Coming purely from an agent's perspective(one dealing with interesting, architecturally distinguished properties), the following are on my real estate wish list as the sort of properties I would like to see in the Singapore context:
(In no particular order)
1. A bungalow modeled after a Shanghainese courtyard house.
Something akin to the premises used by the Chicago Graduate School of Business in Penang Road- I understand it's a bungalow owned by a 'very rich local Chinese businessman'.
Or what used to be Asian restaurant(on the fringe of the Central Business District)- remember the Asian-themed restaurant whose main PR line were their cheongsam-clad waitresses "with no underwear"???!! I wished i had kept the flyers so I could upload them here. It's now occupied by a Healthy living products company(can't remember the exact name) and as I understand it, used to be a temple.
A re-created version with that theme in Singapore would be Min Jiang, the Bedmar & Shi designed restaurant in Rochester Park. Again- these are commercial/institutional spaces. Would love for something like that recreated in a residential context.
2. An art deco penthouse.
Already exists in Singapore. The penthouse boasts gorgeous art deco lines and comes with a swimming pool. Now why isn't that cool?
3. A mid-century modern re-creation.
I saw a townhouse with a beautiful, central spiral staircase and ceilings of wooden planks that totally evokes the mid-century modern era. Unrenovated and in original condition, I believed the light fittings and switches had never been changed(they still worked, miraculously).
Pictures of a renovated unit:
http://www.urbanespaces.com/townhsewithpatio.html
The P.S cafe at Dempsey, with its all-glass facade, the green natural surroundings, the linoleum-like flooring and the doris day chairs- evokes the mid-century modernist feel best.
4. And of course- that Moroccan shophouse:
http://www.urbanespaces.com/a%20few%20inspirational%20homes.html
5. A totally cool boutique hotel-like development.
Most of the developments that have been created around a hip concept have largely bought into their own hype(and i suppose, so do most boutique hotels). Beyond the flash marketing, the hyped-up manifestos, the 'context' for these developments seem sorely lacking and for all(or despite all) the great and tasteful finishings, the whole thing becomes rather aspirational and becomes merely another piece of real estate. Am looking for something totally understated, completely looked over by the media, keeping to and located within a suitable 'context'.
The closes I've found so far was one near the Mohamed Sultan area. With an unpretentious name(which I'm completely disappointed by .I was hoping for a development name that alludes to its hip factor- notice how the boutique hotels with a following of hipsters all have names like 'The Atlas' or 'The Establishment' or a simple, exotic name like 'Puro'?), an unglorified T.O.P date and completely looked over by the media, the development had amazing context.
With a building facade covered by the same acid-etched concrete slabs popularized by Tadao Ando, door frames in common areas of anodized steel, supplemented by glass and distressed oak wood and a pool and gym area that always makes you feel like you're living in a hip boutique hotel(in the best sense possible)- the development also keeps to and retains amazing context.
Housed right next to abandoned warehouses(actualy warehouses- entities that served as godowns for goods transported along the river system) with a slew of interesting graffiti, there could not be a more suitable and fitting context to the development.
In my usual obsessed, though fickle manner- I've declared this development my favourite of the moment(and the moment typically lasts 2-3 years)- Development is pictured above- more photos, along with the graffiti is coming next!
Real Estate Wish List
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2 comments:
I think my real estate wish list would include turn of the century, post victorian designs, art deco designs, combined with totally modern building materials. Its funny, but after doing dozens of renovations over the years, I could really care less what you make the interior look like...that can be as changeable as the new Easter frock...but unless you have good bones, the house won't stand.
Too often I see people purchase homes because "it has the most darling marble vanity", and they ignore the tell tale signs of water seepage in the basement. There seems to be a regretable tendency to paint over the mold in the walls, carpet poorly patched floors, and put rubber rings in toilet seals instead of mounting them properly so they don't rock.
My idea of good design is simply glossed over by "design" magazines. Window placement with regards to sunlight....correct flooring materials, ventilation, use of local materials and labour, traffic flow within the home, subdividing the home to support family members, wheelchair access, and proper insulation become a lot more important after you purchase the home than some stupid loft!
Any designer or realtor that does not address these issues is a poser. I do not believe that this judgement applies to you, which is of course why I will be back to this blog. The design features you highlight on your blog are important, interesting, and have to do with the structure of the home as much as with how it looks from the street.
Hullo Stag,
Am so glad that the first comment on my blog(other than the spam messages I received before I turned on the anti-spam) is an opinionated one.
Too many people ignore signs of water seepage, true. Have personally been one of those people- viewed a rental apartment the second time and I remember that on both times I had avoided looking at the kitchen and the toilets.
I think I took the apartment only because there was another person viewing the second time around.
Should have paid more attention to my aversion- pink marble toilets were never my thing. The equally pink kitchen which I avoided looking at on both visits had a huge water seepage problem and I was miserable the whole year I was there.
That said, brand new apartments are not free from problems either- an upward slope dividing the outdoor space and the interiors is necessary, especially in a tropical, (potentially very) wet climate, where rains can be torrential. The result is often expensive wooden flooring warping in a poorly sealed door system.
Given the above, I would still keep to championing older properties 'with good bone structure' that could be or has been given a complete overhaul- simply because (most)newer developments seem faddish and a tad character-less.
Also, I'm still on the side of good design- I've seen good architects work wonders within badly designed buildings- bad flow of space, tiny windows and ventilation are problems architects have overcome with the right design ideas.
Given all of the above, I cannot bring myself to discuss unsavouries like water seepage problems(:-() on my blog, just like I couldn't bring myself to notice the pink marble tiles and the water seepage in the kitchen in my first apartment.
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