1. A HUGE bathroom, with the requisite his and hers sinks and standalone bathtubs(i love the claw-footed ones but the modern egg-shaped ones like those in Hills and Grange Residences are pretty swank too).
2. More than 3000sqft of space- brand new. Older apartments make the 3000sqft mark easily, with newer developments typically characterized by teeny flats, and selling at more than $1000psf. So the cold rationality behind it all is- if you can beat developer's expectations and pay the same psf amount for a 3000sqft apartment, then THAT's luxury.
3. A brand new,lowrise development- with four carpark lots. (It exists!) What this translates into is exorbitant maintenance costs- the costs of maintaining a swimming pool, carpark, security guard, etc, is divided between that much fewer residents. And an allocation for four carpark lots is way too decadent in landscarce Singapore. As is the assumption that residents would drive four cars in a city characterised by sky-high COEs.
4. A private concierge service. All the developments in my favourite, luxurious troika has access to a concierge service.
"Luxurious apartments
As the condominium market become more competitive and high-rise living becomes a conscious choice, developers have been coming up with developments promoting lifestyle statements. Developments such as the Pier, Icon, the Arris, amongst others, are targeted at a rarefied segment of society-in this case the urban young single/couple intent on living the good life.
SCGlobal , not a mega developer in the sense of having lots of projects under its portfolio, having come up with all of 3 projects so far, is succeeding in its lifestyle-marketing tack. All 3 developments are a calculated move towards projecting a luxurious, prestigious brand image. The 3 projects are: The Ladyhill, selling at $1,800psf when it was first launched, The BLVD, on Orchard Boulevard and the hip sister in the luxurious troika-the Lincoln Modern, the latter which I have covered on my segment under 'hip developments'.
Most of these apartments rent for about the same amount as a comparable semi-d with the same top finishes and quality design. Usually it is a toss-up between the grounds and privacy that living in a house affords and the convenience and security of living in an apartment. There are hidden costs of living in a house, such as pool and garden maintenance. Maintenance costs for apartment living is shared by the residents and has been included in the rental. Yet, there is also the exclusivity of having your own pool and garden for the children and dogs to run around. Security factors like having the condominium security, the card access system, etc, might also sway you to choose living in a condominium as opposed to a house although of course, some exclusive townhouses do provide security as well- giving you the best of both worlds. Ultimately, people who choose condominium living need the ease of a fuss-free lifestyle, especially if they expect to be travelling a lot. There are some penthouses with a private pool, which offers part of the exclusivity of landed housing in not having to share amenities. Yet again, this leads to the inevitable costs of pool maintenance which high-rise living is supposed to do away with in the first place. "
5. A private pool. Very un-pleb characteristic, that.
What counts as luxury in the Singapore residential market.
Combining Nietzsche and postmodern architecture
I hate how the term 'deconstruction' has been bastardized by the 'aesthetic' industries- applied to everything from roughly cut hemlines to a slightly offbeat architectural style.
Came across a commentary on postmodern architecture- this guy knows his Nietzsche, and applies it well to convey his derision for postmodern forms of architecture.
Would be great to find an essay that adopts a deconstructivist approach on postmodern architecture. Attempting it would be tooo delightfully pretentious.
Back to moroccan-style houses
You guessed it- i have a huge crush on North African architecture. This riad-style Moroccan house looks that much better in real life than in photos- it's the whole grovvy north african vibe(yep- i heard those charges of Orientalists! out there from all those Said-ian wannabes)- one of the houses that keep me in the real estate business.
Mink Tan did an absolutely great job on this one- there's evidently a lot of restraint when designing this house- it's moroccan chic without succumbing to over the top, orientalist kitsch(kitschy is shitty by another name- milan kundera, although of course, i take liberties at paraphrasing the people i quote).
More on conservation housing(black and white colonials)
I sometimes question the relevance of colonial housing in a post-colonial context- which explains a brief reference to Nezar Al-Sayyad's essay on the role of colonial architecture in post-colonial times. Given that it's mostly expats living in black and white houses today I'd wonder if it's a form of neo-colonialism. Still, my favourite black and whites are those with ultra-modern interiors(ref:modern black and white)with as little garden as possible please- I'm inherently suspicious of overly-abundant natural surroundings. There were also photos of a black and white bungalow in the east coast in the local papers. Owned by a young couple- it combined little ethnic details like a Moroccan hunting chair that I still regret not buying and a really cool stainless steel kitchen in the extension wing.
For those who are tolerant of the odd gecko in the house and the possibility of a snake in your bedroom, the idea of keeping your own horse in your garden is too cute.
Singapore shophouses (conservation housing)
There has been a revival of interest in vernacular and colonial architecture, shophouses being a prime example of the former. Today, as a result of this new interest, we see many sophisticated works of Modernism, translating ancient vernaculars into strikingly fresh statements.
There are lots of shophouses with funky interiors on Kim Yam, a lot of them with the water features that have come to be associated with the area. The smaller units's decor range from funky boutiqe hotel interiors(with uncomfortable-looking but impossibly hip,sunken limestone bathtubs. Then there are the classy zen pieces on Emerald Hill (photos are shown here) and the eclectic design-incorporating everything from waterfalls, funky toilet designs and the traditional patios in one single house on Cairnhill.
Diverging from the well-trodden paths of the KimYam/Emerald/Cainrhill triumvirate yields surprising finds. Everton and Blair are popular choices as well, but with none of the swanky interiors typical of the aforementioned areas. Area however has a more Bohemian feel about it and is where the expat literati tend to congregate. The Petain Road area( around Serangoon road) is a well-kept secret amongst the expats. It has a small expat community residing in the row of shophouses, with an antique furniture gallery a la John Erdos along the street. The Geylang area brings you a shophouse with an interior design comparable to the ones on Emerald and Cairnhill but at a much lower rent of $6.5k
Rentals vary from $11-17k for shophouses with 4,000-5,000sqft of built up and swanky interiors in the Emerald/Cairnhill areas to $2.3k for a small studio type shophouse. Minimal renovation shophouses cost between $5.5k to $8k to rent in the popular Emerald/Cairnhill areas as well. Kim Yam shophouses are normally very funky and will please those who need modern spaces and appreciate exclusive designs over the cookie cutter interiors of apartments. The Blair and Everton road shophouses are a motley bunch-I've seen those with baroque interiors, those with minimal renovations, but neighbourhood is typically bohemian. Rentals range from $2.7k-$8k.
The chandelier on my stairwell
Love the light refractions against the black walls
brought to you by hello! picasa
Great new desert resort in Dubai.
Was enamoured by the design in this resort- rough hewn plaster(which I tried to replicate in my apartment but to create imperfections on Singapore's meticulously plastered walls turned out to be expensive), the cast concrete floors with tribal carpet designs printed on it, the lush water features and tadellakt baths...)
A New World Order?
Have been particularly inspired over the weekend by design blogs like apartmenttherapy and mocoloco. My only grievance would be what academics would term as an essentially Euro-centric approach(or in these cases, an NY-centric one- now where are those annoying emoticons when i need one?)
To promote a more inclusive approach therefore, I'll be kickstarting this blog with a feature on moroccan design.
Welcome to Urbane Spaces' Blog!
The virtual open house, created on a public holiday when I should really be preparing for my exams...