THE BRAINS BEHIND THE MUJI-ESQUE “CO-SHARING” CULINARY SPACE: TAN CHUN RONG

Pictured on the left is Chun Tsubaki, a light-drenched studio in the industrial Tai Seng area, and a rarity here not only for its soaring, nearly 6m-high ceilings, but also its function. Opened in February this year, the 1,722 sq ft space was born out of founder Tan’s desire to have his own studio – the 26-year-old is a food stylist and photographer. It has, however, since evolved into a multi-use venue that hosts culinary workshops, can be rented for private events, and (in May) held its ﬁrst public culinary experience: a dinner for 20 with a theme of Filipino cuisine, designed by chef Ryan Foo. “I think it’s a good platform for private or young chefs with a distinctive style to showcase their work,” says Tan, who hopes to stage similar dinners three to four times a year. As for the space itself, he says it was “based on the combined concepts of Danish ‘hygge’ and Japanese ‘wabi-sabi’, embracing the natural beauty of organic aesthetics and bliss in simplicity”. Translation: It’s pretty – and pretty perfect – for that natural-light ﬁlled Instagram shot.

Pictured on the left is Chun Tsubaki, a light-drenched studio in the industrial Tai Seng area, and a rarity here not only for its soaring, nearly 6m-high ceilings, but also its function. Opened in February this year, the 1,722 sq ft space was born out of founder Tan’s desire to have his own studio – the 26-year-old is a food stylist and photographer. It has, however, since evolved into a multi-use venue that hosts culinary workshops, can be rented for private events, and (in May) held its ﬁrst public culinary experience: a dinner for 20 with a theme of Filipino cuisine, designed by chef Ryan Foo. “I think it’s a good platform for private or young chefs with a distinctive style to showcase their work,” says Tan, who hopes to stage similar dinners three to four times a year. As for the space itself, he says it was “based on the combined concepts of Danish ‘hygge’ and Japanese ‘wabi-sabi’, embracing the natural beauty of organic aesthetics and bliss in simplicity”. Translation: It’s pretty – and pretty perfect – for that natural-light ﬁlled Instagram shot.