Make, Eat, Play at 51 Tras
Designed by local studio SILO, new Singaporean event and dining space 51 Tras is rooted in the collaborative act of creating
Located in Singapore’s historic Chinatown district, Tras Street is lined with shophouses containing a hodgepodge of cafes, pubs, boutiques and offices. This multiplicity is echoed in 51 Tras, an event space housing a cafe designed by Keith Phee, founder of design studio SILO.
The interior design is the result of an experiential and experimental approach between Phee and the client, Jing Cheong of design and hospitality studio Playground Collective. In terms of aesthetics, both are drawn to the raw, unpolished and minimal. One of Cheong’s requests was for a space at the front, separate from the main area, that could be used for activations like retail, events and exhibitions. As Phee explains, ‘the solution was to create a doorway divider under a slanted staircase soffit that protrudes from the ceiling as a triangular mass, cutting into the space. A steel and glass structure draws attention as a secondary internal facade with doors that can close off the internal space when necessary.’
The mild steel frame extends playfully out of the doorway into a cantilevering lamp above the counter. The feature sets a strong artistic tone for the interior, which is finished in white paint and pebble-wash flooring. The latter rises to form the counter and seating, while custom-designed furniture accentuates the overall craft focus. an example is the series of benches with grating detail, which were assembled on-site by the team. The charred wood dining tables were manufactured by local studio SNUG Woodwork, and the coffee tables by a local metal worker.
‘My favourite pieces are the pendant lights, which reflect my love for industrial materials and textures,’ Phee shares. ‘Copper rings were hammered and clasped over copper mesh for the lampshades, which were wrapped with cork sheets. They sit pretty in the surrounding and give a sense of proportion to the room and the objects around them.’ The dim lighting brings a contemplative mood to the space, which Cheong describes as being designed with the mentality of ‘chance’ rather than ‘intention’.
The design process was organic. Phee started the process by taking Cheong to a clay-making session. ‘We then took it a step further, visiting industrial factories and scrapyards for several weeks, collating a library of materials and found objects that we used to inform the development of physical attributes for the space,’ Phee says. The poetry in the process is reflected in the poetics of the space; the creative synergy making the space much more than just a cafe.
Text / Luo Jingmei
Images / Khoo Guo Jie
