Christian Louboutin brings its obsession with detail to its Singapore store; Oyster bar Luke’s reinstates craft in interiors; MKPL Architects continues its quest for diversity. These are just some of the highlights to be found in this latest issue of Cubes Indesign.
7 August, 2014
In many ways, I consider this issue of Cubes Indesign a risk. There are no monumental projects, no overtly avant-garde designs and no death-defying architectural feats.
What we do have is a series of projects that are thoughtful and well considered in their quest to create unique and memorable experiences. They may not all be sensational showstoppers, but step inside these spaces and you’ll understand why they’re so special. In this issue, we break down the why behind the what of these projects.
Christian Louboutin’s Singapore store
The Christian Louboutin store in Singapore makes it onto our cover for its near-obsessive detail work. Designed by New York design firm 212box, the store is not only a wonderland of beautiful shoes, but of techniques, textures and materials.
There’s also the second edition of Luke’s within the new Robinsons on Orchard Road. Designer Nicholas Burns has created an interior for the oyster bar that puts age-old crafts and an appreciation for longevity in the spotlight.
Dermatology & Surgery Clinic by FDAT
Other projects like FDAT’s design of a dermatology clinic and Studiogoto’s design of Aria Villas in Ubud, Bali look to singular gestures to create spaces that, though simple, are very elegant in the solutions they provide.
From left: Siew Man Kok (Chairman/Director), Cheng Pai Ling (Managing Director) and John A McLaughlin (Director) of MKPL Architects
We also speak with a host of leading design thinkers in this issue. Yah-Leng Yu and Arthur Chin of Foreign Policy Design Group and Stella Gwee of Shophouse & Co talk about the joys and challenges of ground-up initiatives, while MKPL Architects shares about 20 years of unwaning curiosity and invention.
Note from Cubes Indesign Managing Editor Rachel Lee-Leong
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Condition_Lab pays homage to indigenous architectural vernacular with Pingtan Book House, a village library located in Hunan, China that reinstates a sense of cultural identity while evoking wonder and play amongst its young inhabitants.
A roof that drips, windows with no glass, a stair between patches of grass – Linghao Architects’ renovation to a house in Singapore allows its occupants to live with nature’s vicissitudes.