rule bender Innovative interiors shape a Singapore hotel By OLHA ROMANIUK Photography courtesy of HOTEL MONO 1 Strolling the streets of Singapore's historic Chinatown, it's hard to miss the striking black and white façade of Hotel Mono-befittingly named for its minimalist yet dramatic dual-color approach that dominates the exterior and continues inside. William Chan, founder and chief designer of locally based Spacedge Designs, chose a pared-down aesthetic as a solution to Eighteen M's vision of an affordable yet chic boutique hotel (both Chan's and the company's first) that could appeal to designconscious urban nomads. "I wanted to throw away the rulebook and create something that would stand out for not conforming to the standard expectations of what hotels should look like," Chan recalls. "Not pandering to the clichés of nostalgia and tradition associated with Chinatown as well, I wanted to do something simple yet different that still communicated a Singapore identity. [One that] stood out from the cacophony of colors along the street." 2 hospitalitydesign.com September 2017 147http://www.hospitalitydesign.com