Singapore Retailer Basa Takes a Fresh, Humble Approach in its New Space
The store, run by designer Amy Lim and photographer Marc Tan, is home to a thoughtfully selected range of objects
Three years after opening in Joo Chiat to much acclaim, lifestyle store Basa has found a new home: a larger space in the Tai Seng neighbourhood, accompanied by a different design approach. Cherry wood shelves and travertine tiles have given way to humbler materials in the form of birch plywood cabinetry and stainless steel shelving, setting a scene that segues seamlessly into the industrial area.
‘The interiors of the old space were almost too premium and chichi for what we were trying to sell. It created this barrier to entry,’ says co-owner Amy Lim, who also helms interior design practice Pupil Office. Apart from being the sole official stockist in Asia for limewash paint brand Bauwerk Colour, Basa has since grown its stable of thoughtful products to include London-based personal care brand To My Ships, Copenhagen-based tableware specialist Service Projects and more. Insights gained from the former shop nudged Lim and her co-owner Marc Tan, a photographer who runs Studio Periphery, to start afresh, shaping a new vision that remained true to their dreams and predilections.
‘I’ve always wanted to open a hardware store that sold high-quality tools,’ says Tan with a wry smile. Taking cues from the time-worn handyman stores of Singapore’s Geylang district, he and the team have sought to recreate a similar approachability and the joy of discovery at Basa — qualities that also intersect with other sources of inspiration, from bodegas to skate shops and the product accessibility of supermarkets.
The result is a welcoming shop that’s easy on the eye. Nothing is overwrought or over-complicated, though Lim has unsurprisingly paid close attention to the tiniest of details. Dissatisfied with the sheen of water-based lacquer, she searched high and low for a hard wax oil to stain the wood, which allows its natural texture to come through. The shelves were customised to position vintage JBL speakers at a height that optimises their acoustic qualities, while the shack-like structure was built with a raised interior platform so that the cashier, when seated, remains at eye level with the customer.
Initially, Tan wanted this ‘house’ to resemble a ‘playground’, complete with a flight of stairs winding up and down into the office behind the partition. Those plans were not to be, but the pared-back structure was nonetheless a playful exercise in creating a focal point that anchors the space. Its stained brown-grey hue was colour-matched from a particular Tamiya car acrylic paint — a nod to Tan’s passion for tinkering and toying with automobile models, as well as a cool counterpoint to the honey-toned cabinetry.
Matching the shack’s scale is an equally impressive large-scale washi paper lamp made by Kojima Shoten, a tenth-generation lantern maker from Kyoto. Besides softening the room, it also fosters a sense of intimacy within the cavernous, high-ceilinged space. The lamp, along with furniture pieces such as the Modernica Case Study daybed, came from the couple’s home and office — a move that shows how every project Lim and Tan undertake is always an extension of themselves.
That same authenticity extends to the considered edit of well-made products on display, from Charvet Editions’ traditional French linens to Cosi Tabellini’s pewter objects. ‘They’re pieces that we like,’ says Lim. Her honest and earnest approach to life is the compass that guides everything at Basa. ‘If we feel comfortable, then our customers will feel the same,’ she says.
By Joseph Koh
Photography by Studio Periphery
