Miniview: Mondrian Singapore Duxton deconstructs the shophouse

Rooted in Singaporean culture, Mondrian Singapore Duxton, which opened its doors earlier this year, rises above Chinatown’s colourful historical shophouses and looks to the future with its sweeping views of the CBD skyline. Principal and founder Robbyn Carter, who spent six years in Singapore living in a shophouse before returning to her native Los Angeles three years ago, has captured the soul of the Duxton Hill experience and transformed it into a new statement in design.

“Duxton Hill is like nowhere else,” explained Carter, “it’s Singapore’s most happening district, it feels like a village with its preserved shophouses and eclectic mix of cocktail bars, restaurants and nightlife.”

Image credit: Mondrian Singapore Duxton

“As a nod to the rich history of Duxton, the façade design echoes the datum of scale and proportion of the adjacent shophouses, while common decorative elements are abstracted as architectural features,” continued Suneeth Changaroth of DPA. “Mondrian Singapore Duxton’s overall façade is an attempt to imbue a minimalist and modern design adaptation that is true to its time, yet still responding and reflecting the traditional shophouse typology.”

Image credit: Mondrian Singapore Duxton

The seamless connectivity, built into the design of the development, extends the vibrancy of this precinct during the day and into the night. Significantly, the Mondrian public linkway running through the property for the first time connects the Duxton Hill neighbourhood with the surrounding bar and restaurant-filled
streets of Keong Saik, Craig and Neil Roads. With some of Singapore’s hottest operators opening new F&B concepts over the coming months, it will create a new culinary epicentre for food and drink lovers across the region.

Image credit: Mondrian Singapore Duxton

Carter’s approach to design began with a stint as apprentice to sculptor Albert Guibara in San Francisco. A degree in environmental design followed at the Arts Centre College of Design in Pasadena, where she honed her ideas on bringing art into space. Further engagements with furniture luminaries Bernhardt and Dutch design guru Marcel Wanders followed, before Carter launched out on her own. “For me, it’s always about form, it’s always about space,” discussed Carter. “It’s not just about putting a beautiful object there, there and there, sometimes it’s about the negative space. A lot of my design is very sculptural and takes more of a compositional approach.”

At Mondrian Singapore Duxton, this manifests throughout the hotel. Carter was taken with the big idea of the deconstructed shophouse. “Rather than a direct translation, we took its parts and deconstructed it into contemporary forms,” she explained. “We wanted to recognise it but also reinvent it, that Singapore silhouette. To rediscover old details in contemporary and unexpected touches.”

Image credit: Mondrian Singapore Duxton

This approach comes to life in the distinctive Shophouse Suites, where the traditional features have a modern twist with vaulted ceilings and arched wooden shutters. With Murphy-style beds, the suites have been designed to transform from bedroom to meeting or entertaining space. In the hotel rooms, inspiration abounds. “We love the idea of a slick glass box of the shower protruding through the rough plaster walls. The minibar we call the cloud bar, I was inspired by flying in and out of Singapore. We brought in some warm timber accents, some beautiful lighting options, arches coated in copper or steel, and contemporary custom furniture which is very iconic to Mondrian.”

Image credit: Mondrian Singapore Duxton

The design mines Singapore’s rich melting pot of cultures and trade route neighbours for inspirations for art, furniture and materials. “We engaged an artist to create a beautiful graphic artwork on Bottega di Carna’s ceiling and that also carries through into the rooms, inspired by the things we love about the country. This graphic incorporates things that are distinctly Singaporean, the flora and fauna, the architecture, the new with the historical and the melting pot of cultures.”

Image credit: Mondrian Singapore Duxton

Inspired by the neighbourhood’s sense of community, Carter eschewed a stuffy conventional hotel lobby for a living, breathing restaurant and bar vibe. “We didn’t want the lifts and reception to be the main thing when you walk in, it’s more like walking into a vibrant, happening hotspot. All of this looks out onto the lush and beautiful greenery of the garden. The furniture is all custom made, very Mondrian. We play with reflections in large wavy metal mirrors, to echo the fact that there is a lot of water around Singapore, which distort and challenge perceptions.”

Image credit: Mondrian Singapore Duxton

At Bottega di Carna, the show kitchen is filled with bustling chefs, flames from the Josper grill and cuts of meat displayed in a jewel box showcase. Overlooking the Mondrian garden, this is the heart of the hotel and the space guests first experience on arrival. Jungle Ballroom enhances the feeling of stepping into a hidden sanctuary. The ‘secret tunnel’ arched entrance is covered in greenery that lights up at night, evoking the feeling of discovering a hidden gem within the hotel. Helping provide sparkle to the space are psychedelic, kaleidoscopic artworks, visual cocktails composed of photos of exotic blooms.

Image credit: Mondrian Singapore Duxton

With a 360-degree backdrop of the glittering Singapore skyline and the terracotta rooftops of the surrounding Chinatown shophouses, the jewel on Mondrian’s crown is the 1970s Hollywood-inspired Canyon Club Rooftop Bar and Poolside Cabanas. Retro-vibed low velvet pink-hued seating sets the scene at the bar,
leading to vibrant striped cabanas by the water.

Image credit: Mondrian Singapore Duxton

“Mondrian Singapore Duxton’s design has a considered simplicity and an inspired approach to celebrating our unique location and culture,” said Robert C.Hauck, General Manager. ” Mondrian is not exclusive, it’s very inclusive, it’s all about inviting the community in and providing a space where possibilities are endless.”

Mondrian Singapore Duxton is the newest addition to the Mondrian family of hotels, launched by Ian Schrager in 1996,  joining the brand’s properties in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, London, Cannes, Doha and Seoul.

Main image credit: Mondrian Singapore Duxton