The official starting time of Singapore Indesign 2017 on Saturday, 7 October 2017 was 10am. But by 9.30 there was a queue of eager visitors outside the Curated Space at 72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road. Was it the famed Singapore kiasu-ness? Perhaps. Or perhaps it was the promise of breakfast with designers and the exciting line up of events we had prepared for the day.

The Curated Space was the first and the last stop on our three shuttle-bus routes. Serving as the main venue of #SGID17, it captured a colourful snapshot of Singapore’s architecture and design industry. The venue showcased a wealth of brands, the latest products and technology, and hosted a variety of design talks including our first-ever designers’ debate! Did we mention the food and drinks from our generous event partners (thank you D-Vine Wine, Medano Coffee, Gallery 278 and CF-Direct)? Here’s a recap of what went down at the Curated Space.

We started the day with a talk – over breakfast, naturally. Our #SGID17 Ambassador Steven Louie (Workplace Leader Asia at Geyer) shared his insights on the currents of workplace design, from the 1980s spent in New York at a (then) little-known firm called Gensler, to the suited-up environs of Tokyo at the turn of the century, and a one-month sojourn to Singapore that turned into a permanent stay.

This intimate sharing session (made even more cosy thanks to the curated furniture from The Beuro that made our Indesign Lounge) was followed by the first session of #SGID’s signature Design Conversation series titled ‘How Can We Future-Proof the Workplace Against Uncertainty?’. The speakers were Paul Semple (HASSELL), Dr Caroline Burns (Workplace Revolution), Shobhit Choubey (CBRE) and Katie O’Brien (Gensler Tokyo). Look out for a dedicated review article!

Wilkhahn presented a multi-sensorial installation in collaboration with I.DCA titled Unveil The Reveal, which invited visitors to (quite literally) unveil their comprehensive finishing options and chair collection, artfully displayed in an oasis-like setting hidden behind glittery curtains. Visitors were invited to browse and experience the comfort of Wilkhahn’s chairs inside while enjoying a cuppa.

Looking for products to make your work life easier? Luxxbox introduced the ThoughtWalls, a system of modular panels that combine writable, pinable and sound-absorbing surfaces to create working hives where you can organise and share your ideas. Luxxbox also introduced Wallie, a movable, stackable and highly customisable storage solution created to help you about your day in the office.

EDL debuted the new 2018 FENIX décor and its furniture collaboration with local creative firms (read more about how the collection came about in Cubes 87!). The three furniture pieces – a unisex dresser by Studio Juju, a slot-together low table by Takenouchi Webb and tables-cum-shelves by K2LD Architects – were made with FENIX NTM Compact. A giant screen playing interview videos with the designers served as a lively background.

Sunbrella teamed up with Gloster to create a cosy seating area furnished with Gloster’s latest seating collection called Grid. Visitors were invited to rest their weary feet in the intimate area, from which they could comfortably survey the exhibition space.

Made & Make’s display was a perfect example of achieving more with less. The local furniture retailer showcased a curated lighting collection from Canadian lighting brand Lambert & Fils in a simple yet impactful setting with an autumnal gold wall punctuated by an arched doorway.

Taking centre stage at Mafi’s showcase was the Mafi Oak Molto range. Mafi floorboards are manufactured exclusively in Austria and each plank is constructed from three layers of solid wood and finished with all-natural oil. Visitors could appreciate these qualities by seeing and touching the products themselves.

Championing design of and in the Asia Pacific region is a continuous thing for us at Indesign Media. At the Curated Space, we presented the INDE.Awards Gallery – a showcase of Asia Pacific’s best design in 2017. As part of a special presentation on the INDE.Awards, we had the pleasure of presenting one of the Singapore-based INDE 2017 winners, Chang Yong Ter (CHANG Architects) with his INDE trophy. Chang’s project Cornwall Gardens won The Living Space award, leading the pack in Asia Pacific. The jury referred to it as “a wonderful blend of nature and architecture.” Congratulations Chang! Look out for the INDE.Awards 2018, which will be celebrated in Singapore!

The series of #SGID17 events culminated with our first ever #SGID Futures Debate, in which two teams of two designers threw arguments (and provoked each other) to win over the audience. Presided over by #SGID17 Ambassador Derek MacKenzie (Managing Director of designphase dba) and moderated by Cubes and Indesignlive editor Narelle Yabuka (read a recap of the heated session here), this session saw the audience cheer the ‘against’ team into winning the 3D-printed trophies (the ‘Disruption Cube’ designed by SUTD student Jonathan Ng Ming En) that were printed during the event by our partners at 3D Printing Studios.

Special thanks to all our exhibitors, partners, speakers, Ambassadors, Influencers and sponsors for making #SGID17 such an amazing day! Thanks to Founding Sponsor Merx, Gold Sponsor and Official Partner Louis Poulsen, Bag Sponsor Cult, Strategic Partner Design Hotels, Beverage Partner Stella Artois/Pacific Beverages, Mobility Partner O-Bike, Event Partners Basheer Graphic Books and Peatix, and an extra special thanks to Temasek Polytechnic who partnered with us once again with an army of design students who volunteered their time at registration tables at all our venues to make your experience of #SGID a smooth and easy one!

Photos by Wilson Pang.