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HOTELOWNER LOH LIKPENG LARGELYCHOSEGRAPHIC DESIGNERSTOWORKWITHONTHECREATIONOF HISNEW BOUTIQUE HOTEL IN SINGAPORE, WITH SPECTACULAR RESULTS
INTERIOR DESIGNER: ASYLUM, DP ARCHITECTS, FFURIOUS, PHUNK STUDIO
Located in the Little India district where Indian immigrants once reared cattle and livestock, and in a building that was first the Hong Wen School (in the 1920s) and later home to the Buddhist Welfare Association, Wanderlust is a hotel with some stories to tell even before you encounter its wild and wonderful new interiors.
'Visitors and guests to Wanderlust will reconnect with a small part of their childhood and once again be enchanted with what made them want to explore the world,' Says Wanderlusts owner, the hotelier Loh Lik Peng. ? wanted to make the adult world into a fun playground once again.'
The building was awarded conservation status in 1989 on account of its splendid facade, covered in Luropean Art Nouveau-style tiles and used on a scale that is unique to Singapore. But while experimentation was off limits with the outside, the impressive troupe of designers from Asylum, DP Architects, fFurious and Phunk Studio had a free rein on the rest of the four-storey 29-room hotel.
The lobby, by Chris Lee and Cara Ang of Asylum, is described as 'industrial glam'. At the entrance is a curved feature wall plastered with a montage of vintage print advertisements that reflect the neighbourhoods culture. With a base palette of industrial shades such as dark greys and deep browns, it plays host to a selection of individual pieces. At one end of the lobby space stands an old-fashioned metal gate, reworked in gold, while a handsome Frank Gehry sofa sits next to Trent Jansen handmade seats, crafted from recycled road signs.
William Chan and Jackson Tan from Phunk Studio were responsible for the design of the second level of the...