Singapore has a delectable mix of people from all countries, of all races and religion, of multiple personalities. We love foreign talents because they bring the best from their countries and we love other things they bring along with them e.g. their culture, art, design, food etc.

Imitation is the best form of flattery and Singaporeans are the epitome of this sentence. Regardless of where we go, we take back the best bit back to our wonderful little country and sometimes come up with something uniquely Singaporean after mixing everything together. Sometimes.

There may be some correlation between home décor in Singapore and travel patterns. Perhaps? Think the Banyan tree look in the 80s, the tropical modern look, Zen in the later 90s and now Modern Baroque is making a comeback. But I question the relation to traveling. There is a greater likelihood that Guy A goes over to Bali, sees something he likes, decorates his home after it, perhaps got his place showcased in a magazine and “WALA!” everyone copies the same Balinese style. Luxury travel in Bali with its world class resorts or rather, luxury travel in Indonesia with an increasingly sophisticated array of travel solutions in off-the-beaten trek locations, offer a great way of orienting the home decor neophyte with an exotic South-East Asian aesthetic. Nevertheless the popularity of certain interior design themes in Singapore is worthy of a mention.

Balinese

Courtesy of blogman from sxc.hu

Singaporeans love the beach and resort feel. So much that they have brought back the resorts right into their homes. The desire to create a hideaway, reminiscent of the charming villas found in the tropical Indonesian island of Bali, has led to the burgeoning trend of Balinese themed décor.

Singapore was a developing nation in the mentioned period. Travelling was mostly limited to the surrounding countries. As a result, Singapore home décor was very Asian (nothing to do with any intrinsic cultural trait) but rather due to the logics of consumption (what we can afford vs. what we really want).

Nevertheless, the Balinese style still lingers in some Singaporean homes today. The idyllic feel and care freeness of this particular style takes away one’s pressure from the hustle and bustle in the city. One can almost pretend they are relaxing on a deck chair enjoying the breeze with a cocktail in hand or perhaps partying on the sandy beach with the hottest babes and hunks or even meditating in the woods, listening to the trickling of a stream.

Some features of the Balinese styled homes would be the amount of space (or the illusion of space). Furniture and ornaments are often simple, reducing the amount of clutter in the room. As a result, sunlight streams in easily, creating an airy, well lit effect throughout the house. Water feature is almost a must. The constant trickling of water relaxes the aural senses and calms the soul. It also adds some life to the monotonous day we have had in our little office cubicle.

Whether it is the handcrafted carvings that double up as intricate showpieces, the beautiful and bold paintings that pepper the rooms or the woody furniture where weary homeowners can sink their tired bodies in and fall straight into an idyllic reverie, the rustic décor attracted a large group of followers. But of course, Singaporeans are fickle and they look for change and hence the development of the modern Balinese themed homes.

Michael White a.k.a. Made Wijaya of the 90s

Born Michael White, Made Wijaya is one of the world’s most celebrated tropical garden designers with about 600 gardens to his credit in locations as far away as Morocco, Hawaii, the continental United States, Spain, India, Malaysia and Singapore

Wijaya, a multi-talented artist with a comprehensive and meticulous knowledge of Balinese culture, architecture and tropical landscape design has propelled Balinese culture to a greater height by adopting the latest trends from overseas and creating a tropical modern look, one favoured by many Singaporeans as well.

Balinese home will never to go out of style. Strike a balance between the rustic Balinese charm and the sleek, modern lines and you will not be laughed at by the modern Baroque style of today.

Other than the Balinese style he is very fond of, Wijaya is outstanding at creating the tropical gardens that are sensitive to local nuances. His breakthrough, the Bali Hyatt hotel, showcased the exuberant growth of local coastal plants with English style attention to texture, colour and decorative accents.

On modern tropical home décor, Wijaya’s approach is about the celebration of living in the tropics, hedonism in life, all in the presence of nature. The whole idea is to break free of the alienation from the environment and welcoming all the pleasure of tactile and sensorial experiences of nature. Smell the light scent of a flower, listen to the singing of a frog or respond to the touch of the wind.

Screens replace walls, stones and woods became the main attraction of the modern tropical look. Kitchen and eating rooms can open to the garden. Plants like the palm tree can help create a home away from home look as well. The whole idea behind the modern tropical home is to embrace the nature while maintaining the stylishness of the modern home.

Zen

We love everything Japanese. Japanese conveyor sushi belts, Japanese trinkets, Japanese toys, Japanese electronics, Japanese cars, Japanese food (think tako pachi, Jap pancakes, ramen, dons etc), the language etc. It is natural that if we want to live like a Japanese, we want to recreate the same home décor in our homes as well.

Photo Courtesy of sradion from sxc.hu

The Japanese Zen missionary expansion continued in the early 20^th Century, influencing Singaporeans with its simple lines, little colours and minimalist approach to decoration. This interior design situation arose out of something of universal appeals—Zen paintings.

Simplicity is the sophistication of the 21^st century and Zen fits right into this mode. A Zen room provides a clam and quiet environment for the owner, something that is hard to find in our highly stressful lives.

The minimalist approach means that all clutter has to be stored out of sight. Storage bins, cabinets or pieces of furniture that allow for storage are necessary. Under the list of decorating scheme, some metal, chrome, whites, creams and very simple lines are used. Anything too ostentatious should be rid off to create the stark effect.

With the rapid modernisation of the late 90s to early 20s, the young, contemporary trendsetters are lured by the Zen style of interior decorating, making the Zen style a big hit.

Modern Baroque

The trend to minimalism throughout the 1990s is being replaced by opulence. Think the painted ceilings of San Benedetto in Catania, the domed roofs of Santa Susanna, the dynamic rhythm of columns and pilasters, central massing and the protrusion and condensed central decoration of Baroque’s Italian beginnings. After last year’s presentations of baroque homages by well-known protagonists like Capellini with the “New Antiques” chair or Sawaya & Moroni with the collection ”Barock ’n’ Roll ”, baroque elements are finding their way into the entire furniture industry.

The trend to resort to nostalgic elements is based upon fulfilling the consumers’ desire for well-established values and the security associated with them, and meanwhile this trend has become a significant economical factor. The tendency towards a new Baroque era is reflected in particular in specific ornamental designs and patterns but is also expressed in lush round forms and luxurious materials.

In the Singaporean context, the Baroque movement represents a flaunting of wealth as the economy continues with its high growth rates. The property market boom made many millionaires over night from the en bloc saga, consumerism is at an all time high, luxe developments are sprouting up in places we have never thought of. The fast moving economy and the tendency to want to best have brought back the Baroque movement in Singapore décor. Other contributing factors would be the IR and its range of high end deluxe hotels and the F1 race.

When it comes to luxe residences, the trend is to go baroque as it is a representation of the high life. However, the minimalism trend has yet to die out especially in the homes of young trendsetters as well as in chic boutique hotels.

The best places to find inspiration for interior design whilst traveling remain Morocco, India, Bali and Thailand but for a more interpretive aesthetic and more exotic throwbacks, it’s worthwhile to start looking towards Syria, Turkey, Mongolia(having inspired quite a slew of private gers in backyards), Myanmar and China.

I invoked the Musee du Quai Branly in my Gharbzadeghi exhibition as an example of ‘Orientalist’ project. That aside, the Musee du Quai Branly is also apparently an experiment in green walls- a technology that is “quite sophisticated, involving layers of plastic, metal, and air to provide a rigid frame, temperature control, and air circulation. The plants grow in small pockets of felt-like plastic that is nonbiodegradable to avoid rotting. They are irrigated through a system of plastic pipes that distribute nutrient solution.”

I understand that the plant wall is now available for uses on a much smaller scale, made possible by Swedish company GreenFortune. Their plants walls are available in Sweden, Denmark, with a representative company in Japan.

In a rather belated take to an article in the Straits Times, identifying ‘hot spots’ in Singapore- I liked Chip Bee Gardens, found Rochester Park rather faddish, have yet to fully appreciate Dempsey, was never the Wessex Estate ‘type’.

The article remarked about business at Rochester Park having ’slowed down’ after Tanglin Village wrested for media attention. Rochester Park was intended to be a sustainable cultural/entertainment hub, where dinner at Rochester Park was a precursor to a spot of cultured entertainment at NUS’s Theatre. Tanglin Village, meanwhile, had always been an aberration in land scarce Singapore- an expanse of greenery in a neighbourhood characterized by some of the most impressive black and white bungalows and a scattering of ambassadorial residences.

My takes for each neighbourhood(solely on decor and vibe of space- please don’t ask me about the food. My palate’s not the most sophisticated there is out there):

Chip Bee Gardens-

Da Paolo Pizza Bar- impossibly glamorous decor by Bedmar and Shi . Outdoor dining option.

Bunalun - Chic black and white organic food store and cafe. I know I said I wasn’t going to talk about the food but the chocolate cake is thick and moist(rivals Corduroy and Fitch’s in my opinion) and the salmon cakes are another personal favourite.

This isn’t related to food but the decor makes it worth a mention anyway-

Sloane Clinic is an aesthetic clinic with counter-intuitive ceiling to floor glass walls, curved mosaic walls and bright modern furniture.

Greenwood

Straits Times’ representation of the neighbourhood was the semi-institutional Lana Cake Shop.

A really cozy, non-too crowded, still-unpretentious stretch of restaurants serving the nearby residential areas where you hardly ever feel like your personal space has been invaded.

Chat Masala Too whose tagline is ‘where the food is spicy and the gossip, spicier’. Or something along those lines. I love the butter prawns(butter chicken on the menu- I ask for a prawn substitute). Interesting ethnic decor- check out the frescoes done by the manager. The original Chat Masala is located on East Coast.

Shiro By reservation only, with a strict No Children policy. I find the latter a definite incentive on weekends.

Covo Bistro & Lounge – Pared down utilitarian chic. You can dine near the airwell and water feature. Just ask the waiter for lots of tealight candles to keep away the mosquitoes. Owners are the landscapers are few doors down(their signature look seems to involve a lot of cement screed and stainless steel- will check them out).

photos from streetdirectory.com

Full article of the Straits Times that set me off on a tangent can be found here:

Sep 16, 2007
Hot spots to chill out
With so many lifestyle hubs popping up, people are spoilt for choice for hangout spots
By Mak Mun San
BALI HIGH: Villa Bali at Gillman Village offers a quick escape from the bustle of city life. — ST PHOTO: ALPHONSO CHAN ANOTHER weekend, another lifestyle hub. So it seems these days, as rustic retreats pop up here, there and everywhere to lure winers and diners in search of the next must-go spot for a quiet drink in leafy surrounds. They used to be content with bohemian Holland Village, but the quest for a leafy chillout zone has taken the alfresco crowd first to nearby Chip Bee Gardens, and then further afield. Rochester Park beckoned, then Gillman Village and Greenwood Avenue, plus current hotspot Dempsey, reinvented as Tanglin Village. Well, the Village People have a new destination to look forward to: Wessex Village Square. At present it is a peaceful village with lush greenery and heritage architecture, in Wessex Estate, off Portsdown Road. Not for much longer.     Haven for arts lovers REASON TO CHIRP: Restaurant Cicada will serve up not only food, but art- related events too. — PHOTO: CICADA … more   Out of this world SEEING GREEN: Go for a lazy brunch at The Turquoise Room. — ST FILE PHOTO … more   Familial feel to the place HOT CAKE: Do make advance orders at Lana Cake Shop if you want to have your cake and eat it too. — PHOTO: BUSINESS TIMES … more   Lush exclusivity is the draw AWAY FROM THE CROWD: A nice surrounding will help to make your modern Chinese meal at Min Jiang go down even better. — PHOTO: MIN JIANG … more   Former British barracks gone hip ST PHOTO: FRANKIE CHEE STILL WATERS: Don’t be fooled by Hacienda’s calm appearance – things can get quite hot on the nights DJs play on the deck. — PHOTO: MICHEL LU … more   Mish mash of old and new ROSY OUTLOOK: Head for Fosters, which serves English meals and a huge dose of British charm. — PHOTO: ALPHONSO CHAN … more It looks set to become the next trendy hangout when a new restaurant and bar, Cicada, opens its doors next weekend. Behind Cicada is entrepreneur Michel Lu, who also owns Hacienda wine bar in Tanglin Village.

Straits Times’ Urban pages today, the nation’s self-appointed purveyor of all things hip, did a cover on Designer Bed Sheets today and educated us on the differences between cotton percale, cotton jacquard, cotton sateen and pure linen(‘cotton percale is made from high quality cotton and is crisp and cool to touch, launders well, lasting and durable, cotton jacquard comes with an alternating matt-sateen pattern in the fabric, cotton sateen made from a finer thread than percale and pure linen for its crispness, coolness and breathability). I’m not familiar with the terms but cotton percale comes closest amongst the options above vis a vis what I’m looking for in my bedsheets. I love Egyptian cotton- and sadly, not all egyptian cotton is the same(don’t ask me why- it just doesn’t feel the same) and as far as I’m concerned, threadcount does matter.

A neophyte running her fingers through the sheets at Takashimaya’s bedlinen section whenever there’s a sale, my favourite is Karen Neuberger’s. This year, Armani Casa comes close- I love the colours and the coolness of the sheets come close to Karen Neuberger’s but I’d take Karen Neuberger’s odd spacey blue colours(the brand does have white, but I will not live with two whites) than the fashionably muted tones of Armani’s. Karen Neuberger’s website looks like it caters more to the Martha Stewart crowd but nothing in my takashimaya finger-running experience beats the cool, crisp, amazingly high threadcount sheets. A salesman ran the threadcount by me- was particularly impressed but I daren’t recall it online in case my memory reveals a tendency to exaggerate

I do not understand the deal with Frette other than its particularly inspired marketing point-of-experience(is that a new marketing term?) with boutique hotels and I do tend to remember houses with Frette linens;-)

Some guy interviewed mentioned buying sheets from the W Sydney. I didn’t find W Sydney’s sheets to be particularly memorable but was in earthly heaven in Dubai’s Hilton. The pillows were particularly soft, as were the bathrobes and the sheets. Never thought of asking the people at Hilton Dubai during my particularly harried stopovers there but I did make a call to Hilton Singapore when I was back and they pointed me in the direction of Ploh, a Singapore- based pillow manufacturer that reputedly supplies the top hotels in Singapore(and regionally). I sampled the pillows(Ploh retails at a few places- find their retail points online) at John Erdos, didn’t find those like the ones in Dubai Hilton, and bought pure down pillows at Tangs, which I found to be the most similar(but not quite, although comfortable pillows must have seemed more comfortable to a weary traveller) to the ones in Hilton Dubai. A call from the owner of Ploh informing me of a hotel-only line that’s not available through the retails points came 10 minutes after I purchased those down pillows. Do check Ploh out nonetheless- there’s been a lot of good press about them.

Everytime I comment on how some HDB units are starting to look better than condominiums, my friend starts ranting about the ‘unconscionable appropriation of public money’ . (Note for the uninitiated: HDB is the local form of public housing. First-time buyers whose income does not go beyond the required level receive a grant for purchase from the government).

I believe it’s more a reflection of the increasing sophistication amongst HDb dwellers- the in-betweens who have just started working and are seeking to reconcile their tastes in interiors with their budgets.

The move to bring the local version of starchitects WoHa and SCDA on board to design HDB blocks is a reflection of that trend. The above photo is an artist’s impression of WoHa’s proposal, with a choice of planter box, monsoon windows, balcony or bay windows by the occupants. The asymmetry and emphasis on outdoor spaces is reminiscent of Moshe Safdie’s Habitat complexes.

Am partial to WoHa’s proposal based on looks, the ability to customize a facade and the potentially interesting overall facade based on the residents’ requests.
Photo below is SCDA’s proposal. Photos taken from The Straits Times’ 1st September.

Added:

Singapore Architect had an interesting piece on functionality+design vis a vis HDBs in insanely academic language(which I love)- where HDB is romanticised as ‘ Fordist objects of ideal par excellence’ and renovations are perceived as an attempt to ‘wallpaper over the country’s early (and successful) alliance with functionalist values’.

It’s difficult not to like an article that invokes philosophical ideas with regards to a subject that is often treated with frivolity: – Vincent Lim speaks of the Stimmung philosophy in 17th century Europe before lampooning the ‘nouveau riche cluelessness that has festooned our city’. Original article can be found here: