If you love the interiors of Prive Orchard and Merci Marcel, read on. Lim Siew Hui of Hui Designs shares how she worked her magic on these spaces.
This article was originally published in Female Singapore.
The importance of anchoring a space, as seen at Merci Marcel
“When you walk in a space — say a living room — a beautiful sofa acts as the anchor. Everything else is auxillary, with accent pieces to complement it. For Merci Marcel, the round table in the middle of the cafe is there for a reason: I wanted to anchor the room with it. Together with a pendant lamp directly above it, breaks the monotony of the space and pulled the look together.”
Working an odd angle in your favour, as seen at Prive Orchard
“For Prive Orchard, we had these awkward angles to work with, and instead of fighting it, I challenged myself to make it interesting. That’s how we came up with this angled wall and turned it into a feature. Also by dressing it up with some greenery, it gave customers something to look at."
"The row of seats looking out [to the street] was added for balance and symmetry but it also catered to people’s desire to see and be seen. After all, that’s why we go out — it’s all about feeling good,” she says.
Evoking nostalgia stylishly, as seen at Prive Asian Civilisations Museums
“For Prive at the Asian Civilisations Museum, I wanted to communicate the feel of an Asian kitchen without overdoing the nostalgia element. The idea was to introduce it in subtle ways: using tall larders, cane furniture, and customising the tiles in celadon. I also added small touches like these vintage cups as table decoration and painting banana trees on the side screens to re-create the feeling from the yesteryears, as if there were actual banana trees “hanging” overhead.”
Bringing an outdoorsy feel indoors, as seen at Merci Marcel
“I always ask myself what is it that people want out of a space. For Merci Marcel, it made sense to create an outdoor area with air conditioning; a covered courtyard which was similar in ambience to a conservatory. We also wanted to create a warm, cozy feeling so we kept the bricks exposed on purpose (which also gave the space texture) and included lots of greenery for more relaxed, inviting vibe.”
Using lighting effectively
“Neon lights may be great for Instagram photos but it casts a different light over food (making it less appetising to the eye), so I choose to use them sparingly and as a feature. To create a more festive, celebratory feel (at Lucha Loco, The Black Swan Garden Bar, Prive Chijmes) I used string lights and candles to add to the ambience, also lighting up the surrounding trees to create a magical feel."
Photos: Hui Designs