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This interior designer was inspired by Singapore’s heritage when designing the Artyzen Singapore

Barrel vault ceilings, landscaped balconies, digitalised botanical wallpaper and Peranakan tiles are some elements that Australian interior designer Nic Graham uses in Artyzen Singapore to portray the city’s rich heritage. 

This interior designer was inspired by Singapore’s heritage when designing the Artyzen Singapore

Nic Graham is not afraid to use pattern and colour for his designs; on the left is QT Newcastle, designed by Graham. (Photo: Nic Graham & Associates)

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When Nic Graham resigned as a director in a large interior design firm in 1999 to set up his own company, he learned very quickly how to balance a young family with the demands of a small business. It was not easy, but commissions for small residential projects, a furniture collection and maintaining good client relationships helped his firm get started.

Twenty-four years on, Nic Graham & Associates is a far cry from the early days. It is now a thriving business known for its enlivening hospitality design. Graham and his team have designed all the QT hotels in Australia and New Zealand, as well as many five-star hotels including The Ritz Carlton Vietnam, W Hong Kong and W Kuala Lumpur.

Graham was in Singapore last December to put the finishing touches to the newly opened, 142-key Artyzen Singapore. The firm was responsible for the overall creative direction and interior design, while ONG&ONG designed the architecture.

The hotel is the 15th property of Artyzen Hospitality Group (AHG), which is the bespoke lifestyle hospitality specialist arm of Shun Tak Holdings Limited. The Hong Kong developer is also building the luxury condominium Park Nova in Tomlinson Road, which is slated for completion later this year. Artyzen Singapore is AHG’s first property outside Greater China.

Nic Graham's firm was responsible for the overall creative direction and interior design, while ONG&ONG designed the architecture of Artyzen Singapore. (Photo: Fabian Ong)
The 142-key Artyzen Singapore is the 16th property of Artyzen Hospitality Group (AHG), which is the bespoke lifestyle hospitality specialist arm of Shun Tak Holdings Limited. (Photo: Fabian Ong)

Graham shares that it was the timely introduction to the owner of W Hong Kong by a friend that got his practice up and running. “There was another firm appointed for the interior design. We were brought in as a peer reviewer and consultant to see how we could assist with the styling and design direction, but it turned out the owner really loved our ideas. He decided to run a design competition between the two firms and we won,” shared Graham.

Eventually, his company took over as design lead. “That was how my journey into designing five-star hotels started,” said Graham. When asked about what he thinks clients come to him specifically for, he points to the firm’s strong storytelling approach.

“We find the narrative is a great tool that the marketing team and staff can use to help a guest through their journey,” Graham elaborated. In Artyzen Singapore, the story was derived from Singapore’s built and cultural heritage, found in shophouse features, Peranakan motifs, and other east-meets-west nuances. Abundant landscaping continues the tropical city narrative into the building.

The Deluxe Balcony King Bedroom, with shophouse artwork behind the bed by Singaporean artist Terence Tan. (Photo: Artyzen Singapore)

The site’s heritage also provides a precedent. Located on the plot on Cuscaden Road was a bungalow belonging to Tan Hoon Siang – the great grandson of pioneering philanthropist Tan Tock Seng, an avid botanist. Dubbed Villa Marie after his second wife, the post-colonial building built in the 1940s featured arches and Art Deco-influenced geometric elements.

Hence, arches are applied as a leitmotif through the hotel. They frame the concierge and corridors, shape archways to the bathrooms in the guestrooms and become three-dimensional barrel-vaulted ceilings in the suites. This overhead expression was made possible with lofty ceilings. “The vaults add a sense of elegance to the elevation. It’s not often that you have a 4-metre-high ceiling to play with in hotels, so we made the most of it and accentuated the ceilings with timber veneer and perimeter up-lighting,” Graham highlighted. 

Mirrors at the end walls of the barrel vault ceiling gives an illusion of length in the Terrace Suite pictured here. (Photo: Artyzen Singapore)

Another rarity is balconies in every guestroom. In the Terrace rooms and Terrace suites, there are commodious outdoor patios, adding to the abundance of outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces throughout the hotel. These open spaces puncture voids in the tower, which layers an orange metal skin on raw concrete surfaces.

For the interiors, Graham infused plenty of colour and texture. In the guestrooms, polished concrete surfaces, herringbone timber flooring, stone and brass are enlivened with digitalised orchid imagery on bespoke wallpaper. The commissioned artwork of Singaporean artist Terence Tan featuring shophouses enlivens guestrooms and lifts, while elegant compositions of ceramics and decorative objects are found at every turn.

Downstairs, timber louvred shutters and Peranakan tiles lining fine dining restaurant Quenino by Victor Liong reflect the mod Straits cuisine, while those lucky enough to spend a night in the impressive 448-square-metre Penthouse might not be able to resist running their hands over the gold leaf joinery panels and walls of red travertine.

Both ends of the open-plan living and dining areas of the Penthouse have gold-leaf panels. (Photo: Artyzen Singapore)

“Some big hotels are all beige and marble, and don't make you feel cosy and comfortable. We had the opportunity here to bring things back to a residential scale, fill the hotel with lots of details and really accentuate the concept of coming home,” said Graham. The aim was to replace the sense of alienation typical of city hotels with intimacy and warmth.

When asked what defines his style, it is not surprising when Graham response is “a strong use of graphics, colour and artwork, with attention to detail.” While this stems from a personal passion for art and pattern, he also realises that this expressive style is useful for re-interpreting cultural motifs for a modern audience.

Researching Singapore’s cultural motifs was not hard for Graham, who was already familiar with the city prior to the project. “My best mate used to live here so I’ve visited many times over 20 years. I love the tropical nature, the architecture, and the inside-outside spaces. I’m a big foodie so I love the food – anything from the wet markets to the restaurants,” he shared.

Rooftop bar at QT Auckland. (Photo: Nic Graham & Associates)

On what makes a great hotel experience for someone who has designed plenty, Graham replied: “It’s got to have a super comfortable bed, good acoustics so you don't hear your neighbour, and good lighting in the bathroom vanity to make you look and feel good.” Hotels he has enjoyed staying in include The Warehouse Hotel in Singapore. When in Hong Kong, the Mandarin Oriental is a favourite. “The interior design is not modern but it’s beautifully maintained and I always feel comfortable there,” he shared.

Graham is well attuned to the changing needs and demands of travellers, having designed hotels since graduating with an interior design degree at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). He is in approval of current trends such as a more curated minibar selection. “Hotels used to have minibars filled with stuff but now it’s more selective. It helps in so many ways because there used to be a lot of wastage.”

The Fantastic Suite at W Hong Kong. (Photo: Nic Graham & Associates)

For someone who grew up wanting to be a chef, Graham has done well for himself in the design field. “My parents had restaurants when I was younger so I had a great passion for food. But I was always very good at art and drawing, and got accepted into art school,” he shared. During a gap year where he worked at his parents’ hotel, his mother asked him what he was going to do with an art degree. “She said ‘why don't you look at interior design or architecture?” I was good at sketching buildings and was always rearranging the furniture at home. I think those were early signs,” Graham chuckled.

Drawing, sketching and arranging objects are part of his everyday job still. Even after more than two decades, he keeps his firm small with 10 full-time staff so that he can be hands-on in every aspect of a project. “We’re very well known for that level of service, where you’re not getting a director who shows up at the first and last meeting. I don't want to be a manager in a suit that just pushes dollars and emails around; I’m here along the way, designing and getting my hands dirty,” Graham said. Indeed, he had just spent two weeks at the Artyzen Singapore during the pre-opening period, doing everything from positioning pots to fixing problems on site.

Being so involved in a project also allows him and his team to become better designers. “When you visit projects, you learn about your design’s mistakes and successes. Every time you learn something, so you get better,” he remarked. There is no cap to the learning process in design, which makes it so intriguing for him. He continued: “Design is ever evolving so as a designer, you are also ever evolving. I still have so many projects in me.”

Source: CNA/bt

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