Creating a home brings story to life

Managing the overall design of a new home build from its inception to completion, Weststyle Lead Architect Mary Ong is passionate about her craft because of its creative and collaborative components.

Having established herself as a reputable architect in Perth’s residential building sector over the past decade, Ms Ong recently spoke with New Homes about the ins-and-outs of her chosen profession.

“When it comes to my work, I tend to draw on my love of storytelling to create homes that capture the past, present and future lives of our clients,” she said. “Your home is your story to tell – and I love bringing that story to life.”

Discussing what it’s like to work for a luxury builder that specialises in high-end custom homes, Ms Ong said she felt very fortunate to be part of the Weststyle family, as the entire team enjoyed working together to achieve rich architectural outcomes for their clients.

“Our entire team works together to achieve a holistic design outcome, with emphasis on environment, materiality and creating something unique,” she said.

“I enjoy the bringing together of ideas, whether it be with clients or with other team members, I highly value collaboration and think it is an integral part of the design process.”

When it came to architectural styles, Ms Ong said there was no one style she preferred or favoured over another in the residential sector.

“I’m not drawn to a particular style,” she said. “I prefer the home to speak of its place.

“I get excited when clients share their own distinct style with me, as it adds to that level of personalisation and helps me deliver a richer design and architectural outcome.”

While not everyone is cut out to meet the demands of working as an architect, Ms Ong said most well-respected architects tended to share certain qualities. These included having passion for their work, being creative and open to collaborating, a willingness to adapt to varying requests at any stage of a project, a problem-solving mindset and a readiness to consistently learn new things throughout their entire working life.

Outside of work, Ms Ong said she enjoyed getting away from the city on the weekends and spending time in nature.

“I love spending my weekends going on hikes or snorkelling,” she said.

“I find nature fascinating and enjoy learning from it and integrating aspects of it into my designs.”

CONTACT Weststyle, 9345 1565, www.weststyle.com.au