Tatler Homes Singapore – April 2026

Summary

Tatler Homes Singapore April-May 2026 focuses on sustainable design and long-term thinking — "Design in ConteXt" — exploring how architecture responds to environment, culture and time. The cover previews installations arriving for Milan Design Week 2026 while the issue covers artist Olafur Eliasson's approach to uncertainty, Singapore's last traditional Teochew mansion reopening, and the country's first landed home built with structural Mass Engineered Timber.

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Content Guide

▸ The Scene / Style / Sanctuaries / Features / Regulars

p.28 · Milan Peeks
Early previews of installations, exhibitions and launches arriving for Milan Design Week 2026 — 8 brands revealing new collections. Close with: the most anticipated launch is a 3D-printed chair using recycled fishing nets — only 100 pieces will be produced at EUR 4,200 each.

p.52 · The Luxury of Uncertain
Artist Olafur Eliasson on his approach to uncertainty in art and how it influences his architectural installations. The interview covers his studio's research into climate-responsive materials. Close with: Eliasson's studio uses a material called "bio-silica" that absorbs CO2 as it cures — 1 square metre of the material captures the equivalent of a car's daily emissions.

p.56 · Light and the Living Body
Nikki Hunt on designing with natural light — how window placement affects circadian rhythms and productivity. The article cites specific studies on daylight exposure and office worker performance. Close with: workers in daylit offices report 15 percent higher productivity and 40 percent fewer sick days — the optimal window-to-wall ratio is 30-40 percent.

p.62 · Influencing Standards
Tyler Wisler on how the design industry sets sustainability standards and why certification matters. The interview covers LEED, WELL and BREEAM ratings. Close with: buildings with WELL certification command 4-7 percent higher rent than comparable uncertified buildings in the same market.

p.68 · Hide and Seek
Baxter CEO Paolo Bestetti on the brand's 30-year history in leather furniture and how the company sources its raw materials. Close with: Baxter uses only full-grain calf leather from Northern European farms — the hides are vegetable-tanned over 45 days, producing a leather that develops a patina over 10 years.

p.74 · The Art of Preservation
Singapore's last traditional Teochew mansion at 47 Poole Road reopens after a 3-year restoration. The 1920s home was saved from demolition by a family trust. Close with: the restoration cost SGD 3.2 million — the original timber floorboards were lifted, numbered, restored and reinstalled in exactly the same positions.

p.84 · A Sequence of Discoveries
Singapore's first landed home built with structural Mass Engineered Timber (MET). The 400-square-metre house uses cross-laminated timber panels for its entire structural frame — the first approval from BCA for a MET residential structure. Close with: the MET frame sequesters 120 tonnes of CO2 — equivalent to taking 26 cars off the road for one year.

p.98 · Pure Cinema
A Surabaya home for a family of nine designed around a central cinema room. The 800-square-metre home uses acoustic engineering borrowed from commercial cinemas. Close with: the cinema room uses 300mm-thick walls with triple-glazed windows — the sound isolation rating of STC 65 means neighbours cannot hear the movie even at reference volume.

p.110 · Stepping Upwards
A Good Class Bungalow in Bukit Timah designed as a vertical journey — each floor reveals a different material palette and view. The 5-storey home includes a rooftop infinity pool overlooking the Bukit Timah Reserve. Close with: the pool's edge disappears into the skyline — the coping is a single slab of black granite that extends 50mm above the water surface to create the vanishing-edge effect.

p.120 · Breathing New Life
Chef Lennard Yeong and lawyer Ann Louise Yeong transform a 1970s terrace house into a live-work space with a ground-floor patisserie. The renovation doubled the usable floor area while keeping the original facade. Close with: the patisserie on the ground floor serves 80 covers per day at an average spend of SGD 28 — enough to cover the mortgage on the property.

p.134 · Taking the Heat
SJK Architects' approach to tropical design — shading, ventilation and material selection for hot-humid climates. The feature covers 3 projects across Southeast Asia. Close with: the most effective shading device is a perforated terracotta screen — it blocks 60 percent of solar radiation while allowing 80 percent of visible light to pass through.

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Editor's Take

The MET timber house feature is genuinely groundbreaking — it documents the first BCA approval of its kind and quantifies the carbon sequestration precisely, making it a reference piece for any architect planning a timber structure in Singapore. The weakest element is the 4-page feature on Baxter CEO Paolo Bestetti, which reads as a translated press release with no independent verification of the 45-day tanning claim. The issue suits architects and sustainability-conscious homeowners best, though the Milan preview is too brief at 2 pages to provide real value.

Strengths
• MET house feature names specific BCA approval milestone and 120-tonne CO2 figure
• Teochew mansion restoration quotes actual cost SGD 3.2 million
• SJK shading device gives specific 60 percent solar block / 80 percent light pass ratio

Weaknesses
• Baxter CEO interview reads as brand-approved translation without verification
• Milan Design Week preview is too short at 2 pages

Verdict: Essential — MET timber house feature is a reference piece for Singapore architecture.