From the editor

The journey from Changi Airport into Singapore’s city centre is a memorable one, especially the first time. Walking out of one of the world’s most advanced and efficient airports, new arrivals are greeted with dense, lush flora and foliage that bring to mind the phrase ‘welcome to the jungle’. My first visit to Singapore was in the early 2000s, and I immediately liked the people (how can you not? They’re some of the chattiest people I’ve ever come across), the food, the shopping, the City in a Garden concept, and above all, since I really enjoy an outdoor shower, the climate — there aren’t many others in the world where you can have the pleasure of bathing al fresco year-round.

Singapore is an island nation that punches well above its weight. I attended a symposium at Hong Kong’s Asia Society in 2016 in which Dr Limin Hee, now the director of research at Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities, gave a keynote speech. Dr Hee’s presentation included photographs of her home country from the middle of the 20th century, a Singapore I didn’t recognise. I remember being shocked at how much it had changed in the intervening years. In this issue’s opening essay, Singapore-based writer Sarah Mineko Ichioka examines some of the ways in which the tiny island nation has designed itself into the first-world country it is today, with its eyes very much on the future. The country’s leaders are fully aware of the city-state’s place in the world and that it competes at a global level, not just locally. Singapore and its economy have benefited hugely from globalisation, but at the same time Singaporeans are fiercely protective of their local culture — and what a rare, intriguing mix it is.

Not unlike everyone and everything else in the world, this issue was in some ways affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Singapore itself was in full lockdown until a few months before we went to print. That’s why we’re even more appreciative of the efforts and support of the contributors and designers who make up this special edition of Design Anthology — to all of you, we send our heartfelt thanks. We sincerely hope you enjoy this glimpse into a vibrant and exciting place that, hopefully soon, you’ll discover is much, much more than just one of the world’s best transit hubs.

Suzy Annetta
Editor-in-Chief

Inside the issue

Dossier

Openings
New store openings in Tokyo and Hong Kong

Products
New collections and collaborations

Read
Upcoming and new books
on design, art, interiors and architecture from some of the world’s best publishers

Nation Making
We consider Singapore’s design- led approach and what it may offer the rest of the world

Survey
Meet the people defining contemporary Singaporean design

Graphic Design
Singapore’s journey to becoming a design-led nation is inextricably linked to its history of visual communication

Hospitality Design
The Lo & Behold Group is synonymous with Singapore’s dining scene; we explore founder Wee Teng Wen’s recipe for success

Botanical Design
This Humid House’s fantastical creations are a contemporary approach to tropical flora and foliage

Fashion
We highlight some of our favourite Singaporean labels

Wanderlust

Short-term Co-living
Figment’s Case Study Homes breathe new life into shophouses and forge a path for a new mode of transient living

Heritage Hotels
Among starchitect-designed and futuristic towers is a clutch of grand old hotels, restored and revived to tell the story of Singapore’s history

Island Getaways
A stone’s throw from the Lion City, the isles of Indonesia are home to remote resorts that provide the ultimate tropical retreat

Openings
The best of the new boutique and luxury designer hotels from around the world

Vernissage

Profiles
Five people injecting new life into Singapore’s art scene

Art World Update
Dedicated stakeholders, innovative talent and considerable state support are just some of the factors contributing to Singapore’s burgeoning artistic activity

Home

River Valley
Mid-century modernism inspired Gabriel Tan’s design of this charming condominium

Bukit Timah
In a city where space is scarce, dreaming big meant thinking out of the box for Park + Associates

Bedok
This two-toned HDB apartment by Monocot Studio proves that humble needn’t be humdrum

Orchard
An inverted wooden lattice box creates a series of new spaces in this penthouse

Architectonics

Profile
We survey the subtle yet stirring nature-focused oeuvre of Singapore-based architect Ling Hao

The Flâneur

City & Nature
A flâneur is an urban explorer — a connoisseur of the street. In our rotating column, guests share their musings, observations and critiques of the urban environment in cities around the world. In this issue, art, design and architecture writer Yvonne Xu gives us a snapshot of this moment in history by observing how nature flourishes in the city when humans are forced to withdraw