This sixth instalment of Quality in Life features Matt Zhang, founder and head designer of The Luxe Design Studio. Located in Vancouver B.C. and established in 2017, The Luxe Design Studio has been at the frontline of imagining and creating incredibly luxurious as well as timeless spaces. Whether it is a commercial or residential space, Matt and Luxe over the years have built an amazing reputation for themselves due to their hard work and dedication in ensuring that your dream space comes to life. Some notable local spaces they have worked on are Sushi Bar Shu, Trove, Lift Loft 26, Kuhlmann Canada, and many more. Having been featured in other articles and gaining the trust of a vast number of people both locally and internationally The Luxe Design Studio continues to grow and take charge within such a large industry. Having the opportunity to sit down and chat with Matt, it was very easy to notice how big of a passion he has for design and the even bigger drive to make his clients’ architectural dreams come true. This is particularly why we were so honoured to have met him and learn more about his journey with design all the way from high school to now.
Matt’s journey with design started early on when he was a young boy. Having a father who was an already established developer was something Matt found incredibly inspiring as a young child growing up. Specifically, he was quite enamoured by seeing his father talk to clients and partners about an idea and then seeing that idea come to fruition. He noted that this process was magical for him to see. From a young age, this was what piqued his interest in architecture and furthered into a passion to develop properties which is what Luxe currently has moved onto. Later, during his early years at St. George's high school, Matt found out he was more gifted in arts as well as athletics. By the time Matt was in grade 11, he had already received eight full-ride scholarships to some of the top design schools in the world. After receiving these scholarships and having toured these schools he came to choose Art Center College of Design. He says that this was the most difficult and rigorous program he had ever been in and it really opened his eyes to honing his discipline and work ethic. After graduating in 2017 he soon founded The Luxe Design Studio to begin his dream of having his own design and development firm. At first, Matt was unable to gain a large number of clients. In his first year of operation, he decided on choosing a price point for his clients so that they had more to gain than lose on their investment. This was what allowed him to get his foot in the door with new clients. From then on, more people began to notice Matt’s work and the love as well as dedication he has for serving his clients and making them happy. As more clients were able to see his work come to life Luxe has been able to double his clientele each year going from doing two projects at once in the beginning to now managing over 30 projects at the same time. Matt says his work has been incredibly rewarding and that he is always happy about learning more as each day passes. Luxe is now at the point where Matt says they are blessed to be able to pick their clients and have more freedom with their work in terms of the services they offer. As for quality and community, the two go hand in hand with Matt and his work.
Matt and The Luxe Design Studio are always surrounded by community and make sure that they are the priority. Mentioned earlier, it was quite easy to see Matt’s passion for serving his clients during the interview. This is also apparent through the relationship that Luxe has with their clients when taking on a new project. They are completely transparent with their clients in terms of pricing and any questions clients have to offer. This is also to ensure that their clients have a peace of mind knowing that they are getting the best product and materials at a great price point. Matt mentioned it is Luxe’s mission to make the process less troublesome and as fun as possible when making one’s dream design come true. Additionally, Luxe takes the approach of really listening to the client and paying mind to them as opposed to having a ‘designer knows best’ approach. This ensures that this often rigorous process goes as smoothly as possible. At the end of the day, Matt stressed that he wants his clients to be happy, save money, and end up knowing they can refer their friends to him afterwards. He also noted that he has built relationships with most of his clients and considers them friends. For Matt, this sense of community does not end when the project is completed. He takes the time to go out and spend time with his clients to build even stronger relationships with them. This way, he expresses community and is able to see his work enjoyed while spending time with the people whose architectural dreams have been made true by Luxe. In terms of quality, Matt and Luxe settle for nothing less. After having more experience and building relationships, they are able to guarantee their quality as they have grown and are able to source the best materials. They have a set few trusted companies that they work with and who are very reputable. Matt orders all the materials himself and handpicks everything that he works on with clients. In addition, all the renderings for clients are done in house so that they can really go into detail with their clients about what they have in mind for the space. This gives both a sense of trust and peace of mind to whoever Matt is working with. When the time comes, all materials being used in the project are laid out in front of the client so that they can see it in real life and even feel what they are like. Most importantly, Matt says that a house is something incredibly intimate and if he can be the one to make their life better or more convenient where they can enjoy his work on a day to day basis, he is happy.
We could not be happier having the chance to interview our friend Matt Zhang about The Luxe Design Studio. Matt’s approach to serving his clients first and providing them with the most luxurious and timeless spaces have been the reason why his company has had so much success over the last four years. Their attention to detail, drive to put the client first, and transparency with their process are unparalleled. Whatever desire you have for a space, if you are lucky enough to be able to work with Matt and Luxe you know you are in for a treat. We hope you were as intrigued as ever in reading this volume and check our friend out on his ongoing journey to wow the world with Luxe.