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Art | Design
— Featured in Boulevard Magazine —
Interview
The interview: Magnus Renfrew, co-founder of Art SG, on the state of the art show
Co-founder of Art SG, Magnus Renfrew talks us through the rising regional art market, the growing global interest in Southeast Asian talents, and the next generation of collectors.
B&B Italia’s Piero Lissoni reflects on Space Furniture’s 30th anniversary, inspiration, risk, and the future of design
The stately conservation villa comprising one half of the Space Furniture showroom in Singapore offers a dramatic counterpoint to the contemporary glass structure by Woha architects that composes the other. It’s a fitting backdrop – daring in its modernity, yet with a deep respect for heritage – for Boulevard’s interview with Piero Lissoni.
Home tour: Aesthete Amanda Love’s home shows deep curatorial consideration
Aesthete and cultural connoisseur Amanda Love possesses a passion, vision and an inner circle that elevate her long-standing independent art advisory business, LoveArt, from expertise to art-world icon. Over 20 years of sourcing exceptional contemporary art across the globe and advising the sharpest private collectors and corporations, LoveArt has developed some of the most covetable collections in the world. You can only imagine what her personal collection and private haven are like. Until now.
The interview: famed French graffiti artist Kongo
Today, he’s sought-after by art collectors and luxury brands. But it wasn’t so long ago that French graffiti artist Kongo was hotly pursued by the law. “Graffiti hasn’t always been regarded as ‘street art’. Until quite recently, we were just considered to be vandals,” Kongo says. “The police would arrest me. I’d say, ‘But I’m making art, making beauty!’”
The interview: Philip Colbert, on shaking the lobster trap of reality
“There’s a myth that serious structure and rational thought are true. The prison of rules. It’s limiting and false, and the thing I love about Surrealism is that sense of pulling the rug, letting the Other come into play – that sense of shaking the cage of reality.”
Designer furniture highlights from Salone del Mobile 2023
By Hamish McDougallPhotography by Boulevard
Atelier tour: The wondrous house of luxury furniture maison Christopher Guy
The historic port-city of Semarang in Central Java, Indonesia, is not without its charms, but neither is it the obvious setting for an unabashedly opulent furniture house. It’s a distance, certainly, from the design capitals and storied ateliers of similarly positioned brands, but it’s close to Java’s mahogany plantations and, as such, the region has a heritage of craftsmanship and no shortage of artisans.
Natural Lighting: Organic chandeliers by Serip
Gorgeous organic forms and exquisite crystal have long been the hallmarks of Serip’s unique take on statement lighting. The brand’s chandeliers’ delicate branching structures and almost liquid pendalogues afford a beautiful diffusion of light as it reflects off the metallics and ripples through the crystal.
— Latest Art | Design Features —
The art of memorable elegance: Armani Hotels in Milan and Dubai
There’s an enveloping scent of wood, light and alpine, with just an undertow of amber, that ushers you in and ultimately defines a stay at the Armani Hotels in Milan and Dubai. Devastatingly sophisticated, but at the same time, accessible. Supremely poised, and yet welcoming – a near-paradox the Armani maison somehow effortlessly extends to every touchpoint from design and service to amenities and gastronomy.
Travertine House: Inside the Nassim Quattro estate
Reflected in the piano-gloss finish of the 20-seater table by Fendi Casa, the enigmatic abstraction of Frank Holliday’s Heart and Soul, shown left, is doubly powerful in the grand dining room at Nassim Quattro.
Bodega Living: Next-level designer wine walls
The days of the basement cellar may well be numbered. With the rise of next-level wine chillers and wine-wall tech, our cellars have ascended from the underground depths to the centre stage of our dry kitchens – and now our lounges. Bodega Living’s bespoke, showcase cellars take this oenophilic trend to another level that is equal parts wine wall and art piece.
Every piece is a process: Brewin Design Office founder Bobby Cheng talks through his approach to truly bespoke design
“Everything is customised, to some extent, whenever a designer works on anything,” says Bobby Cheng. “But for me, when pieces become one of a kind, and created for the context and purpose of one particular project, and when we labour through it as though it were a project in itself – at that point, I would dare say there is a bespoke nature or process.”
Bulthaup’s ‘There Is No Kitchen’ concept arrives in Asia
A pillar of modern kitchen design, Bulthaup's modules, particularly the b1, b2 and b3 concepts, have been heralded around the world for their variety of configurations and angular simplicity. The brand's architectural character, which is heavily influenced by the Bauhaus movement, expresses a certain harmony between function, production and quiet artistry.
Home tour
Interior designer Isabelle Miaja achieves perfect harmony at Tomlinson Heights
Interior designer Isabelle Miaja pulls off a rare mix of character and poise in this stunning re-imagination of a six-bedroom residence at Tomlinson Heights.
Molteni&C debuts the latest in its new bespoke outdoor collection
Famed Italian brand Molteni&C introduced the newest pieces in its outdoor collection at its Winsland House showroom in Singapore recently. With it, guests, architects and designers were treated to a collection that highlighted new finishes, revamped interior solutions and the same contemporary Italian proportions and detail that the brand has long championed.
Christopher Guy hosts the Boucher & Co exhibition at its flagship showroom in Singapore
Christopher Guy welcomed another exceptional Boucher & Co exhibition at its flagship showroom in Singapore from June 27 to July 18. The leader in world-class bespoke furniture design remains one of the most sought-after brands for its peerless craftsmanship.
Interview
The interview: Dennis Ouyang, founder of Loy Gallery, on ‘A Trail to Chase’
Transcending the usual gallery experience, Loy Gallery bridges the gap between multi-disciplinary art communities not just in Singapore but also all over the world. Its latest exhibition, 'A Trail to Chase', is no different, showcasing the intersect between art and design. Here, founder Dennis Ouyang talks us through the inspiration behind the gallery and its latest show, collecting art and more.
China Heights and the birth of the culture of cool
Established in 2004, China Heights was founded on an organic ethos of ‘sub-culture making’. As is often the case with taste-makers, what has now become one of the most innovative cross-form galleries in Australia began as a young art and design oriented group of peers riffing creatively in a warehouse.
A glimpse inside Christopher Guy’s opulent flagship showroom in Singapore
The self-described 'creators of the world’s most fabulous lifestyles', Christopher Guy has launched its flagship showroom in Singapore – and, true to form, gone big on the glamour. Occupying a full floor of the Citibank building on Orchard Road, the showroom is all lacquered hardwoods, sumptuous chaises and the brand’s signature, voluptuous curves.
The Ralph Lauren Home Modern Driver Collection is a celebration of sculptural silhouettes
Introduced during the Milan Design Week, the Ralph Lauren Home Modern Driver Collection for Fall 2024 is rooted in modern automotive design. Lauren, after all, has one of the most extensive automobile collections ever assembled. Cars like he 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe, the 1929 Blower Bentley and the 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe are credited for inspiring the mogul's design philosophy.
Inside Christopher Guy CEO Kisa Harrison’s exquisite contemporary home
Boulevard had the honor of co-hosting an exclusive gathering with Sans Souci at the private residence of Christopher Guy CEO Kisa Harrison. Founders of Singapore's leading luxury interior designers and architecture firms were treated to an elegant dinner celebration, as well as a an intimate look at some iconic pieces inside the abode.
Paradise Island: Enjoying the quintessential luxury waterfront lifestyle
Sentosa Cove in Singapore has the distinction of being one of the world's most famous exclusive oceanfront communities. It's an enclave that is equal parts integrated water resort concept and elevated garden sanctuary. And amidst thousands of hillside mansions, bungalows and apartments, Paradise Island stands tall as a development that especially embodies the luxury tropical qualities of the cove.
The interview: Goh Kar Lung, managing director of Focal / Naim Singapore, on achieving high-fidelity sound
Set amidst the Kevin Roche-designed Millenia Walk mall, the lately opened Focal / Naim showroom represents the celebrated hifi brand’s first dedicated space in Singapore. Audiophiles are invited to immerse themselves in unbelievably crisp, rich and high-fidelity sound that blends superb acoustics with some of the most sophisticated audio systems around.
Tom Polo explores human identity and connection in ‘somewhere on the edge of you’
Contemporary Australian artist Tom Polo unveils the complexities of our inner lives through gestural acts of portraiture. His paintings oscillate between the figurative and abstracted, between self and other, recording the emotional, performative and psychological aspects of human exchange and re-imagining painting as a theatre between the viewer and the artwork.
Designer Charles Wilson on cultivating timeless organic design and collaborating with King Living
Charles Wilson’s claim to fame is perhaps the iconic CW1 Swivel Chair with Woodmark, which he created back in 1995. It was a piece that would serve as the introduction to a prolific design practice. Since then, Wilson has developed a signature style combining clean lines and experiments with almost accidental shapes and ideas.
Whitestone Gallery unveils the artistry of Miwa Komatsu and Ronald Ventura
The newly launched Whitestone Gallery in Singapore’s Tanjong Pagar Distripark is immediately striking in its polished concrete floors, bare white walls, raw ceilings and sculptural lobby designed by renowned architect Kengo Kuma.
Sydney Contemporary Art Fair
Now in its seventh consecutive year, the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair is a staple in the art calendar – and one of the biggest economic drivers in the Asia-Pacific art market.
Flexform’s ‘Supermax’ sofa is the evolution of elegance and comfort in seating design
Since its creation in 1983 by architect Antonio Citterio, the ‘Max’ sofa has become a staple of chic anterooms, boutiques and the more poised corporate lounges. The design icon marries the linear rigour of its tubular metal structure with the kidney-bean-shaped sprawl of the seat, set off by candy-cane striping for added panache.
Cuscaden Reserve: Where art and luxury converge
Fernando Botero's horse stands guard over the entrance to Cuscaden Reserve – having relocated after its years of sentry duty at The Marq on Paterson Hill. While the newly completed condo features smaller-format residences in contrast with The Marq’s eminently lavish proportions, there is noticeably no deficit of design, detail, architecture, and indeed, art. And this is the unique appeal of Cuscaden Reserve: a luxury pied-à-terre that genuinely delivers on its positioning.
Trussardi Casa delivers a touch of high fashion for your home
The fusion of fashion and furniture demands the highest order of provenance and execution. One name that is capable of such a rare feat is Trussardi Casa - the furniture line born from the iconic Italian luxury fashion house bearing a reputation for fine leather goods, ready-to-wear pieces and perfumes.
30 years of artistic innovation: Melbourne’s Gertrude shapes the contemporary art landscape
One of the longest-standing incubator gallery and studio programmes in the Australian contemporary art sphere, Melbourne’s Gertrude has shaped and reshaped the currents and trends of the cutting edge of artistic practice for more than 30 years. As a non-commercial, not-for-profit, independent space comprising two gallery venues and a large in-house studio programme, Gertrude seethes with an unapologetic creative energy that places artists at the centre of its ethos and encourages risk-taking, innovation and ambition.
B&B Italia’s iconic sofa gets a sustainable upgrade
First presented in 1970, B&B Italia's iconic 'Camaleonda' sofa by architect and designer Mario Bellini was "created to fill a void". At the time, it launched a middle ground between traditional and avant-garde furniture that offered a design-forward yet thoroughly liveable piece that uniquely continues to adapt to its owners’ changing requirements. Through its system of cables, hooks and rings, the endless modularity also serves as a design signature.
33 Club: Design, drinks, dinner meet a private members’ watch club
The world’s sixth-largest importer of Swiss watches, Singapore is a voracious consumer of luxury timepieces. So it makes sense that the city-state should possess somewhere suitably sophisticated for the watch-collecting community to congregate. Enter 33 Club, a plush new private member’s establishment that opened late last year at Raffles Place.
Inside Sydney’s latest prestigious off-market harbourfront residence
A simple glance at the astounding figures will reveal the type of prized home that One Circular Quay is set to become. A cool AU$1 billion in sales was achieved with more than 50 percent of the residences pre-sold since the off-market launch in late 2022 - and that’s before the residences’ internationally acclaimed interior designer was announced.
The interview: Art, architecture, and AI collide in Refik Anadol’s ‘Glacier Dreams’
New media artist Refik Anadol is not much of a new media artist. Which is not to say that his art isn’t extraordinary, awe-inspiring, sublime. It is all of these and more. Yet ‘new media’ feels awkwardly small in comparison to the scale and vision of Anadol’s works, where the medium is typically light itself, along with an architectural icon by Gaudí, Gehry, Safdie or Hadid.
James Tylor explores his cultural roots in ‘Turrangka… In The Shadows’ exhibition
James Tylor's current touring exhibition, ‘Turrangka... In the Shadows’ presents a survey of the past decade of his practice exploring his Nunga (Kaurna Miyurna), Maori (Te Arawa) and European heritage. Featuring five exhibition rooms, the survey opens with a body of expanded photographic work, sculptural and culturally significant objects, and designs Tylor developed over a two-year journey along the 300km Hans Heyson trail through the Lofty Mountains and Flinders Rangers.
The interview: Jaelle Ang, CEO & Founder, The Great Room
“My superpower is bringing great design to life,” says Jaelle Ang, founder and CEO of premium coworking space The Great Room. It may not compare to x-ray vision, but Ang’s design-led approach favouring considered space-making and value-creation over sheer scalability has proven almost heroically prescient in an industry famed (and shamed) for growth at any cost. And with the launch of the brand’s ninth space (and first shophouse), on South Bridge Road, with two more on the way, along with their acquisition in 2022 by Industrious, the scale is taking shape.
The interview: Sacha Leong describes his approach to restaurant projects
In his hometown of Singapore, Sacha Leong is best known for his design work on two of this city’s most acclaimed restaurants: chef Julien Royer’s Odette and Claudine. That’s perfectly fine with Leong. While Nice Projects, the London-based studio he operates in partnership with Australian Simone McEwan, has worked on a wide variety of projects, including coworking and coliving spaces, luxury residential and retail, “Hospitality is our passion,” Leong says.
Gush paint is more than just a pretty face
When we think cutting-edge (and fabulously good-looking) home-tech, it's usually hardware. Things with elegant dials, things that bathe us in the glow of their lights or answer us when we have questions or clean up after us after we've left the room.
Cassina’s ‘YachtingTales’ lookbook showcases designer life on the high seas
With a seventy-year history catering to luxury life on the high seas, furniture maison Cassina has released a 'YachtingTales' lookbook showcasing something of a cruise collection of designer decor. Back in the 1950s, Cassina pioneered the transition from artisanal to larger-scale industrial production that maintained the highest standard of quality, and so was in a unique position to fulfil large orders from prestige clients. In 1952, Cassina was appointed by the luxurious Italian transatlantic liner, SS Andrea Doria, to fit out the vessel, and would inadvertently become the first design house to export Italian furniture chic to the United States.
Izabela Pluta explores analogue photographic techniques in ‘Image after Image’ solo exhibition
Polish-born Australian artist Izabela Pluta works within the expanded field of photography to enact processes of record-making and translating that re-imagine the role performed by images in a broader social context. Her next solo exhibition, 'Image after Image', opens in May at Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert in Paddington, Sydney.
Designer lighting brand Occhio unveils its latest collections at Archipelago House
The sleek, floating lights by German brand Occhio present a sublime contradiction of statement minimalism – both in the large-scale, room-defining floor lamps as well as the small-scale, room-defining wall-lights whose projected glow reshapes the space.
Poliform Shanghai officially opens its doors
Superior interior design has no bounds. Poliform is a name that proudly showcases this through its range of exceptional luxury kitchens, wardrobes and furniture with every piece priding itself on being Italian made to the highest order.
Firangi Superstar: the restaurant that reveals itself in vignettes
Cinematic, seductive and quasi-surreal, Firangi Superstar announces itself as a “foreigner’s love letter to India.” Aesthetes with an eye for eccentricity might wonder if that foreigner is American francophile filmmaker Wes Anderson, the great creator of dreamlike worlds. But the applause here goes to restaurateurs Rohit Roopchand and Michael Goodman of the Dandy Collection, with creative director and principal of EDG, Piya Thamchariyawat, mastering the mise-en-scène.
Mt Pleasant GCB: Style, serenity and thoroughly modern luxury
The richness of oak panelling and painstakingly book-matched noce travertine floors sets off frameless floor-to-ceiling glass and endless green views. In the formal lounge, two JBL Everest speakers share the stage with a Balinese oil painting, The Monkey God Fire Dance. The statement dining suite features Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s classic ‘Hill House’ chairs by Cassina and a local adaptation of the accompanying table, with an artwork by French-born impressionist painter Viviane Cisinski.
The interview: Renowned designer André Fu on redesigning Capella Sentosa
Rich in history yet utterly contemporary. A secluded idyll, minutes from the heart of Southeast Asia’s foremost financial centre. Capella Hotel on the island of Sentosa is an exercise in contrasts.
The interview: Leading Singapore architect Rene Tan of RT+Q
“The last thing I turn to for inspiration is architecture,” says Rene Tan. “I turn to music, or to football. If I hadn’t been an architect, I’d be a football historian. Football has taught me a lot of things – organising a team, organising space. There is an approach to football that emphasises what you do when you don’t have the ball – rather than what you do when you do have the ball. To mark space, to occupy and manage the space.”
Harmony & Equality: La Prairie Women Bauhaus Collective
Earlier this year, La Prairie launched an initiative aimed at celebrating and fostering female artistic and design talent. Dubbed the Women Bauhaus Collective, the program placed five outstanding young female artist/designers — Kristin Chan, Jasmine Deporta, Gloria Fan Duan, Talia Golchin and Lauren Januhowski — under the mentorship of award-winning designer Sabine Marcelis (at centre, below), with the challenge of creating new works inspired by the theme of ‘harmony.’
The Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita artwork fetches HKD$635,000
The artwork may only stand at a diminutive 33cm by 41cm, but the pulling power of prolific Japanese-French artist Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita knows no bounds.
Loro Piana’s latest creations exude the pinnacle of fine interiors
There’s an unspoken art to exceptional interior finish and no name knows that secret formula better than Italy’s Loro Piana, the purveyors of the world’s finest textiles since 1924.
Décor: Visionnaire in Dubai stands out with its exquisitely delicate creations
In a design world teeming with Scandi-contemporary minimal-leaning maisons and collections of neutrals, naturals and tints, the runaway sumptuousness of Visionnaire is, if anything, gathering pace. The iconic Italian atelier is leaning in to a ‘high décor’ of eye-popping mosaic art, statement stone-slab tables, lavish shagreen-clad sofas and irresistibly textural wall coverings.
The interview: Goh Beng Kwan on mentoring and new media
As Singapore emerged from the privations of World War II and transitioned into independence, it was said that the arts were a luxury the new republic could scarcely afford. Of course, it’s never been easy to make a living as an artist. But in the all-business environment of mid-century Singapore, earning a living daubing oil on canvas was especially challenging.
Where to buy art in Singapore: galleries, consultants, salons and fairs
Picasso once pronounced that art washes the dust of everyday life off the soul. It also effortlessly sweeps the bland off our walls.
Behind the interior design of a glamorous South Beach Residences retreat
Singapore-based interior designer Elliot James Barratt gives Boulevard the inside story on a sophisticated sanctuary in South Beach Residences, complete with whiskey library and covetable walk-in wardrobe for two serious collectors.
Architects in Singapore you need to know
Some of the world's top architecture firms have built piles in Singapore – and many of them are homegrown. These are the names behind brutalist icons and light-filled mansions, game-changing design projects, conservation heroes, and the occasional neoclassical masterpiece.
Mobilia: designer comforts
Like most, if not all of life's great pleasures, the Mobilia showroom is not without its risks. Principally, the prospect of falling in love with a whole new lounge suite and having to update one’s salon every other season.
Lux landing: Javier and Foglie d’Oro arrive in Australia
It’s not every day that something exceptional, head-turning – that honours the lost arts – arrives in our orbit. Courtesy of fine furnishing curators Lux & Beyond come two interior concepts that celebrate the artistry of woodworking: Javier, which specialises in feature walls and bespoke furniture, and Foglie d’Oro, experts in luxury European flooring.
Art SG chairman Magnus Renfrew: A fair to remember
During periods of economic instability such as these, many investors view art — like property — as a safe play. “In times of high inflation, blue chip, modern and contemporary art can often be regarded as a decent hedge. It holds value. We’ve seen that in many of the past cycles.”
Home tour: Evocateurs co-founder Roy Teo talks us through a colonial transformation on Coronation Road
“I love the way the English decorate their homes. They’ll pick out some fabric swatches and come back and pin them on the sofa, and then live with them for two weeks. And they drink their tea and look out at the garden, and finally when they feel a connection they’ll choose the fabric that is dear to them, and then they move on to the next thing, and the whole process takes two years,” shares Roy Teo, co-founder of design firm Evocateurs. “Whereas Singapore is very fast paced, so we need to replicate that entire process, but we need to get it done by yesterday.”
Boulevard Private Events: Norfolk Penthouses, Kurraba Point, Sydney
Where better to launch Boulevard's private viewing events in Sydney than the stunning, harbourfront Norfolk Penthouses.
The Commercial gallery shows cutting-edge aesthetic in ‘Lightmoving’ exhibition
At the forefront of contemporary art practice in Australia, The Commercial gallery has turned its back on the modernist white cube in favour of a polished, industrial-grey feel. Founder Amanda Rowell has hand-selected her gallery stable, featuring artists who exemplify the panache of modernity, the rawness and brutality of punk, the refined graces of minimalism, and the evocative provocations of post-conceptual practice. Rowell continues to invite emerging and experimental artists to exhibit alongside more established ones, giving the exhibition programme a timeless edge that straddles the best of all art forms.
The interview: Bangkok-based American interior designer Bill Bensley
Prolific interior designer Bill Bensley has worked his aesthetic magic on more than 200 hotels, but just a small number of private homes. Why does the Bangkok-based American, known for his environmentally sensitive approach, prefer collaborating with hoteliers rather than home-owners? Primarily, it’s because the former can be relied upon to maintain the integrity of his design.
Closet Encounters: Lou Hansell
“Of course, we love it when a customer places an order for 200 pieces,” says Pamela Kugel, the cofounder of luxury coat hanger company Lou Hansell — whose top-tier leather embellished hangers are priced upwards of US$250 each.
MeyerHouse: A first, breathtaking look at the newly completed condo
A first, breathtaking look at the newly completed MeyerHouse, styled down to the last detail by the design triumvirate of Woha, Yabu Pushelberg and Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl – with a sublime show suite staged by Massone Ong.
Annalisa Ferraris: Painting Houses
Artist Annalisa Ferraris says growing up in the historically significant Sydney suburb of Castlecrag, her interest in architecture was piqued early. “My grandparents lived nearby — typical Italian family — and when I would walk through the streets with my Nonna when I was little, I just loved all of those signature Walter Burley Griffin flat-roofed houses,” she recalls.
Mucciaccia Gallery’s local exhibitions, world-renowned artists and private client services
“Try it. Take a work of art off the wall, out of your room. You’ll feel the hole, that something is missing, an emptiness, and it’s unsettling,” say Valter Spano, director at Partners & Mucciaccia Gallery. “Art becomes a part of you. Sometimes you only really feel that when it’s not there, when there’s a hole, like when you move house and it feels empty until the art goes up.”
The Claymore Penthouse takes centre stage
Boulevard’s maiden staging takeover brought together gorgeous decor by Roche Bobois and a virtual renovation by Elliot James Interiors, revealing the full potential of this grand old Orchard home.
Milan Design Week 2022: highlights from Salone del Mobile
Salone del Mobile’s long-awaited return seemed all the more emboldened by its absence over the last two years – to hold no punches and take all of us (willing) prisoners.
Luxury interior design: Boulevard’s most enviable home tours and the talent behind them
The challenge posed by the hotbed of design talent in Asia is that it's hard to remain faithful. No sooner do we embark on a new home tour shoot than we fall in love all over again – with the bespoke materiality of Brewin Design Office, the runaway maximalism of Isabelle Miaja, the devastating sophistication of Evocateurs, the warm elegance of Elliot James Interiors, above, and on it goes...
Sentosa glam: Inside a newly listed and beautifully presented waterfront home
"The house is a retreat," says owner Samiksha Oswal, Bollywood actress turned Singapore-based director and producer. "But for us that means entertaining – we’ve thrown some fantastic parties here."
The collection: Marano Furniture’s latest release, ‘Evolution of Time’
Marano Furniture's latest collection, ‘Evolution of Time,’ offers just seven luxurious furniture pieces inspired by natural processes and the effects of the passage of time on raw materials.
Inside interior designer, art gallerist and collector Isabelle Miaja’s wonderfully unrestrained Bukit Timah house
“My style is eclectic. I’m an avid collector, and I’m always adding coups de coeur from my travels, as I encounter beautiful pieces. Designing a home is about creating and revisiting your own memories... I love setting eyes on these pieces and recollecting a person or a place. And then I can’t help but collect the artists I represent – such as Isabelle Van Zeijl.”
The works: Gallery 1819’s Zak Lo on local talent and defining our century
Among the many treasures in the venerable Tan Boon Liat building, Gallery 1819’s artworks stand out with their vibrancy, youthfulness and decidedly Singaporean flavour. Alongside an emphasis on local, rising talent, gallery director Zak Lo shares his view that, “Good art catches your attention from afar.”
67 Pall Mall: The exclusive members’ club with a wine problem
Singapore’s sublime new members’ club began in London, when founder and former banker Grant Ashton found himself with a wine problem. The dilemma was an overabundance of fine wines in his collection – and a desire to share it.
Interview: The Culture Story’s Ning Chong on creating a gallery for like-minded art collectors
Where can the art-curious come together with connoisseurs, artists and experts – without a commercial agenda? Ning Chong and her collector-father Huai Seng created just the thing, in contemporary art salon The Culture Story.
Moon landing: Cher Ming Tan of Ming Architects walks us through Chord House
The owners gave Tan free reign, including the choice of materials, finishes and colour palette. And the layers of granite, light grey and ash warrant a closer look: starting with the natural veins in the stone and sensory finishes. “The use of tactile materials was intentional,” he says. “We explored sandblasted oak doors, serrated and chiselled marble in the kitchen, and blackened stainless steel trims in a hairline brushed finish.”
The floor is yours: Tai Ping’s lush and alluring bespoke carpets
There are doubtless innumerable ways to define life phases; before and after your first paycheck; before and after children. Our latest, and most exigent distinction: before and after bespoke carpets. After an hour spent talking with Gurcharan Singh, director of Tai Ping’s exclusive Singapore distributor Etesse, it’s hard to fathom how we’ve survived thus far without one of his sublime silk creations under our feet.
The luminary: the architect behind New York’s 200 East 59th Street
Don't we all dream of NYC? This new arrival to the New York skyline will stir temptations to soak up life, stateside. 200 East 59th Street is a 35-storey condo of only 67 residences that pay tribute to the power of natural light. With a design devoted to privacy, flexibility and wellbeing, it rethinks the luxuries of urban living.
Home tour: Inside art collector Anna Layard’s enviably curated house
“I’m not into minimalism,” says Anna Layard. As an art historian, consultant and founder of Layard Interiors, it would be almost criminal if she were to pare back the artefacts, paintings and sculptures in her home.
Ode to Art gallery: Rising talents, the regional art scene and new notions about owning art
A sense of serenity descends on entering Ode to Art gallery – a stark difference from the action of Raffles City. The canvases and eclectic mixed media are in sharp relief against the neutral walls, and showcase a largely Asian collection by the likes of Lim Tze Peng and Hong Zhu An. “I always feel great pride in our local art scene,” says owner / founder Jazz Chong, “and take great pleasure in seeing more local artists being collected.”
Everything we love about Journey East furniture store
It starts with vintage. The head-turning, top-heavy jut of an art deco cabinet, perhaps, or the slash of colour on a re-upholstered, low-slung 1950s sofa suite. (So many treasures, so little space.) But the Journey East journey evolves from these mid-century delectables to a sort of eco-industrial chic, where your show-stopping vintage sideboard sits comfortably alongside a charred oakwood and cast-concrete dining table.
4plus8 is creating masterpieces for Singapore’s Good Class Bungalows
Singapore’s Good Class Bungalows are iconic not just for their impressive size and exclusive locations within prime residential pockets around the island. Breathtaking architecture and interiors bring these homes to the peak of the luxury property market in Singapore.
In conversation with Terence Neo of interior design studio Eightytwo
We write about what we love – and we’ve been crushing on Eightytwo’s character-filled homes for a while now. A Singaporean full-service interior design firm, Eightytwo was founded in 2012 by Terence Neo. One look at their projects and a commonality presents itself; there's a distinct sense of timelessness that strings them together.
Home tour: Inside two high-end landed houses by Hyla Architects
Han Loke Kwang’s homes are poetic structures. Each dwelling is distinct, jaw-droppingly beautiful and contextually designed. Yet there’s a subtle and undeniable Hyla Architects impression that ties them all together.
In conversation with Robin Tan and Cecil Chee of Wallflower Architecture + Design
No discussion about Singapore's residential architecture is complete without a mention of Robin Tan and Cecil Chee. Twenty good years since its founding, Wallflower Architecture + Design continues to make waves with clever homes that marry innovation, lifestyle solutions and beauty.