By Willy Wilson | June 27, 2011
Photographs courtesy of New Majestic Hotel

Made in Singapore

Gallery

Lawyer-turned-hotelier Loh Lik Peng

In 2004, The Majestic, an old hotel in Singapore’s Chinatown was given new life. Built in 1928, The Majestic is one of the oldest hourly-charged “love” hotel operating in the island.

A young lawyer, Loh Lik Peng, saw a brilliant business opportunity in the decaying property. While the big players were investing in the prime locations, Loh set his eyes on reviving The Majestic.

A few years earlier, Loh has successfully launched 1929, a boutique hotel located in Keong Saik Rd, Chinatown. The success of 1929 was massive – not only it pioneered design-oriented hotel in Singapore, but it also managed to refine the notorious neighbourhood.

“Chinatown, and Keong Saik Rd in particular, was a red light district when I first ventured into hospitality business. Today, it is an edgy neighbourhood with rows of bars, restaurants and bistros,” says Loh.

Unsurprisingly, he was rather confident when the opportunity to take over The Majestic, which is located a stone’s throw away from 1929, finally came. For Loh, the 68-room hotel was a diamond in the rough.

The facade of New Majestic Hotel

“The Majestic was designed as a hotel. But when I bought the building in 2003, it wasn’t in good shape. Some of the rooms had neither windows nor other ventilation systems,” he laments.

To revive the dilapidated property, he gathered a throng of creative folks - architects, designers, and artists. Soon they agreed on a concept: A Singapore-centric hotel that maintains its heritage architecture but forges contemporary interior details. And so, New Majestic Hotel was born.

Heritage chic
As an investor, Loh has rather unusual considerations when deciding on the properties for his hotels. As a rule of thumb, he says, he is only interested in heritage properties located in edgy neighbourhoods.

“I don’t like to invest and build hotels in the established area. If you look at my portfolio in Singapore’s Little India (Wanderlust hotel), London (Townhall hotel) and Shanghai (Waterhouse hotel), then you’d know that I never work with new buildings,” says the hotelier, adding that the characteristics of heritage buildings “get my juices going”.

"The visual side of old buildings – whether intact or decayed – allows me to creatively reconstruct the spaces," he reasons, adding that he likes the idea of a contemporary interior within heritage buildings.

“Although not a trained designer or architect, Loh has a very strong design sensibility. At the same time, he is very open with new and experimental ideas,” says Colin Seah, design director of Ministry of Design.

Seah, who spent 4 years at the National University of Singapore’s Department of Architecture researching design pedagogy and serving as design critic, met Loh through a mutual friend in 2004.

“Loh came to my apartment for dinner, invited by a mutual friend. I was showing my apartment to the guests, when Loh suddenly asked what would I do given more space to work with. I had no idea he was a hotelier then,“ Seah shares.

Few months later, Loh asked Seah to be in charge of the New Majestic Hotel interior and he soon quit his job at the university.

“I've always been keen on the idea of creating a space that puts a emphasis on local culture, especially so when it involves a heritage building. What’s unique about New Majestic is that it isn’t about revisiting the past. In fact, it’s about creating the future while paying homage to the past,” Seah says.

For this reason, both Loh and Seah agree that the building shouldn’t be fully restored. The ceiling in the lobby is a case in point. Rustic and bare, the ceiling has been deliberately gutted to show the original design of the building.

What seems to be an eccentric design approach is actually an orchestrated effort to counter the spatial problems

“When we removed the ceiling board, we found out three different layers had been plastered on it, each marked with different colours. We thought it would be great to let guests see this,” says Seah.

To further emphasise the historical context, Seah carefully selected a range of period colonial furniture from Singapore in the 1920s-1960s, including restored vintage Compton fans. A dose of contemporary aesthetic comes into play with a panel of glass doors and the gleaming terrazzo flooring in the lobby. The result is a stunning and eclectic mix of heritage chic.

Unbounded creativity
Idiosyncratic in the extreme, New Majestic features eccentric artworks in every nook – from the dramatic pool all the way to the rooms. There are 30 rooms in New Majestic, and each room has been individually designed.

Each design decision, from the customised baths and private gardens to attic-style rooms with loft beds and boldly coloured walls, was carefully conceptualised. A great mix of vintage and designer furniture gives each room an added polish. But according to Loh, what seems to be an eccentric design approach is actually an orchestrated effort to counter the spatial problems.

“Admittedly, building 30 rooms out of 68 small rooms is a challenge. But instead of confining our creativity, we decided to celebrate the limitation of space,” says Loh.

A Singapore-centric hotel that maintains its heritage architecture but forges contemporary interior details

Take, The Mirror Room, for example. Here, the design highlight is a continuous ribbon of mirrors that begin on the walls, climbing up and on the ceiling, and returning to the ground to form a headboard. Or The Aquarium Room, which sees a glass encased bathtub located in the middle of the room. Upon entering this room, the glass bathtub is a visual window to the sleeping space, balcony and views beyond.

And then there’s The Loft Room. Resting on slender columns, the sleeping chamber in The Loft Room is located above a light filled attic space. Such design layout is unpopular in today’s architecture, but surprisingly cosy and comfortable given the right furniture and finishing. Meanwhile, The Hanging Bed Room features murals that are artistically integrated to the room interior. The most visually arresting feature here is the headboard that is made out of murals.

“As a highlight within the hotel, New Majestic also feature five rooms personalized by top creative individuals from unique disciplines. These creative folks lent their hands on the finishing of the rooms, from flooring selection, to colour of walls, and personalized interior decoration,” Loh says.

The individuals involved in this project includes furniture designer Patrick Chia, fashion show producer Daniel Boey, fashion designer Wykidd Song, and graphic designer Theseus Chan. But perhaps theatre director Glen Goei designed the most interesting room. Entitled ‘Wayang’, the room sees a chinoiserie-packed boudoir with walls upholstered in rich burgundy silk and beautifully lacquered wood furniture.

By Willy Wilson | June 27, 2011 Photographs courtesy of New Majestic Hotel

Made in Singapore

By Willy Wilson | June 27, 2011
Photographs courtesy of New Majestic Hotel