Power Houses

We speak with next-generation design leader Alicia Cheung about the artful collaboration of AAPI Design Alliance x Lala Curio, and her own inspired next chapter

Above Image: Interior designer Alicia Cheung

By Maile Pingel

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With a new wallpaper inspired by her Asian ancestry and myriad residential projects on the books, interior designer Alicia Cheung is actively embracing the spirit of the Year of the Fire Horse: passion, forward movement, independence, and grace. She’s also embracing its transformative energy: here, we find out what’s ahead for the award-winning designer.

Would you tell us about your new wallpaper design, Penang Treillage, which is part of the AAPI Design Alliance x Lala Curio collection?

The founder of lifestyle brand Lala Curio, Laura Cheung Wolf, reached out to AAPIDA about creating a capsule collection of wallpapers rooted in heritage, memory, and place. My design, Penang Treillage, features passion fruit vines wandering across trellises, and is hand-painted on marquetry wood veneer. It tells the story of my mother and my mother-in-law, who are both from Malaysia, as well as a morning in the Penang mountains just after I got engaged to my husband. We were having breakfast outside when I noticed passionfruit climbing overhead—which we then got to pick and enjoy. That moment became one of many threads woven into this design: Penang’s unique architecture, the beauty of the Malaysian countryside, and the stories we carry.

“Penang Treillage” (above and right), Cheung’s wallpaper for the AAPI x Lala Curio capsule collection. A mood board for the Malaysian-inspired design.

What makes this collection different?

Asian culture is often commodified without credit, and here we got to create something culturally rooted, with AAPI voices telling their own stories. It was an act of reclamation. I knew the other five designers on the project socially—Eric Chang, James Fung, Jean Liu, Jessica Davis, and Peti Lau—but it was cool to learn their personal stories through their designs. That LaLa Curio is a multigenerational, family-run Chinese business made it extra meaningful.

The designers of the AAPI x LaLa Curio collection (from left to right) Jessica Davis, Eric Chang, Jean Liu, James Fung, Alicia Cheung, and LaLa Curio founder Laura Cheung Wolf.

You are president of AAPIDA’s San Francisco chapter. How does that role resonate with you, and what should readers know about the alliance?

I love the community of it. Mentorship is important and the more visible we are, the more we can show young Asian creatives that interior design is a viable world. We’re a place for camaraderie, for sharing ideas, and everyone is welcome. Our first inaugural gala is on May 6th in Los Angeles.

The “Shanshui of Formosa” wallpaper by Eric Chang, cofounder of furniture house Hellman Chang, for the LaLa Curio collection. The Hellman Chang Umbria lounge chair. The designer in the studio. The Hellman Chang furniture collection is available through Sloan Miyasato

In December 2024, you and design partner Eva Bradley amicably dissolved studioHeimat, and Eva is now based in Charleston. How have you found leading your own firm, Alicia Cheung Design?

It’s been exciting to take designs in ways that feel more aligned with my own vision–one of the big things I learned while working for Ken Fulk is his uncompromising confidence in his vision.

We have three full-time and three freelance staff but need more help now. I’d love to find a Design Director by the end of this year!

A midcentury modern California home reimagined by Alicia Cheung Design and Feldman Architecture.

How are you engaging with the Year of the Fire Horse and all it encourages?

The transition to working by myself took a lot out of me, but now I know what I need to stay energized. I need sustainability, not in the environmental way, but in my ability to keep my excitement going, and I need joy. Our kids are 7 and 4 now, and that’s given me a little freedom to have hobbies again, like pickleball! And it’s going to be an interesting year for ACD–we currently have 18 projects!

Learn more about the AAPI Design Alliance here

Power Houses

By Maile Pingel

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