IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 18

Before and After, Done Right

BEFORE

Photos by: Zarch Collaboratives (left), The Warehouse Hotel (right)

PRE/POST |

AFTER

The distinct elements of a 19TH-CENTURY
WAREHOUSE are woven into the design of this new
boutique hotel.
By | Kate Rockwood

"

S

We wanted
it to feel
sophisticated
without
being too
obviously
grounded in
what it has
been in
the past.

"

-Chris Lee

18

perspective

Singapore's hottest new hotel has quite a history. Built in
1895, the space that now houses The Warehouse Hotel was
originally a godown (warehouse) for the burgeoning spice
trade. It then lived many lives: It was a distillery, a meeting
place for secret societies and gamblers, and a disco before
falling into disrepair.
Just over two years ago, the site's owner decided to make
something out of the dilapidated building. He engaged
Singaporean hospitality company The Lo & Behold Group,
design studio Asylum, and architect Zarch Collaboratives
to transform it into a chic 37-room boutique hotel that
celebrates the historic industrial interior.
"The biggest design challenge is keeping the integrity
and legacy of the warehouse while bringing fresh excitement
to the space," says Chris Lee, creative designer and founder
of Asylum, Singapore.
That mix is on display as soon as guests enter the
open-plan lobby. Rather than re-skin the space, the
original brick walls and roof trusses were left exposed.
An industrial floor-to-ceiling black gate adorns one wall,
and a black metal staircase ornaments another. The design
team evoked a mechanical aesthetic by suspending more than

iida.org/perspective

a dozen steel cogs and wheels-interspersed with pendant
lights-from the ceiling. The cogs and wheels are reminiscent
of the pulley system that was once prevalent in old godowns.
All of that heavy metal could be off-putting without some
balance. "We had to soften the space enough to make it cozy,
since industrial elements are the opposite of that," Lee says.
To help make the vast interior feel more manageable,
the upper half of the side walls feature a grid of protruding
squares in special effect concrete paint with concealed
LED light strips embedded at the bottom. The light
installations cast a soft glow on the space.
At the same time, customized handwoven throw rugs
in muted colors were strategically placed throughout the
space to denote separate zones without detracting from
the gray marble floor tiles. Caramel-colored leather brings
suppleness and a natural warmth to the lobby's sofas,
while the green marble and terrazzo bar counter and black
midcentury swivel chairs offset the neutral colors and carve
out a starting line for the bar area. "The colors in the lobby
were kept very natural and warm," Lee says. "We wanted it
to feel sophisticated without being too obviously grounded
in what it has been in the past."



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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017

IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017
Contents
From IIDA
Next
World View
Sum of Its Parts
Talk, Talk
Pre/Post
Data Viz
A Common Good
Pop Goes Design
A New School of Thought
Balancing Act
Scratch Pad
Insider Intel
Sound Bytes
IIDA News + Updates
Why This Design Works
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Cover2
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 1
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Contents
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 3
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 4
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - From IIDA
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Next
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 7
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 8
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 9
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 10
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 11
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - World View
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 13
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Sum of Its Parts
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 15
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Talk, Talk
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 17
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Pre/Post
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 19
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Data Viz
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 21
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 22
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 23
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - A Common Good
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 25
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 26
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 27
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 28
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 29
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 30
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 31
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Pop Goes Design
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 33
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 34
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 35
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 36
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 37
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - A New School of Thought
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 39
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 40
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 41
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 42
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 43
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Balancing Act
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 45
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 46
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 47
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Scratch Pad
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 49
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Insider Intel
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 51
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Sound Bytes
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 53
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - IIDA News + Updates
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 55
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Why This Design Works
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Cover3
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2017fallwinter
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2016fallwinter
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2015fallwinter
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2014fallwinter
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2013fallwinter
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2012fallwinter
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2011fallwinter
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