Starter Lab Singapore Celebrates the Beauty of Bread Making
Designed by Bali-based Zhi Xiong Chan of ZXC Studio, the sourdough bakery’s first location outside of Bali makes its home in an old shophouse, with contemporary, minimal interiors that contrast with the traditional setting. We spoke with Chan to find out more about the project
Design Anthology: How did the client find you?
Zhi Xiong Chan: I met Starter Lab’s owner Min and consultant baker Emerson at a pre-opening dinner at Parachute in Canggu, for which Starter Lab supplied the bread from their Bali bakery. I immediately fell in love with their product, and we also really hit it off as friends. A few months later Min contacted me about venturing into Singapore and we started scouting sites together.
What was the brief to you for the project?
Starter Lab’s original bakery in Bali is a very small space, approximately 40 square metres. When customers open the door, they’re standing right in front of the bakery’s production area and can see the bread-making process. Whilst the tight space has its drawbacks, the bakery is well loved for this immersive experience, where customers feel a strong connection to the craft and people behind the product. The new space in Singapore would be larger and have more of a separation between the customer and production areas, but it was important to maintain the close connection between the guests and the bakery, highlighting that the product is freshly made on site and encouraging a dialogue. There would also be a cafe area where guests can enjoy oven-fresh bread paired with carefully selected ingredients and specialty coffee.
How did you approach the project and what design references or narrative did you try to incorporate into the space?
Observing Starter Lab’s bakery in Bali inspired me to use the quality of the product as well as the craft and spectacle its production process as design mechanisms. A large bread display is positioned at the shopfront to communicate the primary function of the space to passers-by, and through its visual appeal it draws people inside. The coffee and sandwich counter is pushed to the front of the shop, to be visible from the street. Customers pass it on their way in, experiencing the product with all their senses; the sound of the espresso machine, the smell of grilled cheese, the sight of fresh bread lined up on the shelves. The brightly lit production area faces the entrance and forms the main backdrop to the space, and guests can watch the bakers at work behind the glass. The shop’s design is a framework for these beautiful and messy activities.
What about materials, what was the inspiration behind your choices?
Starter Lab’s original bakery in Bali has an A-frame perforated Movitex signboard outside the shop listing its selection of bread. The perforated motif was adopted as a signature part of the palette for the Singapore bakery, rooting it to its starting point in Bali while adding a new perspective on Starter Lab’s identity; the uniform grid of holes evokes a technical aesthetic, relating to the ‘lab’ in Starter Lab and reflecting the scientific processes in natural yeast bread-making and the bakery’s experimental approach. The perforated panels can also enable plug-in displays for bread, decorative plants, artworks and products in the retail section of the cafe. The panels are coated in a subtle warm grey tone and are interspersed with natural sunkai timber, matching the timber worktops in the production space.
As told to / Suzy Annetta
Images / Tawan Conchonnet
