An Irresistable Urge To Wanderlust

23 March 2011,

The newest development from hip hotelier loh lik peng is located in an old settlement where indian immigrants once reared cattle and livestock. Its history began in the 1029’s as the hon weng school, where the building no. 2 Dickson road still retains its old-world charm with an unchanged facade. Situated 10 minutes from the cosmopolitan stretches of orchard road and the central business district; wanderlust also offers door step access to a bustling, colourful street life.

The four storey boutique hotel will have 29 rooms, featuring the groundbreaking works of award-winning Singapore design agencies Asylum, Phunk Studio and fFurious – this is the first ever hotel project for each design agency. Just as there are no identical rooms, the same can be said for each floor in the hotel. Each agency was given full creative freedom to design an entire level in the hotel, resulting in four, different ‘in-your-face’ themes – ‘Industrial Glam’, ‘Eccentricity’, ‘Is It Just Black & White?’ and ‘Creature Comforts’.

Kick-start your Wanderlust journey in the lobby design by Chris Lee and Cara Ang of Asylum: ‘Industrial Glam’ is a juxtaposition of the hotel’s Little India setting and contemporary design. Stealing attention right at the door is a curved feature wall plastered with a meandering montage of vintage print ads that reflect the neighborhood’s culture. Featuring a base palette of industrial shades – dark grey and deep browns – the lobby also plays on contrasts where at one side, stands an old-fashioned metal collapsible gate is redone in gleaming gold and a handsome Frank Gehry sofa rests next to Trent Jansen handmade seats crafted out of recycled road signs.

For those who love their pantone charts, William Chan and Jackson Tan, Phunk Studio, have 11 ‘capsule-like’ rooms on the second level, each playfully rendered in a single colour. This ‘Eccentricity’ level also sports neon signs of apt song titles such as Yellow Submarine and Purple Rain. The theme continues outside with a rainbow corridor and out to an alfresco deck where a customized Jacuzzi bursts into a myriad of colours.

Breaking away from the kaleidoscope experience downstairs is the ‘Is It Just Black & White?” level by Tai Lee Siang and Chua Soo Hoon of DP Architects on the third floor. Here, you walk across a black corridor lit by the flow of neon signs and step into the nine rooms clad in contrasting white. Using paper as its inspiration, five rooms are knows as Origami and the remaining four, Pop-Art. In the original Origami rooms, sharp undulating ceilings represent paper folds and special lighting systems allow guests to choose, via a click-wheel, four colours to ‘paint’ their room up. In the four Pop-Art rooms, themed ‘Princess’, ‘Flowers’, ‘Big’ and ‘Directionless’, discover different animated scenes of stenciled art installations.

On the top floor, the ‘Creature Comforts’ by Furious team of designers offers friendly monsters as companions to the lonely traveler. Featuring nine loft rooms with five varying themes – ‘Bling’, ‘ASCII’, ‘Space’, ‘Tree’ and ‘Typewriter’. Wander through a surreal fairyland to discover a giant monster holding up room lights in one room, a forest tree stuffed with friendly creatures in another, or a floor-to-ceiling rocket with friendly aliens or a giant typewriter. Along the corridor, specially crafted lanterns cast shadows of monsters on the walls.

Wanderlust also plays host to traditional French restaurant Cocotte at the lobby. Helmed by chef Anthony Yeoh, it offers French cuisine with a menu that serves up rustic recipes in a casual, communal setting. Designed by Chris Lee of Asylum the restaurant features restored timber flooring with old wine crates propped on walls. Taking the centre stage is a large circular, communal table topped grandly by a giant Moooi chandelier.

INFO
WANDERLUST HOTEL
No.2 Dickson Road, Singapore 209494
TEL
+(65) 6369 3322
EMAIL
charmaine@hotel1929.com
WEBSITE
www.wanderlust.com