NOW

MATERIAL WORLD

Having dedicated its latest home collection to highlighting the beauty of raw materials and traditional craftsmanship, French luxury label Hermes collaborated with Milan-based artist and designer Nathalie Du Pasquier (founding member of the Memphis Design Group - an iconic studio in the ’80s, which counts Karl Lagerfeld and David Bowie as its fans) to design two throws made with simple embroidery techniques. This Soft Machine throw features handmade Mongoliancashmere patchworks, mini-beads and bold colours.

TILE OF THE MONTH

CHEVRON CHIC

Interested to inject an element of industrial chic into your home’s design, but not ready to go all the way with concrete screed across the floor? Consider the Lamelle collection of glazed porcelain tiles instead, which is designed to resemble the look of parquet used in vintage industrial lofts. Its edgy look is softened by the muted tones, offering a warm yet rustic-Industrial feel. These tiles are also easy to maintain, making them great for any room.

EXHIBITION OF THE MONTH

WHERE National Gallery Singapore

Against a backdrop of rapid urban development in Southeast Asia during the late 1960s to 1990s, not only did art evolve to adopt experimental forms, but it even formed new alliances with architecture.

SPRING CLEAN

Did you know that you can eliminate 99.99 per cent of all common household bacteria with just water? Cleaning agents and chemicals are rendered superfluous with Karcher’s new SC 3 Upright EasyFix steam mop, which uses steam to deep clean virtually all surfaces including parquet and carpets. Water heats to nearly 100-degrees celsius in under 30 seconds so that you can commence on your cleaning spree in a jiffy.

FUN IN THE OUTDOORS

Shopping for outdoor furniture to spruce up the look in your garden or patio? W.Atelier introduces Gloster’s collection of teak furniture. Pieces in the collection include the Kay, a seat showcasing a curved and sculptured back panel that gives it its timeless Scandinavian-style look.

SWING SWING

Playtime just got a lot more fun with the Booboo Suspension Sofa, a swing seat that promises to transform your child’s room into a forest glade – or anything from your child’s imagination, really. The plush velvet upholstery is supported by a strong stainless steel frame with bronze accents.

Best of the best

The superb quality of Hansgrohe’s Rainfi nity shower range is getting the recognition it deserves. Last October, it won “Best of Best” for the Hansgrohe Group in the 2019 Iconic Awards held in Munich. This honour came just months after the shower range was presented the iF Gold Award in March.

Smart storage

Asia’s biggest selfstorage operator has opened its first technologically advanced facility in Singapore. The Storefriendly Centre at Paya Lebar makes use of robotic technology, or GObots, to deliver users’ personal storage housed within the no-man zones right to their feet.

Sustainability champion

Not one to rest on its laurels, global sanitaryware brand Grohe is stepping up its sustainability efforts with the goal of achieving carbon-neutral production by this year. Since last July, their five production plants worldwide as well as their logistics centre in Germany have been run on green electricity, as part of this effort.

TRENDING

SPARE SEATS

Making sure your guests are comfortable is a concern for every good host. This CNY season, consider some chic poufs and stools instead of the quotidian stackable plastic chairs to keep your home decor in trend and your guests happy.

SUSTAINABLE FLOORS

Everyone’s heard of wood flooring, but have you ever heard of bamboo charcoal flooring? A revolutionary material, Bamco is the world’s first bamboo charcoal flooring, which is 100 per cent recyclable, with three layers of fully waterproof composites that are child-safe and non-toxic. It is also fire-, scratch-, chemical- and slipresistant making it a material safe for use at home!

SHOWER OF BLESSING

Bathtime just got even better with Kohler’s Air Showerhead, featuring Katalys Air-Induction technology that infuses 2.2 litres of air into 2.5 gallons of water every minute. The mixture of air and water creates larger water droplets that retain their heat longer, enveloping you in comfort and warmth.

WELL-MADE WASHBASINS

Luxury British bath brand Victoria and Albert has launched three new additions to its Kaali collection of undermount basins. Kaali 60 and 65 are oval basins, while Kaali 48 is a round one - its number indicates their diameters. All made using the brand’s proprietary material QuarryCast, a limestone blend mixture that is warm to the touch.

DOWN TO THE DETAILS

Design studio Pelle has created a super sleek table made completely out of aluminium. The DVN table is put together using Japanese joinery techniques — the legs are measured with such precision that they fit perfectly with the top, without the need for nails or fasteners.

EDITOR’S CHOICE

A PIECE OF HERITAGE

Local design and crafts store Supermama’s latest porcelain plate collection is a collaboration with Candlenut — the world’s first Michelinstarred Peranakan restaurant. It pays homage to the Peranakan heritage and has designs inspired by Peranakan tiles and iconic floral motifs.

I FOR ICONIC

Televisions today are no longer designed just as a plain black screen, many come with interesting details that make them stand out from the crowd. Samsung’s The Serif is one such TV, which is designed with the distinct “I” shape iconic to the serif typography, as its name suggests. It’s sleek, modern, unconventional, and features vibrant picture quality thanks to its QLED technology.

DAYDREAM IN BLUE

Looking for a way to inject Pantone’s colour of the year into your home? The Doze lounge chair and ottoman, by Scandinavian design studio Muuto, feature a sleek and contemporary silhouette upholstered in timeless deep blue.

Make your CNY decor more personal with Urban Li’l’s custom Chinese family plaques! Instead of tacky accessories, now you can adorn your doors and walls with plaques personalised with your family name made by the Singapore-based design studio.

ODE TO JOY

Ring in the Lunar New Year festivities  with these limitededition handmade lacquer boxes by Qua. Painted by local artist Aaron Gan, whose beautiful artwork is renowned for its expression of joy and gratitude, these boxes feature a bird perched among auspicious fruits and flowers. “The bird glancing backwards symbolises gratitude and appreciation,” says Aaron.

The Joy Series Lacquer Collection retails from $68 at Tangs at Tang Plaza, Metro Paragon, and Robinson’s at The Heeren.
 

CARVED IN STONE

Fancy the timeless look of marble in the kitchen? Caesarstone, which specialises in high-quality quartz surfaces, has just launched Empira White, a classic white marble quartz with elegant grey veining that’s inspired by Calacatta marble. Its durability means it’s easy to wipe clean, and can last for years to come.

Empira White retails at Caesarstone Experience Centre @ Suntec, #03-357 Suntec City Mall Tower 3.