APU talent lights up furniture fair
Celebrating excellence: Yeong (centre) receiving the 'Best Institution' award from Tan (right). – MIFF
Like clothing for its wearer, furniture design helps bring out the character of a home and its owner.
It's a quality that Ong Jing Rou constantly strives to innovate.
A Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Industrial Design student at the Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) School of Media, Arts and Design (SoMAD), Ong recently clinched second place at the Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) Furniture Design Competition 2025 with her cabinet design 'Loome'.
It marked her third triumph in six months – she had bagged the 2024 Malaysian Interior Industry Partners Association (MIIP) Interior Industry Awards and the KL Selangor Furniture Association (KSFA) Golden Axe Awards 2024 earlier.
The MIFF Furniture Design Competition, which began in the third quarter of 2024, concluded during the fair held from March 1 to 4 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre.
Ong's latest achievement earned her a cash prize of RM3,000, with the competition attracting a record-breaking 350 submissions from over 30 institutions across the region. APU students submitted four designs, two of which made it to the Top 20 finals.
Adding sparkle to the awards ceremony was APU being crowned 'Best Institution' – a recognition of the university's commitment to innovation and excellence in industrial design, and its dedication to nurturing forward-thinking designers through SoMAD.
Simply lit: Ong posing with a scaled-down model of her creation. The mentorship and guidance of faculty members Ivan Yeong Ming Hun, Liew Yong Kian and Eekang Ooi played a pivotal role in shaping the students' designs.
Yeong represented APU on stage to receive the award from MIFF founder and chairman Datuk Dr Tan Chin Huat.
Mentored by Ooi, a certified industrial designer, Ong created Loome as a cabinet series inspired by the fashion industry. The design challenges conventional furniture-making by replacing traditional hardwood or board with stretchable fabric.
Aligned with the competition's 'Fashion-Inspired Furniture' theme, Loome allows users to switch out the outer fabric, customising their furniture based on seasons, moods or personal style.
Beyond its functional versatility, Loome also doubles as an ambient lighting piece. The use of translucent, stretchable materials creates a soft, diffused glow, subtly revealing the cabinet's contents through a mist-like effect. This interplay of light and texture enhances the furniture's aesthetic appeal while redefining the boundaries of modern furniture design.
SoMAD head Debbie Liew Pooi Kuan said the victory is a symbol of the passion, perseverance and creative spirit that defines the school's community.
'We are incredibly proud of our students and faculty members who showcased excellence at the MIFF 2025. This is just the beginning, and we look forward to seeing our students shape the future of design with their groundbreaking ideas,' she said in a press release.
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