A café and bar at Singapore’s Rangoon Road takes its reference from its locale’s rough and tumble character writes Rachel Lee-Leong.
June 17th, 2013
There is a growing number of cafés and eateries in Singapore that are choosing to root themselves in areas that have not succumbed to gentrification. Jewel Café + Bar is one such example, having recently set up shop in Rangoon Road.
Designed by multidisciplinary design studio FARM, the Café + Bar stands where an old coffee shop once stood. “It was empty when we found it, and it was bare but clean – not much character, but not bad either,” says designer Peter Sim. In short, the space was decent, but not inspiring, and needed a good injection of character.
The owner of Jewel Café + Bar envisioned it as a space that was unpretentious – “somewhere you could spend a lazy Sunday afternoon with a group of friends”. Naturally, the humble surrounds of the neighbourhood offered some hints about the design direction.
“We drew reference from the quirky character of the area, and the name of the café, and interpreted the brief as that of placing a shiny jewel amongst the rough and tumble that is Rangoon Road,” says Sim. “We wanted it to be a design of contrasts.”
“We stripped the space down to its bare, rough concrete bones to create an edgy and industrial feel that echoes the nature of the building and the street.”
The raw elements of the space is contrasted with more refined jewel-like details – crystal light bulbs, glass doors, teakwood paneling, brass and copper ceiling fixtures – that come together to bring just the right amount of elegance to the space.
Sim shares that the design process had its fair share of constraints and challenges. The original beams and columns did not seem to follow a clear structure, but punctuated the space at unexpected points. “We decided it’d be pointless to try to hide these and finally accepted these as part of the quirky nature of the building.” One supposes that it is all quite befitting a neighbourhood defined by haphazardness of the charming sort.
FARM
farm.sg
Check out FARM’s latest residential project on the cover of Issue 62 of Cubes Indesign, out on newsstands now!
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
The award winning John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School (JSRACS) Beechboro Kindergarten designed by Brooking Design Architects features a play between natural light and energy efficient LEDS-C4 lights supplied by HALO Lighting.
An Australian Classic, Sussex Tapware has re-emerged to remind us that we have major design and manufacturing and talent right here in our backyard.
FHIABA’s elegant range of commercial-grade refrigeration has been expanded and perfected with the option of six new matte-metallic colour finishes. This further elevates their distinctive style and supports FHIABA’s renowned performance, proving their refrigerators to be the perfect fit for any hospitality or commercial space.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Caring for our mental health is paramount these days and architecture and design can lead the way as Hassell shows in its latest project in Queensland.
An outstanding line-up of participants will contribute to a beautifully curated exhibition in Thailand that delves deep into the collective thinking of architecture in our region and helps set a progressive agenda for the future of design.