HOSPITALITY / SCENE IN BALESTIER

WORDS

LOW SHI PING

PHOTOGRAPHY

JESSICA WONG, IVAN TAN

SCENE IN BALESTIER

A MADE-IN-SINGAPORE FURNITURE BRAND WITH A FOCUS ON HERITAGE AND HISTORY WAS INVITED TO DESIGN PIECES FOR THIS CO-LIVING PROJECT IN THE SUBURBS.

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Visitors to Singapore residing in Shang House can truly say they have lived like a local.

For starters, the co-living space is located in the suburban neighbourhood of Balestier on Pegu Road.

Specifically, it is inside a conservation shophouse on the quiet residential street, offering five suites across four storeys, complemented by generous living and dining rooms, and a kitchen.

Taking the cue from the locale, the team from made-in-Singapore furniture label Scene Shang fitted it out with homeware that referenced Balestier’s rattanmanufacturing past.

At the same time, it also stays true to its signature Shanghai Art Deco style, albeit with a contemporary take, to keep it relevant for urbanites of today.

WEAVING A NARRATIVE

The narrow frontage of the shophouse belies the generous space concealed behind the façade.

Keeping out prying eyes is the threesectioned, porous Teng Wicker Screen placed behind the Ming Console Table in solid elm wood just inside the front door.

Immediately, the connection to Balestier’s heritage is established at the entrance.

Once inside, the attention is distracted by an atrium soaring four-and-a-half storeys up and filled with daylight.

The canvas is predominantly white, apart from the grey-veined flooring on the ground floor, and timbre strips making up the staircase banisters and steps.

“When I first saw the shophouse, I was excited by the modern space offering a good balance of openness and airiness,” says

1. The narrow frontage of the shophouse belies the generous space concealed behind the façade.

OPPOSITE.

An atrium soaring four-anda-half storeys up sits immediately beyond the living room.

SHANG HOUSE

LOCATION

Singapore /

COMPLETION

2020 /

SITE AREA

144.7m 2 /

BUILDING AREA

119.3m 2 /

GROSS FLOOR AREA

326.5m 2 /

DESIGN

Scene Shang / LEAD DESIGNER

Jessica Wong /

DEVELOPER

Figment Collections

Scene Shang’s co-founder Jessica Wong, who is a trained architect and previously headed interior design firm Oats.

With such good bones to build on, Wong could focus on designing to the dominant theme of paying tribute to the heritage of the neighbourhood Shang House is in.

It was fortunate that it also dovetails with what her brand stands for, “Scene Shang wants to inspire people to appreciate history and culture and this is also something the client, Figment, is trying to do too.”

The result is furniture pieces and homeware with the rattan weave in both subtle and overt ways.

Artistically-shot photographs of Balestier line the walls, with distinctive art pieces by Arthur Ting sitting comfortably alongside them.

The latter is a charming series of works in three-dimensional detail that feature the colourful façade of shophouses in different

JESSICA WONG, CO-FOUNDER, SCENE SHANG

styles; one piece is even of Shang House.

“Ultimately, we want residents to have a sense of place to build memories when they live here,” she explains.

STAY AND SHOP

In addition to including Scene Shang’s classics in the space, Wong also created unique pieces for this project.

The Teng Wicker Screen is an example, as is the square-shaped Fang Dining Table made from a single slab of solid Volakas marble with black powder-coated steel.

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2. The spaces are occupied by furniture from

Scene Shang that have a

Shanghai Art Deco style with a contemporary twist.

3. An interlocking, rectangular matrix of glass bricks lines the stairwell that leads up to the rooftop terrace.

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4. The Yi Suite has a sliding screen in the same interlocking, rectangular matrix that affords it privacy from the atrium.

5. Scene Shang customised bed frames with a rattan weave specially for this project.

FLOOR PLANS

FOURTH FLOOR

FIRST FLOOR SECOND FLOOR THIRD FLOOR

ROOF

The rooftop garden is one of the communal spaces in Shang House done up in a cool mint green.

Hanging over it are four cylindrical pendant lights of varying lengths from the Teng series, filling the five-storey atrium.

Naturally, the first floor is purely made up of communal spaces while levels two to four are occupied by the suites.

All but one are twin-sharing and in them, treasures from Scene Shang can be found, such as the Jia Ju Rocking Stool, the award-winning Shang System in variations like luxe leather, rattan and acrylic, and the Banker Desk Lamp.

Wong draws attention to the bed frames with their rattan weave and how they too were specifically designed for this project, since Scene Shang does not usually produce such pieces.

In the Yi Suite, a sliding screen with an interlocking, rectangular matrix adds a layer of privacy from the atrium, its design again inspired by Scene Shang’s aesthetic.

This same pattern repeats on the glass bricks lining the stairwell that leads up to the rooftop garden, itself another communal space perfect for an evening tipple as the day cools down.

Figment has a minimum three-month stay requirement to book a suite in Shang House and at the end of it, if the residents decide they cannot live without a piece of furniture, the good news is they can be purchased.

“We are offering a shop-able boutique home experience, which also complements our retail stores,” says Wong.

But more than anything, Shang House has given her the freedom to experiment, while also showcasing the breadth of possibilities with her brand.

In doing so, she has created an unforgettable experience for the residents, while also ensuring Balestier’s heritage gets carried forward into the 21 st century.

CREATIVE, COLIVING COLLECTIVE

Shang House is part of Case Study Homes, a collection of co-living spaces owned and managed by developer Figment Collections that champions art, design and heritage as integral parts of life. Launched in June 2019, it was previously operating as The Lorong 24A Shophouse Series. This is made up of eight conservation shophouses in a row in Geylang (now converted to co-living spaces too), where each was refurbished by a different architect, including Liu & Wo Architects, Lekker Design and Atria Architects. Other collaborations in Case Study Homes include Canvas House along Blair Road by Ministry of Design, and Still House along Koon Seng Road by Studio Juju.