“Sometimes, amazing things and original experiences get lost in the fog of our worldliness. With Wanderlust, it is my attempt at making that adult world into a fun playground once again.” – Loh Lik Peng, New Majestic Group.
The Wanderlust hotel has carved out a home for itself at 2 Dickson Road in the heart of Little India. The second Singapore offering from the New Majestic Group, Wanderlust is the brainchild of hotelier Loh Lik Peng (of New Majestic fame).
Rather than hiring one design firm to create a character for the entire hotel, Loh enlisted the expertise of 4 Singaporean design agencies to develop unique worlds for each level.
After slipping past the original 1920s façade you enter the lobby at ground floor. Described as ‘Industrial Glam’ this floor is the design inspiration of Chris Lee and Cara Ang of Asylum. The space explores the new-meets-old nature of the new hotel in the building’s historic skin – a Frank Gehry sofa juxtaposed with a montage of vintage print ads for example.
On the first floor William Chan and Jackson Tan of Phunk Studio have got colourful with 11 “capsule-like” rooms each in their own single colours. This ‘Eccentricity’ level also has neon references to colour-related song titles.
Up a level you’ll discover the stylings of DP Architects’ ‘Is it just Black and White?’ – the work of Tai Lee Siang and Chua Soo Hoon. The black corridor on this floor leads to contrasting white rooms – 5 ‘Origami’ rooms and 4 ‘Pop-Art’ rooms.
The Origami rooms feature ‘folded’ and ‘creased’ ceilings, suggesting folded paper. Guests can then choose how to ‘paint’ their room with different coloured lighting. The Pop-Art rooms are just the coolest thing ever, with backlit cartoon-like stencils of common hotel room objects popping from the walls and ceiling.
Finally the top floor, ‘Creature Comforts’ has been created by the team of fFurious designers. This is like entering a child’s imagination with 9 loft rooms. From being in a giant typewriter to rocketing into space or climbing a magical tree, there’s always time to regress into childhood.
If you decide it’s time to grow up, then you could always head downstairs to the French Cocotte restaurant (also designed by Chris Lee), enjoy the beautiful outdoor spaces or explore the amazing treats on offer in the Little India precinct.
“Visitors or guests to Wanderlust and Cocotte will reconnect with a small part of their childhood,” Loh says, “and once again, be enchanted with what made them want to explore the world.”
Wanderlust
wanderlusthotel.com
Design Hotels
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