This hotel in Singapore’s Chinatown was designed to appeal to a new generation of young travellers who not only want clean and comfortable rooms, but also experiences they can share on social media. The 15,000 sq ft development is housed within six conservation shophouses, including five three-storey units and one two-storey unit. Shophouses are synonymous with early Southeast Asian architecture, and were built in a row with sheltered entrances that are set back from the street. Inside, they feature internal courtyards, airwells and open stairwells to bring light into the building.

Although I was given creative freedom, there were challenges of limited time and budget, plus having to work within the inherent restrictions of the existing shophouse architecture, room sizes and poor site conditions. Not wanting to pander to the cliches of nostalgia and tradition associated with Chinatown, I wanted something simple yet different that still communicates a Singapore identity. It was a major coup when we convinced the owners to not follow conventional hotel design tropes, such as using wallpaper and carpet, and go with our radical design proposal instead.

The design language really begins from the facade. Dressed in just black and white, this pared-down colour scheme emphasises the architectural as well as aesthetic details of the shophouses while helping it stand out from the cacophony of colourful neighbouring shophouses along the street. The minimalistic aesthetic continues into the lobby, with strong clean shapes making a statement. A six-metre-long bench, the cantilevered reception counter, and the globe chair which ‘sits’ within a wall all provide a touch of the unexpected.

Familiar mosaic is also used in the hotel lobby, staircase and guest bathrooms to create a new interior identity that reflects how these shophouses are conserved as heritage icons of Singapore’s built landscape. The mosaic is coloured in some rooms, with hues inspired by skin tones, such as pale pinks and browns, to represent the diversity of people in cosmopolitan Singapore. They also add a human touch to the monochrome spaces. The metaphor is continued in the lounge area with a customised sofa specially upholstered with a skin-look cotton-blocked vinyl from the Next of Skin collection by American designer Gretchen Bellinger.

The placement and size of the guest rooms were left unchanged from the original. Inside, however, nothing has remained from its past, except the original wooden flooring which we stained black. They also carry through the same minimalist theme strongly and consistently. I conceptualised a strong graphic element to contrast with the white spaces, and serve a practical purpose too. This comes in the form of a 38-mm-thick black square metal bar that flows through the space and functions as lighting source, hanging clothes bar and also a sculpture. Its versatility and low cost suited the strict budget of the project perfectly. In the hotel’s only loft room, the metal structure even incorporates a flight of stairs and mezzanine level for a second sleeping area. Despite its size, the structure doesn’t add visual bulk to the space due to its skeletal frame.

All the room furniture were customised to further develop the motif of a black line running through white space. Loose pieces such as the chairs and bed frames were modelled after Italian designer AG Fronzoni’s Serie 64, which was designed in 1964 and re-released in 2000 by Cappellini. Built-in pieces such as the desks also bear the same 38 mm-thick edges to reinforce the consistency and visual uniformity of the design intention. I paid particular attention to the layout of furniture in the rooms to facilitate the natural flow of people in a space, and to gently encourage certain behaviours. For example, placing twin beds to face each other encourages communication. Functionality is also key. The beds are designed so that guests are able to stash their luggage underneath them.

Along the narrow common corridors of the hotel, I replaced the false ceiling with a simple see-through grid of geometric lines. This opened the narrow space out vertically. The exposed Air-Conditioning and Mechanical Ventilation systems above and the fabric-look vinyl flooring underfoot bring textural richness and dimension to the corridors and create a more pleasing environment.

My design team also conceptualised the logo of the hotel (a pictogram of the row of six shophouses the hotel occupies) as well as signage and wayfinding icons to ensure our design vision is completely consistent for stronger branding. The mainly monochromes in the colour scheme of the entire hotel doesn’t just reinforce the identity and branding of the hotel, but also serves as a soothing visual balm for guests after a long day out exploring Singapore. This sense of welcome and well-being is enhanced by carefully calibrating the lighting levels in the rooms to make the spaces cosy and inviting, and flattering for skin tones.

The polished state of Hotel Mono today is a far cry from its previous life as a budget hotel. It had fall into a state of disrepair with room windows boarded with very little natural light coming in, and false ceilings made the interiors look narrow and cramped. The property owners engaged my services when they took back the shophouses to run a hotel themselves. The effort, care and labour I spent on every detail of the hotel’s refurbishment was enormous. It included not just an aesthetic transformation, but also bringing the structural integrity of the building up to contemporary standards.

The owners named the hotel only after the redesign was completed—and it is an affirmation of our bold and innovative design language. Since Hotel Mono opened in November 2016, it has been used as locations for a photo shoot by one of Singapore’s top lifestyle magazines, and was featured in Wallpaper* magazine. Its globe chair in the lobby has become one of the most Instagrammable spot on the hotel’s social media feed. Such positive reception from hotel guests and the design media alike have validated our proposal to shift away from a safe and predictable design concept. Instead, the pared down minimalism of Hotel Mono offers a new design typology for small independent hotels as well as for heritage shophouses. By providing exceptional design value at affordable prices, it bridges the yawning gap that lies between the luxury boutique hotels, and nondescript chain establishments and budget backpacker hostels in the Chinatown area.