclectic, elegant mix of furniture and decor that evokes a mature and sexy sophistication. Classy with an edge, the furnishings are worldly while the accessories incorporate striking artwork and a refined use of texture that mixes glass, wood, stone, gold-hued metals, leathers and silks.
Another of Munge Leung’s hallmark projects, Toronto’s The Republic of Yonge & Eglinton is a condominium development in a progressive neighbourhood. Munge Leung designed the condominium’s lobby and indoor areas as well as the outdoor rooftop terrace.
“For this project, we focused on a clean, contemporary design that was simple yet portrayed the sophisticated quality of the building,” Munge says. The firm used an array of natural materials, including travertine and rift-cut oak on the vertical surfaces and a massive white onyx fireplace, to convey a sense of warmth and a timeless feel.
The building also boasts a spectacular roof patio with beautiful landscaping. “We conceived an outdoor space that would offer private cabanas, complete with grills and dining areas, which residents could use as an extension of their home when entertaining guests,” Munge says. “The end result was even better than we imagined.”
The firm recently worked on another ambitious project with yet another distinctive focus and look: The Rosewood Hotel Georgia, which opened summer 2011. Located in downtown Vancouver, the hotel was originally built in 1927, and Delta Land Development and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts selected Munge Leung to bring the historical property to its original grandeur. “Our design approach was to refine and redefine the look of the space while preserving the history of the hotel and keeping it as authentic as possible,” says Munge.
Munge Leung also designed the hotel’s signature fine dining restaurant, Hawksworth, the creation of Vancouver’s premier chef, David Hawksworth. In keeping with the refined atmosphere and unique character of the hotel, the firm used muted tones blended with glass and mirrored surfaces to create a sleek atmosphere that harkens back to post-Prohibition glamour. The end result has been another feather in Munge Leung’s design chapeau and an inspiration to its founders.
“I am truly driven by my passion and love for the industry and design,” Munge says. “Though our firm is fairly young, I feel this passion is reflected in our work which, in turn, continues to bring notice to our work.”
