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We can all agree, Singapore is not exactly known for creativity. Steve Wozniak questioned it in 2011 and our international image is pretty much divided between finance whizzes and math geeks. But you know books and covers? You get the idea.
Now, thanks to iconic landmarks like Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay, the world is starting to take notice. But some of Singapore’s most interesting creative spaces are hidden away inside old buildings and private homes.
The Golden Mile Tower is one of Singapore’s most nostalgic buildings. Completed in 1973 between Nicoll Highway and Beach Road, it’s an icon of Singaporean architecture.
Come 2015, it’s seen better days. But oddly enough, the people coming and going through the shabby exterior are stylish, young, creative types. That’s because the Golden Theatre has been refurbished as The Projector, a new art house cinema with a stylistic nod to the Golden Mile Tower’s past.
The rundown exterior of the People’s Park Complex, also completed in 1973, hides some interesting things happening on the roof. It’s recently been the site of an urban farm by Edible Garden, a night market and a concert venue.
Earlier this year a rice mill in Bukit Merah was the scene of a weeks long art party named Destruction & Rebirth, a Demolition Art Initiative.
Roy Teo, interior designer extraordinaire and founder of The Mill, collaborated with WeJungle and other creative teams to turn the 54-year-old mill into an inspiring new space celebrating beauty, chaos, destruction and creation.
Take that, Steve Wozniak.
Roy recently spoke to Keppel Land about one of his favorite creative spaces – his apartment at Marina Bay Residences and how the connection between exteriors and interiors is always on his mind.
Roy’s secret to achieving an interior design that complements its exterior well? “Combining modern brilliance and old-world glamour.”
This is evident in The Mill and in Roy Teo’s eclectic home, where he seamlessly combines “charming old-world icons with the apartment’s contemporary design.”
Inside his home, Roy takes into account the Marina Bay skyline to draw “a parallel between iconic monuments – the imposing pillars of The Fullerton Hotel, the lovely spires of St Andrew’s Cathedral – and ultra-modern landmarks – the avant-garde Esplanade, the towering Marina Bay Sands.”
Roy concedes that designers can be their most expressive in their own homes, “not because they are naturally more passionate about their personal projects but for the simple fact that we are undeniably more in tune with ourselves than anyone else can ever be.”
We’re excited to see where Roy makes his art mark next – a long-forgotten building or a breathtaking, modern skyscraper. We have a feeling he’ll be considering the best of both worlds.
Get an inside look at Roy Teo’s apartment at Marina Bay Residences in this clip below, and click here to learn more about how Keppel Land delivers thoughtful innovations that allow you to experience the extra in the ordinary.
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