Tatler Homes Singapore – October 2025

Summary

Kazuyo Sejima's architectural drawings for her Singapore project, photographed at the National Design Centre, anchor Tatler Homes Singapore October-November 2025 with a 12-page modernist masterclass that positions the Pritzker Prize-winning architect alongside 20 Singapore voices in design. The 168-page issue also features Kelly Hoppen's London studio transformation and a Ho Kwon Cjan Good Class Bungalow.

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The cover story theme "Collective Genius" unfolds through Sejima's first Singapore residential project—a 4-storey heritage shophouse on Emerald Hill adapted into a gallery-residence. The "Practical Magic" roundtable (p.50) features 20 Singapore-based architects, designers and craftsmen—including WOHA's Richard Hassell, DP Architects' Seah Chee Huang, and the late Lee Kuan Yew's interior designer—each contributing 200 words on the city-state's design DNA. Kelly Hoppen's London project ("The Light Fantastic," p.112) transforms a 1920s artist's studio into a 5-bedroom family home. The Sanctuaries section presents 7 homes: Ho Kwon Cjan's Good Class Bungalow in Singapore (p.78), a Jakarta sculptural residence (p.98), a Joo Chiat shophouse (p.120), and SuMisura's Orchard Road home (p.126).

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Regular departments include Editor's Note (p.24), The Guest List (p.26), Store Directory (p.166), and The Last Word (p.168). The Scene section (p.32-44) covers new retail spaces, a design-for-resilience feature, and curated finds from 5 Singapore design ateliers. Advertising density: 32 percent.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.46 · Modernist Maverick
Kazuyo Sejima, 69, of SANAA, on her first Singapore building—a 4-storey shophouse-turned-gallery on Emerald Hill. The renovation preserves the original 1922 facade while inserting a white concrete spiral staircase that connects all 4 floors. The project took 5 years (2021-2026) due to conservation approvals. The gallery will open to the public in January 2027 with a rotating collection of Southeast Asian contemporary art.

p.50 · Practical Magic
20 Singapore design voices contribute 200 words each. WOHA's Richard Hassell argues for "tropical architecture as a climate solution, not a style." DP's Seah Chee Huang calls for 50 percent more public spaces in new developments. Interior designer Kee Lay Lian shares the 3 rules she learned from Mr Lee Kuan Yew: "No clutter, no dark corners, no indoor plants taller than a person."

▸ Features

p.60 · Hand in Hand
6 designer-craftsman collaborations: Tom Dixon x local brass foundry Kim San, Kelly Hoppen x Singapore carpenter J. Wong, and 4 more. Each collaboration includes the maker's rate—Kim San charges SGD 120 per hour for hand-polished brass. The feature names the 6 resulting pieces with prices.

p.68 · Dwelling in Memory
Studio MK27's Renata Furlanetto on her first Singapore project: a 5,000-sqft penthouse at Boulevard 88. The design uses Brazilian granite, Singaporean rain trees and custom furniture by Marcio Kogan. The client wanted "a home that feels like a Brazilian weekend house but in a Singapore high-rise."

p.74 · Living Infrastructure
Kengo Kuma's Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown: 350 rooms, a 25-meter lap pool suspended between 2 towers, and a lobby facade made of 10,000 terracotta rods inspired by traditional Malay songket weaving. Opens in 2027. A preview suite is available for viewing by appointment.

▸ Sanctuaries

p.78 · Tale of a Tree and a House
Ho Kwon Cjan's Good Class Bungalow at Binjai Park: 15,000 sqft on 20,000 sqft of land. The design by Envelope Architects wraps around a 50-year-old rain tree. The tree's canopy shades 60 percent of the house, reducing cooling costs by 25 percent. A rainwater harvesting system supplies 30 percent of the garden's irrigation.

p.112 · The Light Fantastic
Kelly Hoppen transforms a 1920s artist's studio in London's St John's Wood into a 5-bedroom home. The original 6-meter-high north-facing window—the "painter's light"—is preserved. The project budget was GBP 2.5 million (not including the property acquisition). Hoppen introduces a neutral palette with 3 accent colours changed seasonally.

▸ The Scene

p.32 · Curated Finds
5 new Singapore design objects: a hand-thrown ceramic vase by A Design (SGD 280), a recycled-teak side table by Asylum (SGD 1,800), a handwoven rattan pendant by Keng Seng (SGD 450), and 2 more. Each with the maker's contact and delivery lead time.

p.38 · New Retail Spaces
3 new hybrid retail concepts: Supermama (Dempsey Hill—homeware and café), The Work Project (Robinson Road—co-working and showroom), and Naiise Iconic (Suntec City—local design marketplace). All three opened between July and September 2025. Each entry includes the square footage and the signature product category.

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Editor's Take

This is the strongest interiors-focused edition in the entire Tatler portfolio. Sejima's Emerald Hill project is the kind of exclusive—first Singapore commission, 5-year timeline, 1922 facade preserved—that justifies a cover line. The "Practical Magic" roundtable with 20 Singapore designers is a genuine archive piece; Kee Lay Lian's Lee Kuan Yew anecdotes are the kind of first-person history that no other magazine will get. Ho Kwon Cjan's rain-tree bungalow (p.78) is reported with measurable metrics—25 percent cooling reduction, 30 percent rainwater irrigation—that set a standard for architectural journalism. The single weakness is Kelly Hoppen's London project (p.112): GBP 2.5 million for a 5-bedroom renovation is reported without a single challenge about whether that's reasonable for a 1920s studio conversion.

Strengths
• Sejima's first Singapore project with 5-year timeline, facade detail and public opening date
• 20-voice design roundtable includes Lee Kuan Yew's decorator with original anecdotes
• Ho Kwon Cjan bungalow with measurable energy reduction data (25 percent cooling, 30 percent irrigation)

Weaknesses
• Kelly Hoppen GBP 2.5 million budget reported without cost-benefit analysis or comparison
• Retail-scene piece covers 3 stores but no sales-per-square-foot data to validate the concept

Verdict: Essential — The gold standard for Tatler Homes editions; buy for the Sejima exclusive and the 20-voice design canon.