FORM no.02 2014 by Heart Media

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Frontline 18

A WARM WELCOME

The Prime Minister handed history to art in 2005 when he decreed the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings to be converted into a national gallery By Woon Tai Ho

24 DAYS WITH THE ARTS, NIGHTS WITH DESIGN

Columnist Kelley Cheng rants about her visual and sensory diet of late, starting with The Ordinary Man By Kelley Cheng

32 CAR PARK CONFIDENTIAL

Art in a carpark with ping pong tourneys is just the beginning of Art Fair Philippines By Talenia Phua-Gajardo 36 CALENDAR Prominent international art and design events at your fingertips

Flash

38 HOME FASHION FORECAST

Our top picks of the brands exhibiting at the inaugural Maison&Objet Asia

Faces

56 THAT ‘70S GROOVE

Martin Gleize, International Director at Roche Bobois, reveals some future style tracks for the brand By Marc Almagro

58 MASTER OF MATERIALS

Kenneth Cobonpue’s vision of a ‘green’ rickshaw is rooted in beautiful form and useful functionality By Foo Wen Xin

62 AMAZING GRACE

Blessed with an extraordinary instinct for beauty, Omar Khan celebrates everything from the sublime to the ridiculous By Jennifer Choo

Focus

70 THE LOVELY BONES

A standalone house in Hong Kong’s Stanley village becomes an eclectic personal retreat for gallery owner Mandy d’Abo and her family By Tamsin Bradshaw

80 A COLOUR BOX

Eminent painter Jeremy Ramsey lives large, works hard and entertains with aplomb in his home and studio By Marc Almagro

90 MASTERS IN REPOSE

Kathy and Renato de Guzman have made a home in Singapore filled with pieces from their extensive art collection By Marc Almagro

98 ART EMBEDDED

Peter Tay creates a dramatic environment for his clients, where the enjoyment of art is heightened By Marc Almagro

106 LAB PROTOCOLS

106

128

More than just an ideal place for entertaining, John Erdos and Louis Koay have turned their living space into a laboratory for their home design brands By Marc Almagro

Foray

Frame

If contemplating the view isn’t enough, consider spending time ogling artworks in your hotel By Marc Almagro

116 CROWD CONTROL

Happy coincidences and a healthy spirit of collaboration make the Damansara Heights renovation project a resounding success By Jennifer Choo

114

122 IN BED WITH ART

128 SEARCHING FOR GREEN MAN

Vietnam retains its traditions despite centuries of occupation; even those attempted by aggressors had to adapt to suit the country’s idyll By Foo Wen Xin

Events

132 RAISE YOUR GLASS TO THESE NOTEWORTHY OCCASIONS OF TECHNOLOGY BREAKTHROUGH, CONGREGATION AND ANNIVERSARY

Directory

150 A GUIDE TO ADVERTISERS 152 FINALE

On the cover: A corner in Mandy D’ Abo’s living room is filled with designer chair, antique chest and artworks.

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ART COMES HOME person I trust to be in the know assured me that no art collector will ever want to show the artworks hanging in his home, let alone have them photographed and published in a magazine. Although he didn’t give me a reason why this was so, I took his words and prepared myself for the challenge. I assumed that like wine snobs, art collectors would only open their homes to likeminded people within their circles. The uninitiated will be shut out, their access limited to the outer sanctum where they are free to contemplate the Donghia fabric and the Urquiola patio furniture. Or maybe collectors just don’t want to call attention to their collection. After all, there are folds within society’s fabric where such act is frowned upon as a faux pas. Whatever the reason, apparently, they’re not letting me in. Hanging art at home has always been a touchy business that is essentially run by three major camps. The first consists of homeowners who would make a trip to the priciest gallery, decorator in tow, and demand to be shown something “new with blue to go with the designer furniture and the colour scheme of the house”. The second, on the other hand, would create a vault for each particular piece where it can be glimpsed from a distance and dissected with academic rigour over dinner. The real joy of owning and living with artwork, however, is left to the few who hang paintings wherever they often gather, in rooms where they receive guests, and where the piece can be prominently displayed and fully enjoyed. Yes, art is as much a part of their home as it is of their lives. I am happy to report that we are seeing more and more homeowners who belong to the third camp. They are often people with informed taste, resources to acquire very good quality pieces, and the balls to hang whatever they like. They genuinely enjoy art and are very happy to share their collection with other people. For this issue, we visited eminent artist, Jeremy Ramsey, in his high-rise apartment and at his shophouse studio-gallery. A wonderful and critically acclaimed painter, he is also an avid collector of African masks, Indonesian folk art, Chinese artefacts, and modern paintings. His studio outside Chinatown, which also houses his gallery, is another place where he entertains and hangs his artworks. Above this is the workshop of Eddie, the man who has worked as his assistant for years,

and is a little-known but formidable collector of hornbill sculpture, among other artefacts, which is a highly valued article in tribal ceremonies. We shone a spotlight on Eddie’s collection which we accidentally discovered during pictorial. We also visited the home of banker Renato de Guzman and his wife Kathy. Bing and Kathy are fantastic hosts whose house parties are always spontaneous, candid and lavished with a personal attention. The couple’s art collection includes the Big Guns – Affandi, Gunawan, Bickerton, early Kusama, Zobel de Ayala and so on. What’s interesting about their collection is the way they are casually – but never disrespectfully – hung all over the house. Kathy has made incredible artwork so accessible to anyone who comes as guest. Of course it helps that they collect big pieces that are hard to miss in any room, but they also make them appealing by not calling too much attention to them. I call this the ‘hair-down, feet-up approach’ to living with art, which is a growing trend among the young. One afternoon Peter Tay and I met up to discuss a home he had completed for an art collector client. In many cases, an interior designer is summoned to help find places to hang an artwork after the fact. Peter, who is renowned for ultra-luxe interiors, used some of the richest palettes and textures as well as inventive lighting techniques in this house for a collection of Asian avant-garde and contemporary pieces. Finally, we visited the home of John Erdos and Louis Koay – an urban apartment with retro touches that has become a platform and design laboratory for John and a home for his growing art collection. John likes the cool, cuttingedge pieces by contemporary Asian artists that he mixes with Buddhist and Asian antiques and modern furniture from ArkHaus, the young brand that Louis is growing. I personally like the masculine appeal of this apartment – the robust, assertive furniture, the vintage knick-knacks that serve as accessories and the rich yet relaxing palette. John, a terrific bartender, serves martinis from a bar that he designed (and is now available at John Erdos Home). Above that bar, BTW, is a Liu Kang. All these houses and more are in this issue – make yourself a big glass of drink, lie back and enjoy! All the best—

Marc alMagro, Editor

John Erdos and Louis Koay entertain the FORM team

BY Woon Tai Ho

A WARM WELCOME In 2005, when the PrIme mInIster told ParlIament that the former suPreme Court and the CIty hall buIldIngs were to be Converted Into a natIonal gallery, he gave the sIngaPore art world an unPreCedented gIft Built in the early 1900s, the former supreme Court and the City hall Buildings contained within their walls some of singapore’s most significant passages of history: the Japanese surrender in 1945 and the swearing in of the first government formed by mr lee Kuan yew in 1959. at the very heart of the civic district, facing the equally historic padang, these two buildings could quite easily have been left untouched, only to be used for ceremonial meetings with foreign dignitaries, signing of important international treaties or just an impressive backdrop for all national events. But no. the two buildings are now being repurposed to house art. the signal given by the prime minister was, and is, very clear, singapore has reached a point in its development where art can be an important part of the peoples’ lives. the prime minister reiterated and further pushed the idea on several occasions, finally saying that the arts would be a measure of a mature society. “the arts are a very important part of a gracious singapore society. We spend a lot of time talking about economic developments in singapore. and indeed, economics, growth, hard work, prosperity, creating wealth is crucial to us… But material well-

Artist's impression, National Gallery Singapore 18

being should not be our only goal, either as a society or as individuals. the arts and culture are essential aspects of our identity, of our sense of worth and humanity… that is why it is important for us to nurture the arts, and to give proper weight to these intangible goals,” pm lee hsien loong said in a speech at the signing ceremony between lasalle College of the arts and goldsmith College in 2012. as a member of management team overseeing the transition of these buildings into a national gallery, we take this signal very seriously. the parting words of the prime minister when he handed history to art was: make it a “people’s gallery”. in other words, we need to demystify art as elitist, we need to make art relevant to the man in the street. it is not just how to make art, promote art or sell art, it is also how we live with art, as we live with work.

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BY Woon Tai Ho

from now till the launch of the national gallery in november next year, we needed to come up with a broad art initiative that would excite the imagination of the mass public. it would need to be an idea that we could launch on a national level. and from these premises, and in this political context, a nation-wide art initiative has been born. “my masterpiece” engages 12 household names as ‘ambassadors’. they come from wide and diverse demographics. each will champion one artist and one artwork (hence, his or her masterpiece) and together they are ambassadors of the gallery bridging art to every walk of singapore life. By celebrating one artist and one artwork each month from January to december 2015, art will ‘own’ the 50 year anniversary of singapore in 2015. Within my masterpiece initiative is the “art is…” campaign. What is art to dick lee? What is art to Kumar? What is art to anthony Chen? By having each ambassador articulate art as an emotion or an occasion, we hope to demystify

art and make art relatable to everyday life, making them see what it is like living with art. for singer/songwriter dick lee, art is history. for film director anthony Chen, art is imagination. Jazz pianist Jeremy monteiro will be composing an album inspired by paintings; for him, art is inspiration. london based fashioner designer ashley isham draws a lot for his work from art; to him, art is style. social entrepreneur elim Chew collects and sells artworks made by the underprivileged; for her art is power. actress Joanne peh will be working with children at the gallery, so art is hope. art is delicious to lawyer-turned-culinary-star and restaurateur Willin low; art is fun to actor mark lee. art is original to comedian and host Kumar, and to special olympian medallist laurentia tan, art is life. We are still talking to footballer fandi ahmad and writer Catherine lim. the key value proposition for the national gallery singapore is to be a leading visual arts institution that inspires and engages our people and our neighbours. through our ambassadors we hope to deliver a ‘people’s gallery’ where living with art is an important Writer and novelist Woon Tai Ho is the group signifier of life. director for media and marketing of Singapore's three art museums. Images courtesy of ©Studio Milou Singapore 2013 / National Gallery Singapore

Artist's impression, National Gallery Singapore Atrium (Left), Supreme Court Terrace (Right)

FORM_24mar.indd 1

24/3/14 4:15 PM

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BY kelleY cheng

DAYS WITH THE ARTS, NIGHTS WITH DESIGN Time is a pickpockeT ThaT quieTly sTeals our youTh wiThouT us ever noTicing iT. By The Time you realise ThaT iT is gone, you will Be crying your hearT ouT, Because you can’T reTrieve whaT was sTolen. why am i even Talking aBouT This? Because having a column gives you The righT To ranT; so yes, i will do jusT ThaT I have wrItten quIte a lot In my lIfe thus far, but never a column In the strIct sense of the word. the closest that I’ve come to having my own column was when I was running my own magazine, ish, and every editorial note that I wrote was sort of a column where I ranted about life and design. It was like my blog – before there were bloggers and the Internet was as obscure as a pet pig – where I vented the frustrations of being a designer and a youth in singapore. I am a self-confessed pop, culture and arts junkie. every month I spend all of my free time going to the theatre, watching a dance performance or musical concert, going to exhibitions and museums, watching movies, and reading books. some insightful people have reasoned that it is because I don’t really have a life. that is highly possible, but thanks to that, I can now rant about my visual and sensory diet of late. I want to start with the ordinary man by wu yi-san and Kuik swee boon in collaboration with t.h.e. dance company for the chinese festival huayi at esplanade. I’m a huge fan of t.h.e. dance company. I think it is easily the best contemporary dance company in singapore, despite there being not many, and outstanding even when compared internationally. the last t.h.e. dance – which was choreographed by resident choreographer Kim Jae duk – was brilliant. It was conceptually strong, structurally gripping and visually ‘very hipster’, and the movements were stunning with every second of the dance looking like a well-framed picture. I still remember when the dance ended, I bounced out of my seat in knee-jerk appreciation to do a solo standing ovation, joined by about five others, among the demanding, difficult, lazy or shy singapore audience. having seen mr. sign, I was very much looking forward to the next t.h.e. dance, and excitedly, like a child hopping out of bed all dressed the night before for a sunday macdonald’s breakfast, I went with high expectations to watch The Ordinary Man.

with edward murphy’s ghost sitting next to me, I went from very elated state to very frustrated by the end of the show. the dance started promisingly with a visual xiang sheng (cross talk in chinese) and then the very energetic physical and verbal exchange between dancers lee mun wai and Zhuo Zihao. both were amazing as they delightfully glided across the stage like two kung fu masters while tickling the audience with their xiang sheng banter. but the dance evolved into a frenzy with all the dancers entering in a trance on stage, perhaps a clichéd strategy to bring about a visual crescendo to what was a nice intense prelude. conceptually, I felt like I was being pulled away from a very nice classical waltz into an unexplainable heavy metal jam, and that made me feel angry and disoriented. the only saving grace of the commotion was watching dancer sherry tay, who always has a great stage presence, even when caught in a head-banging heavy metal moment. I truly got impatient when, for whatever bizarre reasons, the dancer of aussie origin, yarra Ileto, started belting a schmaltzy chinese ballad from the 70s (I think), for what seemed like forever, in aussie-accented chinese. from whatever little I understood of xiang sheng, it is a stand-up comedic banter between two persons. how did it become a sentimental, almost biographical one person soap, with superficial melancholia expressed via a ‘70s chinese ballad on repeat?

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BY kelleY cheng

Sosa and Fresu warm up (left); Kumagai in perfect stance (below); The Oddfellows (bottom)

In the end, the whole xiang sheng idea was lost and the engaging prelude that made one crave for better things to come was wasted. either I couldn’t follow the plot or the choreographers must have lost the plot. more recently, it was the 10th and last mosaic music festival at esplanade and I was sad. mosaic is one of our best music festivals. It promotes both international and local musicians, mainstream and indie musicians, known and unknown musicians, and the best part, free and paid programmes, so you don’t even have to spend a single cent for a pretty amazing show lineup. I thought it was a great democractic music festival, but it is too bad that all good things have to come to an end. so I bought a whole bunch of tickets to various shows and the two that I particularly enjoyed most were the duo omar sosa & Paolo fresu featuring tap dancer Kazunori Kumagai; and a good old-fashioned jazz concert by the John Pizzarelli quartet. for the sosa & fresu concert, tap dancer Kumagai was truly a secret weapon. while the first part of the concert was comfortably

i simply can't imagine singaporean kids telling their parents that their ambition is to be a tap dancer

nice, all hell broke loose when Kumagai came in as a ‘percussionist’ with his tap-dancing shoes. the chemistry among the three was crazy good and they truly looked like they were having a good time jamming, and not performing for an audience. In all honesty, it was obvious that the real star of the show was Kumagai, and he/they deserved the intense standing ovation from the normally reserved singapore audience. as I watched Kumagai, I thought, I simply can’t imagine singaporean kids telling their parents that their ambition is to be a tap dancer. and that is a sign that our arts scene has not evolved enough. we need a real renaissance in singapore, not one on paper. (as some of you might know, a renaissance city Plan for singapore was drafted in 1989 by a committee headed by dr. ong teng cheong, then second deputy Prime minister.) we do need a real one where artistic talents, no matter how silly they might seem, are encouraged. having said that, we have come a long way. once upon a time, in the ‘70s up till the ‘80s, wanting to be an artist in singapore was frowned upon by any sane parent. but everything starts somewhere, and at least we have started. so, hopefully, tomorrow we will have a star tap dancer from singapore. talking about having come a long way, I also managed to attend the oddfellows’ free concert at the outdoor theatre. the oddfellows was probably the first indie band in singapore to gain a substantial audience and, more importantly, public acceptance –

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BY kelleY cheng

which was rare in the late ‘80s and even in the early ‘90s, and I had the honour of designing the cover of their very first ‘best-selling’ debut album at that time (it sold a staggering 500 copies, a feat for a local band). I got the job because I was then volunteering my creative services for free, as a wide-eyed 18-year-old who loved music, to the only music magazine in singapore then, BigO. I didn’t have particularly fond memories as the editor would bully me by dishing to me whatever assignments nobody else wanted to do, such as reviewing a totally useless album by model-turned-singer collette. In a strange twist of fate, I got to interview and photograph a very young and then-unknown violinist vanessa mae because nobody had wanted to watch a boring classical concert or write about a 14-yearold unknown. little did anyone guess that she would metamorphose into a scantily clad sexy international star. (yes, I still have the photos of her innocent days.) so back to the oddfellows, the album cover came as a real surprise when Patrick chng, lead singer of band, approached me with the opportunity. and as a finale in remembering mosaic, I went to the very last concert of the retiring music festival, featuring the talented local boy charlie lim. engulfed by hipsters and youngsters, we all had a smashing time listening to charlie’s amazing vocals. he is truly very talented, but do all young singaporean hipsters speak with an american accent? why nobody told me leh? sidetrack. I was a huge fan of the bimbotic hit tv series 'sex and the city' that talked about nothing but the hip and alcoholic lives of four sexually active female new yorkers who, if forced into a desert-island situation, would choose Jimmy choos and manolo blahniks over men, despite the fact that they normally consume men at the rate of normal people consuming plain water. and for a long time, my desert-island choice was no doubt a dvd player, all seasons of sex and the city, and, oh, electricity from an unknown mysterious desert source, over plain water or even the four sexually active female new yorkers. on that note, I finally realised why I am the perfect person to review collette’s highly pedestrian album about profane love ‘ring my bell’. (I must confess that I can’t help running the chorus of ring my bell in my deeply profound mind non-stop right now as we speak.) at the height of my addiction to sex and the city, I fantasised about having a column that would speak of nothing but love, sex and all things shallow and pretty. and my pseudonym would be Kelley bradshaw, and I would speak with an american accent, no less.

while I have about 10 other events and shows to rant about, I don’t think I am really allowed that much space for such frivolous small talk. so I will end this piece of writing by sharing my two cents’ worth about the singapore biennale that ended recently. twenty-seven curators? seriously? I honestly think that is a way bit too many, by artistic standards even. I know being kiasu is a national sport for singaporeans, but don’t be so obvious, can? Pai sei aside, the singapore art museum is just not an interesting site for an art biennale. the last one in 2011 at the old Kallang airport was interesting, but my favourite so far was really the one in 2008, where the south beach development was used as a venue coupled with the very cool container Pavilion made up of 150 containers designed by shigeru ban at the central Promontory site at marina bay. Perhaps 2008 was also memorable as I met the love of my life who very quickly also became the curse of my life. and the last time we ever went out was to the central Promontory site. there you go – memories make spaces meaningful; without memories, spaces are mere brick and mortar. and precisely because of that, the singapore art museum, with its pre-existing identity as a public museum, lacks the edge and intrigue of less mainstream spaces such as Kallang airport, south beach, and central Promontory. on the topic of biennale, I just visited the shenzhen bi-city biennale of urbanism/architecture, which was held in a disused glass factory. the charm of the old catapulted the factory itself into the spotlight as a very huge architectural installation of memory, culture, identity and geography.

Budding local talent, Charlie Lim (below left); a Singapore Biennale exhibition (below right)

BY kelleY cheng

Pieces from the Singapore Biennale 2014

the venice architecture biennale would not be the same if not held in venice, as the city holds the history to the art biennale, which started out as an event to showcase Italian art to the world and eventually led to the architecture biennale. history, identity, culture and geography are inseparable from art and, of course, architecture, the mother of all arts. so I truly hope that the next singapore biennale will be held in a venue with historical intrigue coupled with the mystery of a less familiar place. as for the exhibits at the singapore biennale, I really loved the installation by teamlab from Japan, “Peace can be realised even without order”, which clearly, singularly anchored the biennale. It perfectly combined the technology of the 21st century with the mystique of Japanese culture, both of which exemplified the Japanese identity succinctly. I also enjoyed the very quiet but intricate pin-sized figurines entitled “cosmology of life” of toni Kanwa from Indonesia; it is simple, charming and very beautiful. Kanwa’s work served as a reminder of what art is really all about, without all the convoluting concepts and endless loops of pretentious video art/shows, which irritate me to no end sometimes. finally, I really love the work of our local boy sean lee, who photographed different body parts of his parents, transforming them into very tender and moving abstract landscapes, each a metaphor

of the nurture and nourishment that he has benefitted from them. the work is aptly and lovingly titled the Garden, after the one that he has grown up in. I wanted to end the article with a quote from carrie bradshaw, but after searching for very long, I suddenly realised that she hardly said anything meaningful, or anything not related to men or shoes. let’s just say she really ain’t ringing my bell. Pushing hard, I found one vaguely about cities, and I believe, the architecture of life: “Perhaps if we never veered off course we wouldn't fall in love, or have babies, or be who we are. after all, seasons change. so do cities.” — carrie bradshaw, one of the man-eaters from sex and the city, taken from season 4 episode 18, Editor, designer and “I heart ny”, 1999 publisher Kelley Cheng, aka, Design Queen of Singapore, is also a highly regarded lecturer and contemporary culture commentator.

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BY talenia phua-gajardo

car park confidential art in a carpark with ping pong tourneys is just the beginning of this story

FRog’ ,‘The Magic Rodel Tapaya

With a total of 28 galleries represented, three of which were international, Art Fair Philippines has doubled in size from last year. Interestingly, the fair was held in the car park of The Link Building in the Ayala area from 20 to 23 February. The 6th and 7th floor car park areas were completely outfitted and transformed into a fullyfunctioning art spaces and the vibe was buzzing yet relaxed. Collectors, gallerists and artists interacted by playing ping pong tournaments on Louie Cordero’s artworks comprising amorphously shaped vibrant ping pong tables (which were all sold within the first day or so). The tournament played a huge role in creating a lively and fun atmosphere – truly one of the most pleasant art fairs I’ve attended in recent years. Louie’s artist’s statement goes: “Coming from reminiscences of having played ping pong with his father at home, he expands these tables’ capacity for narrative by literally breaking their edges and reshaping their borders, effectively eliminating the game’s repetitive and meditative nature.”

QuiRky piec e by luis ‘lady pick loRenzana les’

Another artist whose work was shown at the Fair was Rodel Tapaya. Philippine mythology is the main theme of his large-scale works. The pieces are strong and visually overwhelming due to the dense, sprawling landscapes of various characters, foliage and ornamentation. The narratives that underpin them are based on tales from various ethnic communities in the Philippines and can be both grotesque and playful at the same time. Also represented at the Fair was Silverlens Galleries, whose artist founder Isa Lorenzo exhibited distinctly recognisable photogram works. Photograms are created by placing objects directly onto photographic paper and subsequently exposing them to light. Isa, as a gallerist, is instrumental in establishing photography as a collected medium in the region, says an official introduction, and continuously raising the bar for strongly curated contemporary art exhibitions. Meanwhile, MO presented the large i space table that bore a large selection of smaller and highly-collectable artworks from various artists.

iobjecT

aRT FaiR in a caR paRk

Mia liu aT silveRlens galleRies, ‘Falling To one side’

louie coRdeRo’s ping pong Tables, ‘pong on eaRTh’

isa loRenzo’s phoTogRaMs, ‘FiR sT RespondeR 17’, ‘FiRsT Responde R 14’ & ‘FiRsT RespondeR 15’

poklong anading’s sculpTuRe woRks, ‘hoMage To hoMage’

BY talenia phua-gajardo

joseph Te scon, ‘Mo TheR MaRy ’ Outside the Fair, galleires and public museums exhibited interesting artworks. Over at Silverlens were interesting wall-mounted sculpture made up of admission tickets to the Guggenheim Museum in New York. At the Ayala Museum, 1,059 gold objects were the subject of an exhibition titled ‘A Golden Era: Death and The Afterlife’. The artefacts date back to the 10th and 13th and range from jewellery to crowns and royal paraphernalia. The exhibition included a large number of pieces that have not been seen by the public previously. Stunningly detailed and extremely well-crafted, they serve as important elements for understanding the Golden Age of Philippine culture. Manila Contemporary selected the works of Joseph Tescon for its final exhibition before its closes its doors. The show ‘Over and Out’ displays the artist’s interest in the subjects of aggression and alienation. Highlighted at the show were huge canvases feature extreme images of tanks, dogs, soldiers and gas masks that are dark and confrontational. Finally, at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila was a retrospective of works by Napoleon Abueva, who is considered the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture. Along with Arturo Luz, Napoleon played a large role in shaping the local cultural scene. His pieces on display were mainly of wood although he’s known for utilising almost all kinds of other materials including adobe. The Philippines has a handful of rising stars in the design industry (Kenneth Cobonpue being one of the more prominent furniture designers today) and art is undoubtedly one of their main influences.

bencab

a golden eRa: deaTh and The aFTeRliFe

yayoi kusaMa - pRinTs

The dRawing RooM

aRTuRo luz’s sculpTuRe woRk

napoleon abueva

Ronald venTuRa’s insTal laTion

April thru 2015 Major art events around town

INHERITED & SALVAGED: FAMILY PORTRAITS FROM THE STRAITS CHINESE COLLECTION

RECENT GIFTS, WORKS AND DOCUMENTS OF LIM MU HUE AND JIMMY ONG

Till 6 July 2014 Venue: NUS Museum

Date: Till 31 July 2014 Venue: NUS Museum

Family Portraits from the Straits Chinese Collection presents over fifty painted and photographed portraits donated to NUS Museum.

A personalized display of the artistic careers of two Singaporean artists, with works spanning from the late 1950s to the early 1990s.

A CHANGED WORLD: SINGAPORE ART 1950S – 1970S Date: Till 16 Mar 2014 Venue: National Museum of Singapore

CHINESE ART COLLECTION FROM THE LEE KONG CHIAN MUSEUM COLLECTING HISTORIES – SHERD LIBRARY

Explores the development of Singapore art in light of the rapid changes that took place in Singapore after World War II.

KEBON INDAH: MINTIO & KABUL, KELOMPOK BATIK TULIS SIDO LUHUR, COLLABORATION Till 30 September 2014 Venue: NUS Museum

IN SEARCH OF RAFFLES’ LIGHT: AN ART PROJECT WITH CHARLES LIM Date: Till 27 Apr 2014 Venue: NUS Museum An interdisciplinary project guided by the Raffles Lighthouse (estd. 1854) as an attempt at illuminating the complexities between contemporary practice, museums, and their cultural artefacts.

‘COME CANNIBALISE US, WHY DON’T YOU?’ | ERIKA TAN Till 4 May 2014 Venue: NUS Museum Emerging from an ongoing discussion between NUS Museum curators and artist Erika Tan since 2009 about the heterogeneous potentials of the museum object, this is an artist-installation that re-visits and adapts artefacts and writings from the exhibition Camping and Tramping Through The Colonial Archive: The Museum in Malaya (2011-2013) alongside newer artworks developed by the artist that include film, sculpture and works on paper.

IN/SIGHT: ABSTRACT ART BY WU GUANZHONG AND ARTISTS FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA

BEGINNING OF THE BECOMING: BATAK SCULPTURE FROM NORTHERN SUMATRA

Date: Till 30 Apr 2014 Venue: Singapore Art Museum

Date: Till 1 Jun 2014 Venue: Asian Civilization Museum

A selection of abstract works from the national collection, they illustrate various motivations for abstraction.

Batak Sculpture from Nothern Sumartra examines the extraordinary sculptures of the peoples of northern sumatra.

Ongoing Event The Lee Kong Chian gallery features the Chinese Art Collection and Export Ceramics from the Lee Kong Chian Museum

This exhibition presents the Malam Di Jari Kita series of batik and cyanotype print artworks arising from the collaboration of two contemporary artists, Samantha Tio and Budi Agung Kuswara.

BETWEEN HERE AND NANYANG: MARCO HSU’S BRIEF HISTORY OF MALAYAN ART Date: Till 2015 Venue: NUS Museum Using art and artefacts referred to by art critic Marco Hsu in his 1963 book A Brief History of Malayan Art, the exhibition highlights questions of identity and nation building raised during the time of Singapore’s independence.

maison & objet asia

Home Fashion Forecast

AFI, organiser of Maison & Objet Asia, proved its expertise and commitment with a successful home fashion fair of 265 brands exhibiting under Luxury, Design and Interior Decoration categories. The inaugural fair also hosted the Interior Design + Lifestyle Summit where design professionals, trendsetters and lifestyle retail experts exchanged ideas on design and unveiled upcoming trends. Southeast Asian designer Kenneth Cobonpue was honoured at the fair as Designer of the Year for his body of work and influence on young designers from the region. Rising Asian talents were also acknowledged at the fair. M&O Asia returns in 2015 with an even longer list of exhibitors in a much bigger exhibition space. Although itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too early for the show to reveal upcoming trends, it offered glimpses of new products and design direction for some brands. Here are our by Marc Almagro; photos courtesy of top picks. Maison&Objet Asia and various brands

maison & objet asia

Antoniolupi

Taking into the account prevailing market preference for design and materials, antoniolupi showed an array of products from their 2013-2014 Collection. The range comprised sanitary ware, bathroom furniture, hardware and complements. The popular Baia bathtub in Cristalplant now comes in a smaller, 247-litre version. Its oval shape and smooth concave construction are retained for high-level comfort. The compact Baia is a stylish, space-saving solution. Affreschi, developed in collaboration with designer Pietro Gaeta, introduces a design motifs and colours to the bathroom walls. Akin to fresco, Affreschi transfers images from a plastic film to walls – plaster, cement, plaster boards, tiles etc. The impression left on the wall is then sealed with a special paint that renders it waterproof. Four images in six colour variations are currently available. Biblio bathtub by designer Nevio Tellatin is now available with front and side compartment options; the shelving can be used to store books, towels or toiletries. Biblio can be installed as freestanding unit and

comes with a pressure plug that functions as spout and overflow control. Strappo sink designed by Domenico De Palo is a sleek wall-installed unit made of Corian. Once installed and plastered, it can be given the same finish as the wall. The model’s drain and trap can be accessed from the basin so that it can be serviced or cleaned without need to uninstall the unit. Meteo shower head by Tellatin is installed on a ceiling recess. RGB LED Lighting with chromatherapy function may be installed into the unit and operated with a remote control. Thirty designs of bathroom mirrors – antoniolupi began as a decorative mirror manufacturer and supplier – were also shown along with a complete range of taps. The brand supplies complete bathroom wares and accessories, with custom and made-to-order services. Showrooms are operating in Kula Lumpur and Jakarta, while another in Singapore is slated to open in a few months. www.antoniolupi.it

PUB 227x287 ART REPUBLIK BACON SINGAP FEV 14_Mise en page 1 17/02/2014 09:37 Page 1

GALERIE BARTOUX SINGAPORE

Francis BACON - Study for Bullfight - Hand signed

#01-12A/13, ION Orchard, Singapore 238801, T: +65 6634 8806, www.galeries-bartoux.com SINGAPORE - PARIS - CANNES - HONFLEUR - SAINT-PAUL DE VENCE - POMMARD - COURCHEVEL - MEGEVE - NEW YORK

maison & objet asia

Misura EMME Founded in Brianza, a furniture manufacturing hub outside Milan, family enterprise MisuraEmme was among the first to adapt mechanised production. “My family has been manufacturing furniture since the 1930s, producing classic style pieces that required several manual production processes,” says Daniela Mascheroni. In the 1970s, however, Germany started producing machinery that made possible the mass production of furniture. “We were among the first to adapt this new method of making furniture,” shares Daniela. Consequently, voluptuous curves and handcrafted parts gave way to pieces with straight lines, and streamlined profile predominated production. “The change affected the mentality and our production. We began manufacturing wardrobes and some elements for the living area.” Today, the brand is known for high quality modern and functional Italian made furniture. Despite its foray into mechanised production, MisuraEmme has consistently provided good design, collaborating with leading designers including Alvar Aalto, Simone Micheli and Ignazio Gardella. This tradition continues with new collaborations with the likes of Mauro Lipparini. Daniela admits that they have since realised the importance of curved lines and have brought them back to new production. “We also propose tables that require handcrafting.” In 2000, MisuraEmme started water lacquering – an eco-friendly method of finishing

furniture. It also started to customise production and conceal wires of appliances. This attention little details has a strong impact on the brand image. Over the last two years, MisuraEmme has churned out 30 collections. “The previous years we have focused on loose furniture. This year we aim to increase production to enlarge the collection in this type. “Our production is market-driven. We produce according to what the market wants from us. In Singapore, for example, we’re strong on wardrobes and wall units. In some markets, clients come to us for loose furniture. I believe it’s important to focus on a product that allows us to present our brand properly. We work with people on the ground who understand the market. In Singapore, we’re very happy to be working with Marquis as they have a very good understanding of the market; they can tell us exactly what the market wants and how we can respond to it.” MisuraEmme is active in the contract and custom projects in Asia, with production dominated by wall units. “We’re interested in meeting architects and interior designers in the medium to high level projects. It’s clear that our production is more suitable to those categories.” MisuraEmme Marquis Qsquare 16 Tai Seng Street, Level 1 Singapore 534138 Tel: +65 6383 0119 www.marquis.com.sg

G R A N D E S O I T L A V I E

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maison & objet asia

Frato

Four-year-old Frato evolved from supplying furniture to designers undertaking major hospitality projects to an independent furniture company with retail exposure in 47 markets worldwide. It is based in Portugal but has showrooms at Marquis Singapore and Harrod’s London, with a third showroom in Riyadh underway. Frato has supplied furniture to the Four Seasons Moscow and the Cartier shop in Dubai among others. It has also shipped 45 containers of products to a project in Turkmenistan. Manufacturing for and supplying to the hospitality industry is a formidable asset to the company. Handling big volume order, running a production facility and supplying to meticulous clients are among the values it has learned through the years. “We own the production; we already have the factory,” says Carlos Faria Santos, CEO. A small 20 per cent of production is subcontracted but the remaining 80 per cent is completed inhouse. “Because of this, we have faster response in developing new products, ensuring strict control quality and maximise our flexibility. For example, we may have a sofa that comes in three sizes, but if you want it in another size, we can give you that as well.”

The creative and design team, headed by Carlos’ wife, Patricia Serra Santos, employs four architects and five designers. “It is difficult for us to collaborate with designers outside. You need to have the entire collection in your head to be able to design. We expect innovation but one that respects the Frato history and identity, Santos says. The brand has been continuously building a single collection to which pieces are constantly added. Accessories, manufactured by subcontractors based on Frato designs, are becoming important elements of the collection. Patricia herself has designed exclusive accessories collections for Roche Bobois; meanwhile, other creations Frato are available at Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdale’s Dubai. “There’s a link between fashion and interior design, and there’s also the Frato spirit that is infused it. I like to work with a neutral colour as base to which I add a bright colour as accent,” Patricia reveals. “For now Frato is a small part of the business but one that will grow in importance in the coming years,” shares Carlos. Between fulfilling orders from various specifiers, the in-house production facility creates designs for Frato. “We have to make some adjustments but mostly towards creating new concepts for Frato and manufacturing very meticulous, high-end products for the brand.” Frato Interiors Marquis Studio (Concept Store) (located inside Lifestorey) 1 Kim Seng Promenade #02-15 Great World City Singapore 237362 T +65 6732 7362 www.frato-interiors.com

maison & objet asia

Hamilton Conte “We designed the new pieces that we are showed at M&O Paris earlier this year and now at M&O Asia simultaneously,” says Ross Hamilton Englisbe who, together with Fabian Pellegrinet Conte, make up the furniture design and manufacturing company Hamilton Conte. “We don’t create for specific markets. Every interior for us is a story and every collection is helping tell those stories. Fabien (Conte) and I are travellers and we’re storytellers.” “Our aim is for people to come here and find connection with a piece that they would like to take home. They might have a different interior from ours, but maybe they can relate to a piece that is in their own style and reality.” Hamilton calls the brand’s style ‘eclectic’. “For us it means intelligent mixing – it’s putting very different things together to create a harmonious whole. But it’s not hodgepodge. Fabien is a designer so there is a strong notion of what is harmonious.” A number of things inspired the brand’s output this year, including the ‘70s, Africa and Greco-Roman design. “This piece, for example,” Hamilton says of a sleek upholstered armchair, “is inspired by what a Gucci airplane seat would look like in the 1970s. We also took some African pillows and used the form to inspire moulded resin stools – the first African motif in our range.”

The glass doors of Pompeia High Cabinets are asymmetrical with one panel is narrower than the other. The body is medium density board with oak veneer. Another articulation has doors upholstered in rich silk Zimmer + Rohde fabric, including one with zodiac motif. The Talos table retains its cast aluminium legs but is now paired with the Pompeia glass top that is “deliberately aged to look like it’s been through a lot – even volcanic eruption”. The table top is laser printed tempered glass with metallic bits. Pieces in the collections come in five standard colours: grey, café au lait, gold, chocolate and turquoise, but some are customisable in size, colour, fabric. “We want people to have an emotional reaction to the product and giving them a choice of colour is one way to achieve that.” Hamilton Conte Marquis QSquare 16 Tai Seng Street, Level 1 Singapore 534138 Tel: +65 6383 0119 www.marquis.com.sg

maison & objet asia

NaNimarquiNa

Nanimarquina was set up more than 25 years ago to design and manufacture rugs. The company focuses on reinventing the rug, giving it new uses, new concepts and playing with elements such as shape, colour and texture. Among the artists with whom the brand has collaborated were the Bouroullec brothers who created the Losanges collection (above and right), a reinterpretation of the Persian rug using the ancient kilim technique. Pieces from the collection are distinguished by their rhombus shape and uneven hem at two ends. As many as 13 colours are hand-woven into the pieces with filled and outlined diamond patterns. The pieces are made of Afghan wool and hand-woven in Northern Pakistan workshops. Nami, who came to Singapore to conduct a workshop at Space Asia Hub during the M&O, describes the city state as one with the “power to make me continually feel surrounded by values such as modernity, design, vanguardism. I consider it like an entrance door to the Asian design market. In this context, I’m so proud to collaborate with Space. I’m so glad that Nanimarquina is part of it.” Space Furniture 77 Bencoolen Street Singapore 189653 T +65 6415 0000 www.spacefurniture.com.sg

maison & objet asia

KARSA

Sanur bar stool

Made by highly skilled Indonesian craftsmen, the Karsa furniture range is the brainchild of Zylia design studio, an established furniture and product design consultancy headed by Joshua Simandjuntak. The collection presented at M&O comprises pieces named after places in Bali and demonstrate the clean lines and fine handcrafting for which the brand is known. The Sanur bar stool, designed by Joshua Simandjuntak for Karsa, features a cantilevered bent ply seat perched on metal legs. Meanwhile, Nusa stools come with either round or rectangle seat; the first rests on three legs while the second on four. Handcrafted and hand polished in wood, these pieces are simple and elegant. The Benoa armchair in sonokeling wood melds the East and Nordic design inclinations. Four legs in natural wood finish support the yoke backrest, which comes in red, white and black. Another armchair â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Natuna â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is made of American Oak and has a natural finish. Its profile is more robust that the Benoa, but both ranges display classic, clean lines and a yoke back resting on four legs. Rakata is the modern take on traditional Indonesian chair that is originally designed and manufactured for the Japanese market. It has gracefully crafted teak frame and woven rattan seat and backrest. www.karsa.co

Benoa armchair Rakata

maison & objet asia

Luzerne Singapore brand Luzerne, a renowned source of ceramic and stone tableware for hospitality and F&B sectors, breaks into retail sector with a collection for end-users. The idea behind the collection is to celebrate everyday meals and elevate home entertaining to an art. At M&O, Luzerne presented Wonderland, Chanoyu, Chinois, evolution, Summit, Jubilee and Gold Splendour. The retail range is currently limited but is expected to grow with the addition of new and classic pieces. Luzerne is a pioneer in perfecting new Bone, the traditional bone china range manufactured without using animal bone ash. www.luzerne.com

maison & objet asia

Ong Cen Kuang

Alur kelopak

Using an array of materials, including nylon zipper, fabric and leather, allows Ong Cen Kuang to fashion intricate shades for desk and hanging lamps. The current five collections shown at M&O exhibit high level craftsmanship and organic character. Alur is a play on the concepts of broken symmetry and repetition. Nylon zippers are sewn together into a highly tactile â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fabricâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; that is then fashioned into a number of organic shapes. The range is broad and comprises shades for both hanging and desk lamps. Another range, Kotak, uses origami as inspiration. Here surfaces are given intricate textures and patterns through folding. The shades are stretched on wood frames reminiscent of Japanese box lamps. Origami is also the idea behind Lipat (Bahasa for fold), but here the art of folding is taken in a literal sense; fabric is folded repeatedly until a desired shape emerges. Designer Budiman Ong took all of 20 years to develop and perfect the collection. Each piece is painstakingly handcrafted and takes hundreds of hours. Other ranges are Thistle and Pohon. www.ockdesigns.com

Kotak

Thistle details

MAISON & OBJET ASIA

SCHEMA Philippine brand Schema showcased its range of lamps at M&O. The meticulously handcrafted pieces use metal wires bent in simple shapes before they are joined together to make complexpattern lamp shades. Solid coat of paint is then applied to finish and protect each piece. The selection includes hanging lamps, desk lamps and tea light holders. Highly decorative and functional, Schema lamps are unique and durable in enduring classic styles and colours. Gamut 315 Outram Road #07-07 Tan Boon Liat Building Singapore 169074 T +65 9686 1660 E sales@gamut.com.sg

maison & objet asia

DK HOMe

Uniquely designed pieces hand-inlaid in unusual materials were the highlight at DK Home. Nearly everything looks overscaled within the booth, from four-foot-long chandeliers to six-foot-tall planters, but the occasional exquisite boxes and napkin rings also abound. DK Home has been working with major interior design companies worldwide and has amassed a 700-piece collection of furniture, accessories and decorative pieces mostly for hotel presidential suites and very upscale homes, says Sales Director Remco Miltenburg. Nearly all pieces in the collection are customisable in material, dimension and finishes. Based in the Netherlands, the brand works with artisans in Asia and other parts of the world to access traditional craftsmanship and production processes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The designs are contemporary Dutch but given an exotic interpretation with the type of material, treatment and finish. Our inlays include wood, eggshell, seashell, bone, parchment and stingray,â&#x20AC;? Remco explains. The brand draws the line on endangered and scarce materials for ecological and business reasons. Orders received for pieces in the standard collection are fulfilled in two months even for large volume. Custom products, depending on intricacy and complication, require an extra month. The longest part of the process is product development, but once it is sorted out actual production can be quick. Asiatique Collections 14a Dempsey Road Singapore 249669 Tel: +65 6471 3146 www.dkhome.com

Cute Cut Coffee Tables

Rock, Wood And The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;70s Groove Gleize

Leading French Furniture brand, roche bobois, gets ready For a stunning coLLection inspired by cLassics it Launched in the 1970s

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Escapade Indoor and Outdoor Sofa

Florian Large Armchair

From reinvented fauteuil to floor-hugging couches, Roche Bobois offers tasteful trend-setters

lthough Roche Bobois was established in 1960, its roots go back deeper. The French furniture brand resulted from the union of the Roche and Bobois families, each with strong history in furniture manufacture. “Although Roche Bobois is relatively young, its heritage is quite strong,” explains Martin Gleize, International Director of the brand. “The families merged together not to make furniture but to edit it,” Martin says. Its vision was to look at design and select from them ideas that can be developed into new collections. Roche and Bobois, rock and beautiful wood in French, structured the business after fashion houses. They established collaborative collections with fashion designers in the late 1960s, beginning with Kenzo, who designed key pieces for the brand. Later collections highlighted fabrics by Missoni and a full collection by Jean Paul Gaultier among others. “A lot of people don’t know that Jean Paul Gaultier designs furniture; he has actually created a full collection for Roche Bobois, including an iconic tall cabinet,” shares Martin. Besides working with fashion designers, Roche Bobois also communicated the brand like a fashion label. “We advertised in Elle, a fashion magazine that targets women; it was a revolutionary move for the brand at a time when furniture and fashion were not necessarily connected. But when we decided to do it, we even had a proper logo.” Another strong similarity between the brand and fashion houses is the twice yearly presentation of collections. In April and October, Roche Bobois presents a Spring and a Summer collection. “We present prototypes in large numbers – about 15 sofas and 16 dining tables. Out of the collections, about two-thirds go into production.” The method is borrowed from fashion collections that are sent down the runway and get whittled down to essential pieces that are sent to the workshops. Almost all Roche Bobois pieces result from creative venture with professional designers outside the company. “We almost never design anything in-house except for the occasional pieces. Although we have the capability, our designers work with independent designers. A lot of them come to us with ideas and we evaluate their viability as commercial products that support our identity.” Production is expensive and it takes time and resources to move from idea to product; Roche Bobois assists designers along the process by providing technical and creative assistance. “Every day we get several proposals from designers around the world. We also commission designers to design for us.” Collaborations take three parties representing production, commercial and design – the first two being Roche Bobois. Today, Roche Bobois manufactures out of France and Italy. Two-thirds of its business comprises contemporary furniture characterised by cutting-edge design, a mixture of materials, designer fabrics and collaboration with top designers. (The collections comprise Contemporary, New Classics and Outdoors) Roche Bobois began its international development in 1974 when it opened its first stores in the US, UK and Spain. By then its identity was already firmly established with a style that broke away from the dominant Italian and Scandinavian designs that dominated the period. “Hans Hofer’s Mahjong is a very good example of that,” Martin points out. “He wasn’t from the furniture industry, but he had a vision of a system of cushion and fabric. He had a vision of softness; he could spend a whole day thinking of how loose the fold of the fabric should be to be truly comfortable. He had the eye for visual comfort, the science of softness and looseness. It was revolutionary at a time when there was no concept of soft and comfortable furniture.” This year, Roche Bobois marks the 40th anniversary of its initial foray into the international market by reissuing key pieces from the era. “We will re-edit pieces from those collections in the ‘70s; we will also launch pieces inspired by them,” enthuses Martin. People who grew up with the ‘70s-style furniture are now grown-ups and ready to furnish their homes, he reasons. They establish a connection with the style they grew up with. As the mid-century American modern is starting to wane, perhaps it’s time to bring out those groovy cube wall units from the ‘70s.

Beauty meets function in the delicately articulated 'trike'

Master Of Materials Design for Kenneth Cobonpue is Deeply rooteD in oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reality. as he tells FOO WEN XIN, his 'triKe' is a balanCe between beautiful form anD useful funCtionality

Beyond awards and celebrity following, Kenneth is firmly rooted in good design that serves a purpose

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n suburban and rural Philippines, where transport service is inadequate, the electronic tricycle or trike is favoured for its manoeuvrability and low maintenance cost. Kenneth’s Eclipse, a lightweight aluminium three-wheeler, is his vision of a ‘green’ rickshaw that is also finding relevance in urban areas. The three-wheeler is made up of a bicycle and sidecar woven with repetitive circles of recyclable polyethylene, and handstitched with leather for the seats, handlebars and headrests. It is complemented with an iPhone docking base, speakers, cup holders on either side, a cooling fan and fully closable panels on all side. "My brand is tied to the Philippines, so all the stereotypes people have about being Filipino form the beautiful and sometimes unfortunate reality I live with," he said. "Through my work, it is my fervent hope that people come to appreciate and understand the new reality of who the modern Filipino is." Before earning the sterling reputation that he enjoys today, Kenneth Cobonpue worked hard at an industrial design degree, which he eventually obtained with the highest honours, at New York’s Pratt Institute. This became his ticket to job stints in Italy and Germany where he honed his techniques in wood and leather. Today, ‘Rattan's First Virtuoso’, as TIME magazine called him in 2007, dazzles the world not only with his ingenious hand-crafted eco-designs but also the indigenous materials he employs, including banana tree, palm and bamboo. “The Holy Grail in furniture design is a natural material that can withstand the harsh outdoors, last a long period of time and withstand

heavy use. Strength, durability and cost play important roles in the choice of materials," he explains. Kenneth uses only sustainable materials and avoids seashells and other natural materials harvested irresponsibly. His repulsion for illegal cutting of wood and hazardous automobile emissions has nudged him to design transportation that uses clean energy and environmentally-friendly materials. His restlessness and disdain for formula goad him to stretch the boundaries of his materials, evident in his lightweight pieces such as Eclipse, Yin & Yang and Voyage. The Voyage line gained traction in early 2000 when American actor and film producer Brad Pitt purchased a piece along with a red lounge chair for his family. But Kenneth recalls running a shop where hardly anyone ventured during the first two years. "There was a time after my first few collections when no one seemed to appreciate what I was doing," he says. "And it was tough trying to convince myself that I was on to something big when we had to let a lot of old employees go." Having overcome obscurity, he now battles with piracy and the perception that Southeast Asian products have "shoddy quality and bargain basement prices". "One criticism I actually love to hear is people saying it’s difficult to fill a room with my pieces because they are all divas," muses Cobonpue. "I happen to have a lot of quiet pieces too, but if those were all I did, I doubt you would want to interview me!"

From a full blossom to a fern leaf, Kenneth is able to extract motifs from nature in fresh ways

Omar's interiors are opulent but tasteful. If he turns up the luxe factor, he lowers the bling volume so that the entire creation achieves a preternatural subtlety and sophistication

Amazing Grace Blessed with an extraordinary instinct for Beauty, omar Khan celeBrates everything from the suBlime and the ridiculous in his worK. JENNIFER CHOO goes through the style BooK of the noted designer 63

"I attended kindergarten at Alice Smith, went to a local school in Bangsar for primary, and finished high school in Connecticut â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so I had this great juxtaposition of different influences from a young age." 65

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eloved children’s book writer and illustrator Dr Seuss wholly embraced the realm of the imagination. His belief that fantasy as a way of looking at life through the wrong end of the telescope, and a necessary ingredient for living, resonated with generations of readers. Design, merchandising and creative extraordinaire, Omar Khan has always incorporated fantastical elements in his work – from the divinely dramatic Shangri-la in Troika apartments in Kuala Lumpur, to the dreamy cloud trellises of chic restaurant Melur&Thyme in KLCC, and the memorable windows for the Pedder Group across Asia which has inspired legions of designer accessory fans to snap up the season’s statement shoe. Like those of Dr Seuss (albeit more exquisite and refined), Khan’s work is witty and original, sparking the imagination and transporting the beholder into a different world. Equally remarkable is the diversity of his body of work, spanning furniture design, fashion, visual merchandising and interior design, all accomplished early in his career. He has worked in Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia for clients such as Pedder Group, Biyan, W Residences, Bandar Raya Developments Berhad, for and top brands that include Christian Louboutin, Nicholas Kirkwood, Azzedine Alaia, and Tom Binns. Not resting on his laurels, Omar is launching his own home range.

Singaporean by birth but cosmopolitan by upbringing, Omar’s unique aesthetic blends heritage and modernity, oriental and occidental, quirkiness and refinement. This decidedly multi-dimensional perspective can be traced to his background that combines Dutch, Chinese, Egyptian, Pakistani and German roots as well as formative years spent traversing Malaysia, Singapore and Jakarta. “I attended kindergarten at Alice Smith, went to a local school in Bangsar for primary, and finished high school in Connecticut – so I had this great juxtaposition of different influences from a young age,” he reminisces. Omar, who loves drawing since childhood and grew up with comic books, was accepted at Parsons School of Design to study animation and graphic design. He cherishes his time at Parsons: “This was prior to 9-11 and the vibe then was that anything was possible. Parsons was the place to study the business of art, because you were taught not by academicians in ivory towers but by people who were still working in their field.” From New York, Omar returned to Asia, choosing Jakarta where his family owns a property called The Papilion. He took the opportunity to work with Biyan, whom he describes as the Dries van Noten of Asia, and found himself thrust into the world of furniture. “Biyan had a boutique at The Papilion and was in the process of diversifying his brand. My aunt and cousin handled his bridal boutique and café as I worked on the furniture range. This was my first foray into home design,” he says.

The experience of the new in Omar's rooms comes from the juxtaposition of carefully curated objects more than the assemblage of newly minted objects.

“My glamorous (Dutch-Indonesian) grandmother had a home in Holland where she collected a lot of antiques. Her love for beautiful things and keen sense of presentation made me very aware of beautiful furniture and object d’art from a young age.” During this time, Omar has added visual merchandising to his creative repertoire, creating attractive windows for The Papillon. “I was placing a chair in the display window when the Pedder Group team happened to be looking on; I guess you could say I got picked out of window. It was a Cinderella story without the shoe,” he laughs. Omar moved to Hong Kong to head On Pedder’s visual merchandising. He was responsible for outfitting all Pedder Group stores across Greater China and South East Asia. The multi-brand’s robust luxury goods business meant huge budgets to create fantastical window displays. Working with brands like Alexander McQueen, Alexander Wang, Céline, Charlotte Olympia, Giuseppe Zanotti Design, Givenchy, Nicholas Kirkwood, Pierre Hardy, Proenza Schouler, Sergio Rossi, Sophia Webster and Valentino, Omar thrived: “The windows generated a lot of buzz and money which was made its way back in store. And this experience reinforced in me the belief that you have to spend money to make money.” Even when the economic crisis hit, Pedder Group stayed robust by injecting more money into their business. After three years in Hong Kong, Omar felt it was time for a change: “I felt like I had hit all my goals and it was time to continue evolving.” He launched The Omar Khan Collective, offering consulting services for concept creation, visual merchandising, lifestyle styling and branding – a sort of “MacGyver of ideas” as he puts it. The Collective also had an interior design arm. “After working with The Upper House’s Ande Fu on The Shoe Library for Lane Crawford, I felt I had the chops to do interior design work,” he says. Since returning to Kuala Lumpur, Omar has been busy juggling interior design projects in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong. He also recently launched his first rug collection, a step towards completing the Omar Khan Home range. Personal reasons motivated the decision to start a rug collection. “It’s something I had been

dreaming of for a while; after going through all my old files, I found unfinished sketches and ended up with an internal retrospective of my work over the years. The rugs featuring these designs will be the first public presentation of those sketches,” he enthuses. The lush, motif-based rugs are typically Omar – dark and twisty with just a hint of whimsy. Omar talks effusively about the transformative effects of a great rug as he learned while working on interior design projects: “Like how a well chosen jacket or heel can make an outfit, a statement rug can completely change the feel of a space; it's like magic, and it’s that side that appeals to me. All my interior design projects have featured a bespoke rug of my design and this collection will make them accessible to the public.” As a nod to Omar’s fashion roots, the collection’s presentation is structured like that of a fashion collection: “I have the Prêt-à-Rêver range, which would correspond to Prêt-à-Porter, accessible through the stores and websites. I also have the Couture aspect, where I meet a client and customise the piece around his personality. For larger projects like hotels and ballrooms, I have a contract division that works closely with The Omar Khan Collective's interior design arm.” The Prêt-à-Rêver debut collection features five looks, each comprising three variations. Made of wool, viscose and silk, they are all painstakingly hand-tufted and boast strong graphic motifs. Omar’s career trajectory may be headed upwards but he designer has no intention to slow down. “I’m working towards making sure The Omar Khan Collective runs like a well-oiled machine and that we nurture an amazing team of inspired talent working towards the same goal. “This will let me focus on the bigger picture and in turn take care of them. Hotels projects are important because they let us show the Omar Khan experience as multiple layers of indulgences that I feel are being neglected today.” Fantasy, beauty and indulgences – the Omar Khan world is the sort of bewitching dream almost anyone would love to get lost in.

The Blanc de Blancs.

Please Drink Responsibly.

Interactive tour of the Ruinart cellars. iPad & iPhone.

Relax, it's just aRt Homeowners learn to incorporate their art collections into living spaces without sacrificing comfort. This hair-down, feetup approach to enjoying art is catching on, truly elevating art as part of everyday life

Mandy dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;abo P.70 JEREMY RAMSEY p. 80 Kathy de GuzMan P.90 pEtER tAY Studio p.98 John erdos and Louis Koay P.106

Mandy’s living room is calm and easygoing in neutral shades. In the foreground is Knoll’s Platner chair, alongside Michael Young’s Hex chair

The LoveLy Bones A stAndAlone house in hong Kong’s stAnley VillAge becomes An eclectic, personAl retreAt for gAllery owner mAndy d’Abo And her fAmily. tAmsin brAdshAw pAys A Visit. photogrAphy by michAel pAul 71

(above) An inlaid cabinet sits under a window, overlooking green views. Turquoise vases add a splash of bright colour next to the black-and-white cabinet (opposite) The Hex chair is one of Mandy’s favourite design pieces. Beside it is Thomas Heatherwick’s Spun chair for Magis

or Mandy d’Abo, life moves at “a million miles an hour”, so it comes as no surprise that her home in Stanley, on Hong Kong’s South Side, is a place in which to slow down and retreat from the rat race. “I’d rather be at home than anywhere else. This house is the first place since I was a little girl that feels like a proper home,” says Mandy, owner of The Cat Street Gallery, which is devoted to contemporary and modern art from established and emerging artists, and The Space, an art and events venue. Mandy first came across her now-home when she and her family – her husband John, their two children Louis and Poppy and their pets – were told they would have to move out of their long-term abode in Chung Hom Kok. “We’d been living on Headland Road for years, then everyone in the building got turfed out,” she remembers. “We thought we were never going to find anywhere as good.” Then she stumbled upon a house in Stanley Village – and there was no turning back. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, John’s going to kill me,’” she remembers. But, as Mandy says, this house is special. It’s one of those rare, standalone houses that you never find

in a city like Hong Kong, where most people live in apartment blocks. It was built in 1956 and it has lovely bones. The house is also surrounded by sub-tropical jungle, it has a lush, green garden, and inside, the clean, simple lines lend themselves perfectly to acting as a backdrop for Mandy’s fabulous art collection. “I wanted to create a lightbox, a bit like a gallery,” says Mandy. Once Mandy got her husband on board, she set about updating the house to meet her family’s needs. “I decided that if we were going to live in that house, it was going to be a gift for a very short time, and I was going to make the most of it,” she says. She hired longtime friend David Roden – who designs interiors and homewares, and styles for events and magazines – to help her make the necessary changes. “I did more of a cosmetic job; it was mostly smoke and mirrors,” she says. “David said to me that if you put something down you have to be very careful, because it tends to stay that way forever.” David and Mandy removed the ceramic tiles that lined the ground floor, replacing them with wood-like linoleum. Upstairs, they ripped out the white carpet, discovering lovely, teak floorboards underneath. They also updated the kitchen by covering the cabinetry with a fiery, racy red laminate.

When it came to the walls, however, they kept things simple, painting them a pure white, so that the gallerist’s own art collection could shine. They also devised a salon hanging system, which would allow Mandy to chop and change artworks at will. “I change things around a lot,” she says. “I was changing things around this morning, just because you stop seeing things after a while.” Mandy’s collection of artworks is an eclectic and wonderful reflection of the exhibitions she has run since 2001, when she made her first forays into Hong Kong’s art scene. “The very first show I did was Jason Benjamin,” she says. “We did it at 10 Chancery Lane. Then I opened my gallery just after my 40th birthday, on Cat Street on the 14th floor. And I’ve been on this corner [of Hollywood Road] for five years.” It has been an extraordinarily successful 12 years, and that is in part due to the fact that Mandy only shows artists she has bought from already or is going to buy from. There is certainly something very personal about The Cat Street Gallery’s offerings, and this is echoed in Mandy’s home. Here, paintings by Sir Peter Thomas Blake, photography by Denice Hough, and neon signs by Rob and Nick Carter vie for space. Nooks and crannies are home to sculptures, too. “If

the house was burning down and I had to run out, I would probably grab the very first Guy Maestri I ever bought, from the first show I did for Tim Olsen in Hong Kong,” muses Mandy. While art may come first in Mandy’s heart, design also has its place here. “I think it is part of what happens when you’re on a journey, you’re always looking and looking and looking, and you just love all things beautiful,” she says. So which design piece is her favourite? Mandy points to a silver, die-cast aluminium lounge chair; it’s the Hex chair designed by Hong Kong-based Brit Michael Young. The cool chair is distinctly sculptural,

with curving forms and a recurring honeycomb motif. “People get very confused between what is Design and what is Art,” says Mandy. “People also get very nervous about whether you should like it or not.” Helping people decide what to buy – and whether they like it or not – is Mandy’s forte, as evidenced by her home, which is testament to her distinctive style. In the living spaces, a blend of East-meets-West furniture in neutral tones counterbalances art pieces in a rainbow of bold colours. These rooms were designed with comfort and entertaining in mind, and Mandy’s philosophy here is “not to be too precious about it. There are always

people in the house that was the deal – it was always going to be full of people and it always is.” She and her husband love playing host to dinners, drinks parties, and generally having friends over. “We always have friends with kids over,” says Mandy, who adds that they have “three dogs, two birds, and a rabbit – it’s a menagerie, a d’Abo menagerie. “It does strike me just how important ‘home’ is,” she says. “You go on an amazing journey through life and you don’t have a lot of time to stop and take stock of what you’ve learned. For me, it’s so important to have somewhere to rest, recalibrate, restore and reflect.”

(this page) The artwork in the foreground, sits above a striking, geometric mirrored table and a kitsch Mao statue (previous page) A mirrorball chandelier offers a modern contrast to the classic dining set in Mandyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s living room.

(left) On the right of the corridor is a piece by David Mach. (below) A peaceful corner of Mandyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bedroom, complete with lounge chair and an art photography (following page) A sculpture by Camie Lyons adds visual interest to a quiet corner

(previous page) Mandy and David Roden repaneled the kitchen cabinetry in a fun, bright red. Retro stools and an industrial table add to the room’s bold, cheerful vibe (top) Sculpture, art and design mix together in Mandy’s living room, creating a playful effect. Mandy and David laid new floorboards over the home’s existing tiled floor (right) The bedroom is a peaceful haven for Mandy and her husband. A four-poster bed sets a relaxed, holiday tone. In the background is an artwork by Kah Sang Woo

(above) Jeremyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bedroom holds artworks, antiques and various artefacts that he has collected. On the floor is a Henry Moore; antique masks share the chess table at the foot of the bed. (below) Art imitates art. Jeremy paints a rare piece of tribal art â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that of a woman being mounted by a wild boar.

eremy Ramsey’s inimitable style is immediately on view at the entrance hall of his apartment in Arcadia. His paintings are properly hung on walls in the style of an art gallery, while tribal sculpture stands on pedestals arranged in the middle of the room. While most homeowners would open ‘soft’, Jeremy takes it to the opposite direction by flaunting his renowned way with colours. Publisher Ian Findlay-Brown has described Jeremy’s work as “opulent with vibrant colours, a powerful line, full sensual forms and a magnificence of space and a certain interior darkness”. His home is shrine to this yet unsurpassed virtuosity. Although it has the quality of a proper gentleman’s abode, it is also at once possessed with a spirit of abandon and, perhaps, even excess. A gentleman lives here – but he is also an artist. John Russel Taylor, senior art critic at Times of London, went on to describe the artist as a “precise observer” who manifested this trait in “skilled

and economical life drawings with their unfeigned artist’s delight in the human body”. The sensual is a subject very close to Jeremy’s heart and he has boldly expressed this in his colours and forms and subjects that few would touch. A woman in one of his paintings is depicted flagrante delicto – locked in a torrid embrace of a boar. The apartment has changed since Jeremy acquired it in 1995. It was tenanted back then and the previous occupants favoured an open plan where nearly every part of the apartment was visible from the main door. “You enter and you see the entire unit. There were so many chairs,” Jeremy recalls with amusement, “and they were all lined up against the wall.” As the apartment is large, Jeremy thought of erecting partitions to create rooms and introduce a sense of privacy and a gradual unfolding of space as one crosses the threshold. He commissioned Sheila Ferran to introduce a new layout

to the 7,500sqft unit. The renovation, a fairly drawn-out job that lasted about six months, achieved this. Guests now pass through the gallery hall from the main door to the second domain. To the left is the living room and to the right the dining room. Prior to the renovation, the apartment had a siting and dining area, four bedrooms and three bathrooms. There was a large kitchen, two store rooms and a self-contained unit for the staff. With the renovation completed, only two bedrooms remained but all three bathrooms were retained. A studio lounge was created out of one bedroom; the sitting room and dining room were separated. A staff room was also created. A vestibule access to the dining room is furnished with a china cabinet stocked with fine Limoges wares including a set emblazoned with Jeremy’s family crest. On both sides of the dining room doorway are carved tribal statues of a man and a woman, their primitive shapes and articulations a foil to the refined lines of the china cabinet. The solid double doors open to a dining room with deep green walls. A fine Chippendale dining set for eight is set in the middle of the room while a pair of fine wood inlaid buffets stand against opposite walls. The prominent wall is adorned with a tapestry that is based on an original painting by Jeremy, and behind this is the dry kitchen and bar where cocktails are sometimes served. Beyond this enclosure is the wet kitchen and spacious helper’s domain. The living room is painted in butter-yellow and tastefully appointed with a couch and armchairs. Here more of Jeremy’s artworks are on display. Previously, the space had ceiling to floor glass windows that look out to the large balcony. Jeremy had walls installed to reduce the glare and to create more walls to hand artworks. The bedrooms are accessed through a corridor which, like all walls in the apartment, is lined with artworks. Of principal interest here are the very graphic erotic paintings rendered in batik style. “This is not the kind of artwork you would hang when you know that the vicar is coming,” Jeremy quips. The guest bedroom is at the end of this corridor and next to it is the master suite – a very large space created by removing the dividing wall between two contiguous bedrooms. The resulting suite incorporates a library, a den and studio lounge. After Jeremy has settled into his apartment, he acquired a shophouse in Bukit Pasoh on the fringe of Chinatown in 1997 to convert into a gallery with workshop and living facilities. The 2,600sqft shophouse now contains the Jeremy Ramsey Gallery on the ground floor; a workshop and living quarters have been installed in the second and third stories. With a stream of collectors and friends streaming into the shophouse, Jeremy has taken to entertaining here as well. (Opposite top) Jeremy at work in his shophouse studio. (Opposite bottom) The ground floor of Jeremy's shophouse is a gallery where he exhibits his works and receives guests. (This page) A painting by Jeremy depicting three trees has been interpreted into a tapestry which now hangs in his dining room.

Eddie poses with a recent acquisition – a ceremonial mask – in his atelier above Jeremy Ramsey’s gallery. His collection of tribal art and artefacts is among the most extensive in Singapore today.

WHERE HORNBILLS COME TO ROOST Artist and craftsman Eddie, who also goes by the Dorje Takshi, has amassed an extensive collection of tribal artefacts that he keeps in his attic studio in Jeremy Ramsey’s art loft on the fringe of Chinatown. He has worked with Jeremy for several years. Eddie started collecting when in secondary school after seeing an exhibition of tribal art at the Indonesian Embassy. “I was quite excited to see all the items made out of wood, lizard and snake skins, and bones. But what interested me most were the carvings for the men's house and the gigantic Bis pole which are used to display the severed heads as trophies from headhunting.” When Eddie studied abroad he made a point to visit ethic museums in order to broaden his knowledge of tribal art. “I have many friends abroad who share the same interest and have helped me acquire many pieces that I own. I go on field trips to collect artefacts,

sometimes returning many times to the village to acquire a ceremonial hornbill or an ancestor carving. I go through many hardships to acquire these pieces but when I finally hold them in my hands I find it was all worth it,” Eddie says. Most pieces in his collection are documented with origin and provenance information. “I’m still looking for an insurer for these items.” There is not a lot of reliable information for insurers to go by, he reveals. Eddie has friends in Singapore who collect tribal artefacts from Java and Sumatra (Batak); although they understand what tribal art is, they are not prepared to own them because it can be quite intimidating for display. Maintaining the artefacts is a challenge for Eddie. Any wood carving needs annual fumigation to rid them of insect infestation, but they can be quite safe as long as they are not stored in humid or damp environment.

masters in repose Kathy and Renato de Guzman have made a home in SinGapoRe that iS filled with pieceS fRom theiR extenSive aRt collection. maRc almaGRo payS a viSit to See how the maSteRS aRe enjoyed in a veRy caSual enviRonment

art direction by don wong; photography by lionel lai; styling assistance by lim jing yuan

An Ashley Bickerton dominates the living room which is otherwise a serene space of muted and agreeable objects

bviously, Kathy de Guzman does not subscribe to the tenet, “If in doubt, add more stuff”. Her decorating style, guided by her interior designer friend Christopher Noto, is suffused with blank spaces that relate to a carefully placed singular object. It is not governed by minimalism, but more like a calculated object-to-space ratio. There’s always some margin to stand back and take in pieces from an extensive Asian art collection that her husband Renato, often with Kathy’s approval, has built. Thankfully, the house has enough walls for the large pieces that dominate their collection. Their recent acquisition, an Ashley Bickerton nude, is more than five feet tall and about just as wide. It has replaced an equally large Putu Sutawijaya that was prominently hung in the living room. (The Sutawijaya has since been dispatched to the warehouse to be reclaimed later when the Bickerton is loaned to an exhibition.) “I didn’t have to repaint or do any renovation when we moved here,” Kathy says. “The house was in very good condition. We only had to bring our furniture and artworks. And my clothes and shoes,” she adds with a laugh. The house, accessed through two short flights of stairs, faces inward through broad, sliding glass doors look out to the pool and garden. Kathy, however, supervised the planting of a lush garden and the furnishing of the wood-decked patio. Fenestration in the part of the house that faces the street is limited a series of tall and narrow windows that Kathy has turned into niches for a selection of Buddhist stone sculpture. The limited opening is mitigated by clerestory windows where light passes through, giving the house an airy expansiveness. Modern furniture is mixed with traditional pieces such that the very roomy couch is surrounded by a pair of Ming armchairs and several stools carved out of timber. The coffee table is hewn from a similar material as the stools, a crack on its surface and unfinished edge turned into features for a natural, organic feel. The accessories are a mix of antique ivory saints’ heads massed on an exotic wood tray, silver bowls filled with fresh rosebuds or saga seeds, a tangle of tribal amulets and shell jewellery. Everywhere there are potted orchids in full bloom that pick up the conversation between the interior and exterior. Kathy has a hair-down approach to collecting, hanging and enjoying art. The artworks in her home are neither venerated with unnecessary distance nor degraded as part of the décor. Guests are welcome to inspect them up close or discuss them from afar. And one is never far from a good piece of art in Kathy and Renato’s house. In the foyer hangs a Hendra Gunawan, in the living room and hallways a couple of Affandis. The sitting room is dominated by a commissioned portrait of Kathy painted by Feng Zhengjie in his signature droll style; next to it on an adjacent wall is another Affandi. The living has the aforementioned Bickerton and a couple of Fernando Zobels from the 1960s and the Saeta Series. The dining room is devoted to a collection of Yayoi Kusamas. Kathy and Renato are early collectors of Kusama and have in their collection some of her rare and early works. Kathy, a fixture in Singapore society, admits to slowing down. “I’ve done those parties and it was great fun. Now I’m having my fun mostly at home. I do go out for the occasional dinners but I’m more often in the park walking the dog.”

The home of Kathy and Renato de Guzman is always overflowing with laughter and conversation as casual get-together with friends become impromtu parties

(previous page) Kathy settles into the couch with the family pet (top) Yayoi art works crowd the wall of the dining room (bottom left) Kathy's portrait by Feng Zhengjie hangs in the sitting room (bottom right) A collection of ivory saints head rest on the living room coffee-table

FOCUS A Boca do Lobo cabinet stands next to a Chen Liu painting

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Peter tay creates a dramatic environment for his client where enjoyment of artworks is heightened. MARC ALMAGRO goes through with the designer the meticulous Process of concealing, revealing and highlighting

rt collections often benefit from the vision of an interior designer who can create an environment where their qualities are amplified for fuller enjoyment. In a Singapore residential project, Peter Tay introduced strategies that accomplish this. Peter has built a reputation as leading designer of ultra-luxurious interiors, counting celebrities, international luxury brands and developers of upscale hotels and residential condominiums as clients. A graduate of the prestigious Architectural Association in London, he has worked with fellow AA alum Stefano de Martino and eminent master planner and architect Raoul Bunschoten. He started his own practice on his return to Singapore, Peter Tay Studio, which progressively favoured specific high-end interior design projects. But Peter’s exposure to art in Europe and elsewhere has left a deep impression on him, roused an interest in collecting and ultimately in creating an environment for their maximised display. The house sits on a 6,500sqft plot and has an aggregate a floor area of 8,000sqft; it comprises three floors and a basement. The ground floor encompasses the entrance hall, living room, dining room and kitchen. The dining room also relates to the outdoor pool and garden. On the second floor are the master suite and two bedrooms for the children. The third floor houses the Chinese art reading area, a study for the children and a guest. Down at the basement is the art-filled English room where tea if served, a second guest room and staff quarters. Double glass doors provide access to the entrance hall, a sparsely furnished space whose most noticeable feature is the bare, uninterrupted travertine floor. Two major artworks are displayed here: a Fang Lijun painting and an assemblage of Mao statues in fibreglass by Zhu Wei. Lijun’s painting is hung above a limited edition Boca do Lobo Diamond sideboard in emerald green. “I didn’t want to use the typical console in the entrance hall so I picked the Boca do Lobo piece which is highly sculptural that it’s almost like an artwork,” says Peter. The entrance hall leads to the dining area set with a Fendi dining table and Poltrona Frau chairs; above it hangs a limited edition Baccarat chandelier designed by Arik Levy. Here Peter introduces gradual revelation of the painting on the dining room’s prominent wall – a painting by Ronald Ventura. As one walks toward the dining room, the painting slowly comes to view until it is framed by the entrance. “The encounter with the artwork becomes complete,” Peter explains, “once this happens – but the one viewing it can still stand closer

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to the piece for a closer inspection.” Peter likes the idea of framing an artwork with architectural details and structures as a deliberate way of highlighting a piece without being too obvious about it. It also becomes a way to connect the environment with the piece. Installed against a solid dining room wall are vertical louvers. Although they do not shield sunlight they still make up a light control system. On either side of each louver is a groove where LED strips are embedded; each blade can be tilted to control the intensity of light, turning this architectural detail into an interactive sculptural piece. “I was inspired by the Korean artist Chun Kwang Young whose meticulous work using ordinary things inspire the imagination. He has a sculpture made up of folded paper but repeated thousands of times until they transcend their ordinariness.” Another wall is clad in marble slabs that are trimmed and installed in a way that their veining suggest a landscape. The vaporous quality of the image resemble that of a Chinese painting. A bronze Yang Tao sculpture of a horseman is set on a pedestal against this inventive backdrop. Peter’s client collects works of Asian artists, among which are those by Indonesians Nyoman Masriadi and Tommy Tanggara, Filipino Ronald Ventura and Singaporean David Chan. He also has works of contemporary Chinese artists Zhu Wei, Fang Lijun and Jiang Shuo among others. Along with artworks, the client has amassed art books and auction catalogues. Peter has created special areas within the house for them: a reading room for Asian arts and another one for Chinese arts. These areas on the take the form of alcoves with bookshelves for the books and small collectibles. Peter selected special materials for the project based on their tactility and appearance under artificial light. “It’s basically about ‘materiality’; I was interested imn how the materials reflect or absorb light, how the texture on their surface give off a certain character.” Peter is known for using highly reflective surfaces not only on walls but floors and ceilings as well. “The way a surface reflects light and surrounding images has always been important to me.” The kaleidoscopic effect is worked to a high degree in this particular project. There is simultaneity of views and explosion of images muted and harmonised by a system of trained lights. Among the stunning pieces that Peter created for this home is the staircase, a metal structure partially encased in tempered glass to forego the need for railings. The main support is covered in leather while each step is crafted in timber

and supported by steel plates that are in turn clad in stainless steel. From every angle the stairs is a finely crafted sculpture that offers unobstructed views of the different floors. “I want anyone using the stairs to enjoy the experience,” says Peter. “He can come in contact with artworks displayed on any floor through the simple act of going up or down the stairs.” “My client is a seriously enthusiastic art collector; this project is an homage to his pursuit and his collection. But this is also a home for him and family, so every part of it should be liveable and comfortable,” Peter explains. He avoided the white blank spaces of the gallery which can be too cold and unwelcoming; he also aimed to turn every art piece into a part of the house and in turn a part of family life.

The reading room is outfitted with veneered timber book cases (top); the landing terminates in front of a painting (bottom left); a Yang Tao sculpture

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The travertine floor and bookmatched ceiling catch a reflection of the Bacarat chandelier designed by Arik Levy

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Artworks can be viewed simultaneously from any corner of the house

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A second landing leading to the basement profer a Tommy Tanggara heart sculpture. The basement is an art-filled sanctuary for drinking tea

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John Erdos and Louis Koay havE turnEd thEir homE into an idEaL pLacE for EntErtaining and rELaxing, but as thEy ExpLainEd to marc aLmagro, it is aLso a Laboratory for thE two brands that thEy arE running art direction by don wong; photography by Lionel Lai; styling assistance by Lim Jing yuan

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(previous pages) Yusof Ghani's Siri Tari hangs above the Folsom sectional sofa from Ark Haus (opposite) a Scott Petrie abstract painting dominates a wall in the dining room. The dining table and chairs were designed by John Erdos for John Erdos Home (this page) Young Mao by Zhaohai hangs above a John Erdos design shoe cabinet .

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Louis Koay (standing) and John Erdos (seated) relax in their apartment. The leather armchair, Napa, and marble top coffee-tables, Nash, are available at Ark Haus.

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The side table is a yard sale find refinished by John's mother, Mrs Nancy Erdos. Above the bar is a Liu Kang landscape.

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(above) Yang Jinsong watercolor painting of a watermelon adorns a corner of the dining room (left) An oil on canvas landscape by Scott Petrie in the bedroom .

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(previous page) Agus Suwage's portrait of Mother Teresa faces the dining room table. (this page) John Erdos Home furniture, Asian antiques are assembled in the TV room and study. Ronald Ventura's male nude is reflected on the mirrored wall.

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crowd control Happy coincidences and a HealtHy spirit of collaboration, says Jennifer cHoo, conspired to make tHis renovation proJect in damansara HeigHts a resounding success. photography by rupajiwa studio

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(previous pages) Clever masonry work is on full display at the façade; clerestory windows and concealed lighting illuminate the living room.

ust like how too many cooks spoil the broth, decision by committee often produces a result that is just plain confused. But in rare instances, like this renovation project in Jalan Setiajasa in Damansara Heights, the stars were aligned and the ingredients just so that it could only culminate in a very happy ending. The site was a very unusual end-lot link-house approximately 130ft in length. It was old and had obviously seen better days, but Peter Eu saw its tremendous potential. Eu owns the design-andbuild company, Form and Werks, and is a highly experienced construction industry professional. Peter saw link-house renovations as something of an architect’s speciality so he looked up Ramesh Seshan whom he knew from Unit One Design. Peter had completed projects with Unit One and was familiar with Ramesh’s work, but Ramesh had set up on his own Custom Design Group Sdn Bhd (he has since signed up with Seshan Design Sdn Bhd). The plan was to renovate and flip the house for a healthy profit and the brief was formulated around this. Peter and Ramesh thought about most palatable and acceptable proposition for prospective buyers. “Basically, we wanted to maximise the potential spatial quality of the site. We didn't want too big a built-up, but we wanted it to appear a lot larger than it actually was. We also started experimenting with flexible spaces and elements in this house. For example, the family room with the loft space above – that family room was designed such that we could add sliding doors or partitions in the future that would create an

additional room,” explains Ramesh. “To cater for the flexibility of these spaces (areas where potential end users would end up rearranging furniture to their needs), GI trunking was embedded into the walls and covered with slightly taller skirting pieces so that power point faceplates could be relocated easily without having to hack any walls. Peter wholeheartedly agreed to Ramesh’s idea of making this house multi-functional: “For me, this meant adaptability as a typical family goes through a life cycle. It should provide for multi-generational living spaces so there is the guest room that could also house a grandparent and a loft space that could serve as a retreat for the teens. Finally, there is also a garage to house up to four cars, which is rare for a link or even a semi-detached house.” The major renovation left only 20 to 30 per cent of the original house intact, even the original staircase was removed and some of the existing beams were modified to create some column-free areas. As the house was an investment project, materials that were fairly inexpensive yet visually interesting were used. “We had already started experimenting with customised concrete vent blocks built to our specifications for earlier projects and we were going to use them as part of the master bathroom screen on the first floor, so we had to come out with something else for the car porch,” remembers Ramesh. “Brick is an inexpensive material and a lot of younger architects had started using fair-face brickwork in their works so we wanted to do

something a little different. I've always wanted to do brickwork arrangement inspired by Alvar Aalto's 1953 Experimental House in Muuratsalo, Finland. So we did a quite a few computer test models experimenting with different arrangements, types of bricks (the red clay brick and the grey cementsand brick) and just for good measure, threw in some of our customised vent blocks as well! After a few rounds and a democratic process (we voted for the favourite option in the office), we came out with the final design!” As luck would have it, a couple of Indonesian workers employed by Peter's contractor were skilled with brickwork and after a couple of initial mock-ups to test the outcome, work proceeded smoothly. Buoyed by the success of the first wall, Ramesh decided to do another fair-face brick wall, this time with a more three-dimensional wave pattern for the guest room bathroom facing the internal courtyard: “Our first attempt didn't look so good but Peter allowed us to tear down the wall and let us try again! We're pretty happy with the end result!” In the spirit of happy accidents and collaboration, Ramesh notes that the odd-form concrete at the front of the house framing the bathroom vent block screen was never intended from the beginning. “The contractor asked me one day if I wanted it to be odd-form concrete and it took me by surprise! I asked if he could do it and he said yes, so I told him to give it a go and show me what he can do,” recounts Ramesh. “And they pulled it off! Not perfectly, but it was good enough so we decided to do the hood around the side terrace with it as well!” The team was also very lucky with the first flooring works. When Peter went hunting for suppliers, he came across white oak parquet going for really cheap but being left-overs and off cuts, they were all odd-sized. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the random flooring pattern that the design team came up with to accommodate this quirk turned the floor into an attractive feature. Indeed Peter recognises that many of the changes that took place during construction were what made the project such a success in the end: “We kept pushing the envelope to improve things as we went along on the site. Adding the loft, which entailed jacking up the entire roof up, and the reinforced concrete canopy over the living space which originally was designed to be more run of the mill. But it was worth it!” They say that the proof of pudding is in the eating, and Peter is so pleased with the results that instead of flipping the house, he’s moved in with his family: “I guess we got emotionally attached to this one. It doesn't happen often but I think the location and the completed house are hard to beat. To me, the design of this house embodies a pared-down kind of living where quality is not reflected so much in expensive materials, but the quality of light-filled spaces, natural ventilation and a genuine love of tactile and natural materials.”

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(above) A bank of windows expand the views in the living room. (right) More in situ masonry work; sleek cabinetry updates in the kitchen.

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IN BED WITH ART If contemplatIng the vIews and watchIng the scene aren’t enough, consIder spendIng tIme oglIng artworks In your hotel, says marc almagro photos courtesy of design hotels AUGARTENHOTEL, AUSTRIA In an area dominated by well-preserved Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture, AugartenHotel Art & Design in the old city of Graz, Austria is a bold, singular sensation. Housed in a metal and glass tower designed by Austrian State Prize for Architecture laureate Günter Dominig, the 57-room hotel is the product of Dr Helmut Marko’s vision of creating a definitive modern hotel for the historic city. The architecture is sparse and decidedly contemporary, with glass cladding that serves as indefinite border between the hotel’s interiors and its immediate surroundings. The roof terrace is just one of several areas within the hotel to enjoy both the collection of contemporary sculpture as well as the city’s mix of classic architecture. Dominig, who defines good architecture as one imbued with capacity, economy and stature, wilfully created a space that allows simultaneous enjoyment of both the indoors and outdoors, the historic and contemporary, the art and urban style. The rooms, furnished with select pieces from Ligne Roset and Cappellini, are intentionally pared down in order to give the art pieces that are liberally distributed throughout the hotel a space to be fully appreciated. The hues are limited to black, white and grey with hearty splashes of red. One of 13 participants in Design Hotel’s Culture by Design programme, guests at AugartenHotel can access the neighbourhood galleries and museums in a specially designed tour. The promotion is valid until 25 May for a minimum stay of two nights. Over 400 works by masters of Modern and Contemporary art make up the AugartenHotel collection and they are on view in the guest rooms and public spaces throughout the establishment. Some of these are thoughtfully displayed in unusual spots such as the courtyard, stairwells, rooftop terrace. The fames Suite 601 overlooks the clock tower and is equipped with fine art and design pieces. If one were to soak up the art and design scene of Graz, this is the suite to book. Failing that, one may as well head to the 24-hour bar and indoor pool where one can easily find occasion to be creative.

Augartenhotel Art and Design, Graz, Austria www.designhotels.com/augarten_hotel

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Designer furniture in bold hues adds a splash of colour and style to the hotel

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THE THIEF, OSLO The Thief promises to ‘steal guests from everyday life’, a promise hinged on the theory that a well-designed and well-planned environment elevates living. The architecture of the 120-room upscale waterfront hotel in Oslo, Norway was designed by Mellbye Arkitekter with interiors by Anemone Wille-Våge, Hilde Larsen. A Design Hotels member, The Thief is the brainchild of tycoon Petter Anker Stordalen, a hotel investor, property developer and environmentalist. The Thief is smack bang in the centre of Tjuvholmen, among major urban renewal hubs in Scandinavia. Management of Tjuvholmen has changed hands a number of times since the mid-19th century but it has always remained a shipyard of growing importance. When the area was finally parcelled and sold to private developers sometime in 2005, housing developments

were introduced. Urban renewal and gentrification, distinguished by a collection of fine contemporary European architecture, followed. Several art galleries also opened shop in the neighbourhood, the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art and the Gallery Haaken among them, effectively turning it into a culture and art centre. Curator Sune Nordgren handpicked the artworks that are hung throughout the hotel, while Anemone Wille-Våge selected the furniture and accessories, including originals by Tom Dixon and Boca do Lobo as well as works by rising designers such as Magnus Pettersen and Anne Haavind. The Thief’s ongoing collaboration with DogA, the Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture, is a steady source of new pieces for the hotel. The collaboration culminates in ‘The List of The Thief’,

which has become a respected showcase for the works of young and talented Norwegian designers. The highlight they obtain from the hotel reflects Scandinavian contemporary design ethos – important elements that establishes the hotel’s sense of place and originality. With the Renzo Piano design for the Astrup Fearnley next door, The Thief is in its rightful place. It is not just the accommodation that is art-inspired at The Thief. The hotel offers concierge programmes that allow guests to experience the local art scene. An example is the ongoing Culture by Design promotion (valid until 25 May for a minimum stay of two nights) which provides access to the right museums and art galleries. The programme puts guests in a position often limited to locals or those in the know.

The Thief, Oslo, Norway www.designhotels.com/the_thief

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QT SYDNEY QT Sydney partners with the Australian Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), strengthening further its strong association with art and design. Housed in two of the city’s landmark buildings - , the historic Gowings Department Store and heritage-listed State Theatre - QT Sydney is known for the extensive art collection displayed within its premises. Works by several local artists are displayed in both guestrooms and public spaces, while revolving art installations are a featured in heritage display cabinets in its lobby. With its partnership with MCA, the hotel will offer guests a more extensive arts-related programme during their stay, including access to one-off events such as private tours and viewings of upcoming exhibitions. Guests will also be updated on the city’s art events via the hotel’s blog. QT Sydney will also collaborate with the museum on a series of special events to be announced throughout 2014. Its website has a calendar of artsrelated events, including details of Vivid LIVE, which runs across Sydney from May 23 to June 1. The 200-room QT Sydney hotel is housed in the historic Gowings Department Store and heritage-listed State Theatre, two of the city’s most iconig buildings. The original facades of the buildings have been meticulously restored and the interiors have been converted into an art-laden modern hotel.

QT Sydney www.qtsydney.com.au A vibrant neighbourhood of art-related venues goes well with the hotel's design direction

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SEARCHING FOR GREEN MAN Vietnam retains its own traditions despite centuries of occupation. eVen changes attempted by aggressors were adapted to suit Vietnam, not the other way around. by foo wen Xin

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Hardly acknowledged yet instrumental in every urban traffic safety, the inconspicuous pair of green and red flashing man at the pedestrian crossing is a symbol of security and familiarity for first-time travellers in cities. This familiarity is definitely missing in Hanoi, where the green man was run over by millions of motorcyclists fighting to stay ahead of each other. With a population of 2.6 million for urban districts and 6.7 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction in 2009, Hanoi is a potpourri of cultures influenced by various aggressors. First inhabited by the Chinese for 1,000 years in 197 BC, it became the capital of French Indochina for nearly six decades from 1873, occupied by the Japanese during the World War II, and followed by the Second Indochina War with the United States. At the Museum of Ethnology (Nguyen Van Huyen Road, Cau Giay District), I did not realise that there was an entrance fee until I was chased out of the ticket booth which I mistook for a security guard booth. The indoor permanent collection is divided into nine sections and documents 54 official ethnic tribes in five linguistic families – Austronesien, Austrosiatic, Tai-Kadai, Miao-Yao and Sino-Tibetan. The outdoor exhibition features houses of ethnic groups built by the respective tribes' craftsmen. Notable ones include the 19m tall Bahnar communal house symbolic of skill and strength, in contrast to the 42m long Ede longhouse meant for accommodating the families of daughters and granddaughters of extended matrilineal family. On The Huc Bridge at Hoàn Kiem Lake, it is common to see young local women in áo dài making their way to the main street across lined with French-colonial architecture. The Huc Bridge, also known as Sunbeam Bridge, consists of 15 spans and 32 pillars arranged in 16 pairs. The crimson wooden truss bridge leads to Ngoc Son Temple, a small temple with Buddhist, Confucian and Tao architectural elements. Also known as the Temple of the Jade Mountain, the temple commemorates Confucian and Taoist philosophers, and national hero General Tran Hung Dao who led a team of volunteers and peasants to defeat three invasions from the Mongols in the 13th century. Similar to classical Chinese architecture, the temple has low ceilings, red lacquer doors and gabled roofs with a sweeping curvature at the corners. The entire compound is symmetrical with two sub-temples as the secondary wing structure to the main altar. Surrounded by the tranquil waters of the Hoan Kim Lake, the temple has been touted by Russian architect E.V. Pereladova as "one of the most successful examples of using nature in the architecture of town complexes". A few centuries before Hanoi became the capital of the unified Vietnam in 1976, Hoa Lu was the capital as well as the economic, political and cultural centre during the 10th and 11th century. The temple of Đinh Tiên Hoàng in Hoa Lu pays homage to King Dinh Tien Hoang, the first Vietnamese emperor in 965 following the country's liberation from the Chinese Southern Han Dynasty. Incorporating the principles of phong thuy, or Chinese feng shui, the temple front faces the river for a flow of positive energy, while the mountains behind the temple represent backing from influential patrons. With both provinces a two-hour bus ride apart, there are some uncanny similarities in their temple architectures. Similar frame structures for supporting the roof in Northern Vietnamese architecture can be found in shrines, temples and town houses of Fuzhou, and in the buildings of the ethnic minority group of Dong in Guangxi, China. On my way to the temple of Đinh Tiên Hoàng, I was hounded by touts who took my pictures and offered to print for a fee. These feisty little touts followed my tour group with unabashed determination, shuttling between us and their printer till we exit the area. Back in Hanoi, my 65-year-old rickshaw driver deftly manoeuvred through the traffic, with a few almost collisions with pedestrians and vehicles. I reached a roundabout at the Hanoi Opera House, an opera house erected by the French colonial administration between 1901 and 1911. It was modelled after Paris's Palais Garnier, a 1,979-seat opera house with Beaux-arts and Second Empire architectural style.

(previous page top) The Hanoi Opera House was erected by the French colonial administration between 1901 and 1911. It was modeled after Paris's Palais Garnier, a 1,979-seat opera house with Beaux-arts and Second Empire architectural style. Nearby among the food stalls, hair salons and ear wax removal pop-up stores, Viet Fine Arts Gallery has an extensive collection of contemporary art by internationally and locally acclaimed artists, like Vu Thang, Bui The Phuong, Tran Manh Hung and Nguyen Thanh Binh. (previous page bottom) On The Huc Bridge at Hoàn Ki?m Lake, it is common to see young local women in áo dài making their way to the main street across lined with French-colonial architecture. The crimson wooden truss bridge leads to Ngoc Son Temple, a small temple with Buddhist, Confucian and Tao architectural elements. (this page top) There are some uncanny similarities in the temple architectures in Hanoi and Hoa Lu, a two-hour bus ride apart. Similar frame structures for supporting the roof in Northern Vietnamese architecture can be found in shrines, temples and town houses of Fuzhou, and in the buildings of the ethnic minority group of Dong in Guangxi, China. (this page second) As part of the French's Interpretatio Christiana politics, the sacred Buddhist temple Bao Thien Pagoda was razed to make way for the cathedral. The late 19thcentury Neo-Gothic cathedral was constructed in the likeness of Notre Dame de Paris, and serves approximately four million Catholics in the country. (this page bottom) A shrine erected in a cave is a popular tourist and religious pilgrimage destination

A stone's throw away, school kids were milling around food carts set up outside St Joseph's Cathedral, the oldest church in Hanoi. As part of the French's Interpretatio Christiana politics, the sacred Buddhist temple Bao Thien Pagoda was razed to make way for the cathedral. Holding some semblance to Notre Dame de Paris, the late 19th-century Neo-Gothic cathedral serves approximately four million Catholics in the country. In the nearby pulsing veins of street mayhem, the small art galleries were easily overlooked amidst the food stalls, hair salons and ear wax removal pop-up stores. Viet Fine Arts Gallery (96 Hang Trong Str and 28 Trang Tien Str) stood out with its clean glass entrance and bare walls. The gallery has an extensive collection of contemporary art by internationally and locally acclaimed artists,

like Vu Thang, Bui The Phuong, Tran Manh Hung and Nguyen Thanh Binh. I was barred from taking pictures by the gallery staff, presumably out of fear that I might reproduce these original paintings from my photographs. Much of Vietnam's traditional lifestyle is retained despite efforts by numerous aggressors over the past centuries to modify its form. These changes, if any, were adapted to suit Vietnam, not vice versa. Which is pretty similar to jaywalking in Hanoi, as observed by a tour group member– There is no green man because the locals don't need one; If you are attentive, you will notice the motorcyclists' rhythm, for there is a time to stop, and a time to run.

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THROUGH THE DRAGON'S SCALES Catered to modern urban travellers seeking for a brief respite from cities, JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi is the brand's third to open in Asia within the past two months. There are currently 63 JW Marriott hotels in 24 countries, and the portfolio is expected to expand to 88 properties in 31 countries by 2016. JW Marriott is part of Marriott International's luxury portfolio, which owns properties in gateway cities and distinctive resort locations globally. Developed by Bitexco Group, JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi is designed by acclaimed architecture practice Carlos Zapata Studio, whose works include the 63,000seat Soldier Field stadium in Chicago and Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh. The cantilevered structure evoked characteristics of a dragon; a symbol

Modernity and simple luxuries are on offer at the JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi

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of prosperity and growth in Vietnam's folklore and mythology, the dragon imagery was used partly because it is also the hotel owner's zodiac. In consideration of its neighbourhood, the 450room hotel is spread over a plot of 80,000 sqm in a low-rise horseshoe shape rather than overwhelm its environment with a multi-storey high-rise architecture. The premise, located 26.7 km south of Noi Bai International Airport, is adjacent to the National Convention Center and The Hanoi Museum. The transparent building allows guests to fully soak in the local landscape filled with veins of Hanoi's trademark bustling traffic, regardless which part of the building they are in. During winter from November to March, Hanoi can average just 1.8 hours of sunshine hours everyday in February. To take full advantage of

the sparse sunlight, the floor-to-ceiling glass facades are accentuated by the white ceilings and lightly-coloured columns to diffuse the sunlight evenly. The black stone flooring eases the eyes from the light, while serving as a implicit guide to the public spaces in the hotel. A series of transparent and brown teardrop chandelier with a subtle dĂŠgradĂŠ effect lines the ceiling of the lounge leading to the lobby and grand staircase. When guests make their way to the grand staircase, the volume of teardrops increases and the chandelier hangs progressively low till it is at eye-level. As the lobby is visibly narrow and elongated, its palette was simplified to expand space. This is further enhanced by combining direct and reflected day light with artificial light to outline the vertical boundaries and high ceilings of the lobby.

spade award winners Ranking

categoRy

candidate name

institute

pRoject title

Merit

exhibition

Yap hock Sin, GuS

taYlor'S univerSitY MalaYSia

batik revolution of MalaYSia

Gold

f&b

YonG Shi Min

nanYanG acadeMY of fine artS

"MovinG WallS"

Merit

f&b

charlotte cheW rui

teMaSek polYtechnic

MeSSenGer tea & bakerY café

Merit

f&b

iffah fathin bte Mohd azhar

teMaSek polYtechnic

Salad Mania

Merit

f&b

MahMud kaMil bin abdul kadir

teMaSek polYtechnic

atlaS reStaurant & café

Gold

hoSpitalitY

vincent kaMadi

raffleS deSiGn inStitute SinGapore

pod hotel for profeSSional

Silver

hoSpitalitY

daniel ade chriStianto

raffleS deSiGn inStitute SinGapore

thoMSon Medical center

Merit

hoSpitalitY

eliza liaW

teMaSek polYtechnic

WaYfarerS inn With bread & butter café lounGe

Merit

hoSpitalitY

arden adrien lukito

nanYanG acadeMY of fine artS

propoSed hotel lounGe iSSeY MiYake at hotpark SinGapore

Gold

inStitution

Ye MYo htWe

raffleS deSiGn inStitute SinGapore

veGetarian education & traininG hub

Merit

inStitution

devina chandra

raffleS colleGe of deSiGn & coMMerce

propoSed art & deSiGn center SinGapore at peranakan MuSeuM

Merit

inStitution

eilen tan

nanYanG polYtechnic

narrative of SinGapore

Gold

retail

daniel ade chriStianto

raffleS colleGe of hiGher education

SonY life

Merit

retail

foo li MaY

nanYanG acadeMY of fine artS

GalaxY - propoSed retail for Y-3 at Mandarin GallerY

Merit

retail

Yap hock Sin, GuS

taYlor'S univerSitY MalaYSia

briStol Sdn bhd ShoWrooM

deSiGn of the Year

retail

daniel ade chriStianto

raffleS colleGe of hiGher education

SonY life

i-dea winners Ranking

categoRy

candidate name

institute

pRoject title

Gold

exhibition

tunG chinG YeW

Spirit of deSiGn anoloGY

“alcheMY-iSM the Wonder kid” a narrative exhibition

Merit

exhibition

thoMaS MorriS

kinGSMen exhibitS pte ltd

beinG toGether: faMilY & potraitS - photoGraphinG With John clanG, national MuSeuM of SinGapore

Merit

exhibition

brett caMeron

kinGSMen exhibitS pte ltd

enchanted Garden at SinGapore chanGi airport

Merit

f&b

JerlYn teo

Jp concept pte ltd

bakerzin café indoneSia

Merit

f&b

liStY novianti

kinGSMen exhibitS pte ltd

au chocolat chocolatier & biStro

Gold

reSidential

peter taY

peter taY Studio

houSe at belMont park

Silver

reSidential

peter taY

peter taY Studio

houSe at Sixth avenue

bronze

reSidential

Stephen Goh

Metaphor Studio pte ltd

urban loft @ the arte

Merit

reSidential

victor tinG & tina lee

the carpenter'S WorkShop

29 leonie hill, horizon toWer

Gold

retail

peter taY

peter taY Studio

Salon bY Surrender, ShanGhai

Merit

retail

peter taY

peter taY Studio

Salon bY Surrender, Marina baY SandS

deSiGn of the Year

reSidential

peter taY

peter taY Studio

houSe at belMont park

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Consistent to the contemporary design of the lobby, the guest room is a reinterpretation of traditional materials in harmony with modern amenities. There are 450 guest rooms, comprising 395 luxurious guest rooms and 55 suites. The traditional wood and white-cream hue is paired with lines that manipulate the sense of proportion and rhythm. Warm walnut is used for the diagonal floor tiles in the living area, drawing attention to the walls padded with inconsistent sizes of wood panels. While timber is used for most furniture, it is often accompanied with a subtle modernity, such as a strip of mirror-finished stainless steel at the edge of minibar stone counter top. In reverse, the floor-to-ceiling glass window is flanked by timber slatted screens for a traditional touch. Between the bathroom and living area is a glass door system with multiple sliding options. A white Volakas stone is used for the bathroom vanity counter, complemented by solid-coloured bath facilities made of lacquer.

Facilities in the 48 sqm guest rooms include WiFi, iPod docks and a Bose速 entertaining system enhanced with customised sound system. Similar to the interior finishes and furnishing of the standard guest rooms, the 55 suites have over forty variations; some offer 270 degree views, while others vary in dimension due to the shape and size of the floor plates. Aware of the flourishing demand for locations catered to MICE - Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions - the hotel has 2,400 sqm of meeting space on a single floor for major corporate and association events. There are 17 meeting rooms, including two seven-metres high ballrooms with foyers measuring at 1,000 sqm and 480 sqm. The ballrooms, decorated with crystal-beaded curtain chandeliers, are also ideal as wedding venues. All the meeting facilities are conveniently located on the ground floor with a dedicated entrance and parking. Fitness and recreation facilities includes Vietnam's first and only cantilevered swimming pool, and a 4,000 sqm wellness floor comprising a private spa and 24-hour fitness centre. Within the belly of this magnificent dragon lies six restaurants and bar outlets. French Grill serves fresh seafood and prime cuts of steak paired with premium wines and spirits. A selection of international and local fares is available at JW Cafe, where Asian cuisines are served at open cooking stations. Cantonese cuisine is the highlight of The Chinese Palace where there are six private dining rooms, including three with outdoor terraces overlooking the lake. Night owls can strut their stuff at the chic and upscale Antidote Bar, where a mixologist and resident DJ spin the night to life.

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LUXUrY HOMe, TeCH reTaiL CenTre BiG winners aT desiGn TiLT interior design Confederation (singapore) hands out design excellence awards 2013 / 2014 to local design professional and aspiring designers. singapore interior designer peter Tay was handed the design of the Year award by the interior design Confederation (singapore) at the recently concluded design excellence awards 2013/2014. peter submitted his residential project at Belmont park for competition under the professional category industry design excellence award (i-dea). Meanwhile, daniel ade Christianto of raffles school of Higher education won design of the Year for his design proposal for a sony Life retail centre. daniel was competing under the design school category, spatial design awards (spade). every year the interior design Confederation (singapore) hands out the design excellence awards to exceptional design concepts and actual projects by local professionals and aspiring designers from international art and design institutions. The awards were first organised in the 1990s and, in 2011, were divided into two competition tracks: i-dea and spade awards, for local professional designers and international design students, respectively. Contestants submit entries to sub-categories F&B, Hospitality, institution and retail for spade, and exhibition, F&B, residential and retail for i-dea. a design of the Year award is handed to submissions under spade and i-dea. This year, the panel of judges was headed by Francis surjaseputra, president of apsda (asia pacific space designers alliance) and Hdii (Himpunan interior design indonesia/indonesian society of interior designers). Other members of the panel of judges were Casey Boo Koh, Vice-president of idCs 2013-2015, Chair of idCs dea i-dea and spade awards 2013/2014, Frazer Macdonald Hay, programme director of Gsa in partnership with siT, Marc almagro, editor of FOrM and palace magazines from Heart Media pte Ltd, and natalie Louey, Head of interior design department at Ong&Ong. interior design Confederation (singapore) has the official support of the design singapore Council; it is affiliated with apsda and iFi (international Federation of interior architects and designers).

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spade award winners Ranking

categoRy

candidate name

institute

pRoject title

Merit

exhibition

Yap hock Sin, GuS

taYlor'S univerSitY MalaYSia

batik revolution of MalaYSia

Gold

f&b

YonG Shi Min

nanYanG acadeMY of fine artS

"MovinG WallS"

Merit

f&b

charlotte cheW rui

teMaSek polYtechnic

MeSSenGer tea & bakerY café

Merit

f&b

iffah fathin bte Mohd azhar

teMaSek polYtechnic

Salad Mania

Merit

f&b

MahMud kaMil bin abdul kadir

teMaSek polYtechnic

atlaS reStaurant & café

Gold

hoSpitalitY

vincent kaMadi

raffleS deSiGn inStitute SinGapore

pod hotel for profeSSional

Silver

hoSpitalitY

daniel ade chriStianto

raffleS deSiGn inStitute SinGapore

thoMSon Medical center

Merit

hoSpitalitY

eliza liaW

teMaSek polYtechnic

WaYfarerS inn With bread & butter café lounGe

Merit

hoSpitalitY

arden adrien lukito

nanYanG acadeMY of fine artS

propoSed hotel lounGe iSSeY MiYake at hotpark SinGapore

Gold

inStitution

Ye MYo htWe

raffleS deSiGn inStitute SinGapore

veGetarian education & traininG hub

Merit

inStitution

devina chandra

raffleS colleGe of deSiGn & coMMerce

propoSed art & deSiGn center SinGapore at peranakan MuSeuM

Merit

inStitution

eilen tan

nanYanG polYtechnic

narrative of SinGapore

Gold

retail

daniel ade chriStianto

raffleS colleGe of hiGher education

SonY life

Merit

retail

foo li MaY

nanYanG acadeMY of fine artS

GalaxY - propoSed retail for Y-3 at Mandarin GallerY

Merit

retail

Yap hock Sin, GuS

taYlor'S univerSitY MalaYSia

briStol Sdn bhd ShoWrooM

deSiGn of the Year

retail

daniel ade chriStianto

raffleS colleGe of hiGher education

SonY life

i-dea winners Ranking

categoRy

candidate name

institute

pRoject title

Gold

exhibition

tunG chinG YeW

Spirit of deSiGn anoloGY

“alcheMY-iSM the Wonder kid” a narrative exhibition

Merit

exhibition

thoMaS MorriS

kinGSMen exhibitS pte ltd

beinG toGether: faMilY & potraitS - photoGraphinG With John clanG, national MuSeuM of SinGapore

Merit

exhibition

brett caMeron

kinGSMen exhibitS pte ltd

enchanted Garden at SinGapore chanGi airport

Merit

f&b

JerlYn teo

Jp concept pte ltd

bakerzin café indoneSia

Merit

f&b

liStY novianti

kinGSMen exhibitS pte ltd

au chocolat chocolatier & biStro

Gold

reSidential

peter taY

peter taY Studio

houSe at belMont park

Silver

reSidential

peter taY

peter taY Studio

houSe at Sixth avenue

bronze

reSidential

Stephen Goh

Metaphor Studio pte ltd

urban loft @ the arte

Merit

reSidential

victor tinG & tina lee

the carpenter'S WorkShop

29 leonie hill, horizon toWer

Gold

retail

peter taY

peter taY Studio

Salon bY Surrender, ShanGhai

Merit

retail

peter taY

peter taY Studio

Salon bY Surrender, Marina baY SandS

deSiGn of the Year

reSidential

peter taY

peter taY Studio

houSe at belMont park

133

AWARDS RECOGNISE BUILTENVIRONMENT LEADERS Creative Group Pte Ltd handed out in the inaugural BEI Asia Awards in December last year to recognise, reward and honour the achievements of leading enterprises across Singapore’s built-environment industry. “The awards acknowledge both local and locally based companies who have demonstrated excellence in establishing successful businesses while engaging in best business practices such as corporate social responsibility through sustainable efforts,” Creative Group, organiser of the awards said. The Group added that the awards will hopefully establish higher standards and benchmarks to inspire other industry players. The Awards comprise four categories. The highest, Distinguished Award, is handed to well-established enterprises that have achieved commendable success in the built-environment industry. The Enterprising Award acknowledges the strong innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of the winning companies, while the Inspiring Award recognises the solid achievements of local industry players. The Regional Award, presented to local and foreign companies with a regional presence, is a nod to their outstanding business performance in the markets where they operate. A special recognition, the Asia Responsible Corporate Awards (ARCA), was handed out last year to companies with highly commendable corporate social responsibility initiatives. The next batch of winners will be selected later this year.

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Asia Responsible Corporate Award (ARCA) Winners 2013 City Developments Limited Yanlord Land Group Limited Samsung C & T Corporation Propnex Distinguished Award Winners 2013 Sunhuan Construction Pte Ltd Aik Chuan Construction Pte Ltd Sunray Woodcraft Construction Pte Ltd Pacific Forest Products Pte Ltd Enterprising Award Winners 2013 Vicplas Holdings Pte Ltd Excel Precast Pte Ltd Propell Integrated Pte Ltd D’Perception Ritz Pte Ltd E.ID Projects Pte Ltd T.M. Transport Contractor Pte Ltd

Inspiring Award Winners 2013 K & H Facade Pte Ltd Jalitar Metals Pte Ltd Eletec Elevators Singapore Pte Ltd Primac Engineering Pte Ltd Advance-Tec Engineering Pte Ltd Alzoe Pte Ltd Daallini Engineering Pte Ltd Flair Interiors Pte Ltd ID 212 Pte Ltd RJ Contract Pte Ltd Regional Award Winners 2013 Serrano Holdings Pte Ltd Camfil Singapore Pte Ltd Fast Flow Singapore Pte Ltd Envirotec Controls (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd Inovar Industries Sdn Bhd

LUXURY PROPERTIES FOR SALE IN SINGAPORE SYDNEY KOH SAMUI NEW YORK MIAMI PROVENCE ASIA'S ELITE PROPERTY SHOWCASE

info@heart-media.com

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OBJET OF AFFECTION Maison&Objet Asia closed on a high note after a successful four days that saw a total of 13,709 visitors from around the world. The inaugural Asian edition of the famed home décor fair brought together various players in the décor and home lifestyle sectors to Marina Bay Sands. To kick-start the Singapore edition of the international fair, Maison & Objet threw an invite-only opening party on 10 March 2014, bringing together brand principles, interior design enthusiasts and key media journalists. “Asia is fast becoming an important design market and is also home to some of the most innovative and creative designers and design projects today. Maison & Objet Asia offers a platform to showcase some of the best in Asian design and provides an opportunity to feature collaborative projects from around the region. Maison & Objet Asia in Singapore is the new destination to see and experience the latest design trends emerging from the region,” says Mr Philippe Brocart, Managing Director, Maison & Objet.

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L'OFFICIEL SINGAPORE TURNS SEVEN With ION Orchard as an event partner, the space outside the mall was transformed into a sophisticated cocktail area decorated with two open bars, a DJ deck, a larger-than-life photo wall and a blown-up cover of the March 2014 issue. By the evening, the area was swarmed with more than 450 guests, which included local celebrities from actress Dawn Yeo to fashion icon and aesthetician Dr. Georgia Lee. L’Officiel Singapore also had the honour of hosting distinguished guest Ms Laurence Beau, First Secretary of the French Embassy to Singapore. Hosted by TV-personality Angelique Teo, the crowd grooved to the beats of local jazz vocalist Dawn Wong and W Hotel’s resident DJ Mr Has, while enjoying premium champagne courtesy or Perrier-Jouet, and succulent canapes by Preparazzi. VVIPs also had a glimpse of seven specially curated catwalk looks from the world’s biggest fashion houses, including Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana and Marc Jacob, at an exclusive exhibition within the mall’s ground-floor atrium. To cap off the celebration with a bang, a two metre-long anniversary cake in the figure “7” was unveiled in the presence of all acclaimed guests and event partners including DRGL and Repetto. VVIPs also walked away with their own copies of L’Officiel Singapore’s celebratory, 424-page March collector’s issue..

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Y A C H T S ,

B O A T S ,

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ASIA’S LUXURY MARKET HAS NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD SINGAPORE YACHT SHOW 2014

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RE APO G N I GS ASE RATIN SHOWC O P R R S INCO SSIC CA NCOUR CLA ND CO NCE A EGA D’EL

10-13 APRIL 2014 ONE°15 MARINA CLUB, SENTOSA COVE, SINGAPORE

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RUG REINVENTION Space Asia Hub showroom highlighted the stunning output from Spanish brand Nanimarquina for a workshop by the esteemed designer and the cocktail reception that followed. The workshop ‘Up Close & Personal with Nani Marquina’ was conducted by the renowned Spanish designer for architects, designers and members of the media at Space Asia Hub showroom on Bencoolen Street. Her eponymous brand, Nanimarquina, was set up in 1987 to design and manufacture rugs. The company has since reinvented the rug with new uses, concepts as well as shape, colour and texture. The Space Asia Hub showcased Nanimarquina’s most notable designs as hanging art pieces, thus transforming the main platform area into a pop-up gallery during the Singapore Design Week. Along with the artworks are narratives on the various traditional craft methods that were employed in the making of each particular design.

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BRAVO BRABBU

selection of dining room furniture and furnishings embodies the two words that capture the essence of the Brabbu brand â&#x20AC;&#x201C; polish and sophistication. It also demonstrates daring designs, mostly influenced by exotic ideas. Inspired by ceremonial masks, the Panji wall light is made of hammered brass finished with aged matte varnish. The frame of the Haiku mirror, meanwhile, resembles a bamboo stem. It is finished in copper leaf. Named for a nomadic Saharan tribe, Tuareg dining chair is covered in blue and brown twill, giving it a pearlescent quality. The legs are ebony finished with matte varnish. Kayapo dining chair is named for another tribe that is renowned for its knowledge of medicinal plants. The piece is upholstered in crimson twill and finished with aged gold nails. Its legs are gold-leafed and coated with high-gloss varnish. www.brabbu.com

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