READING A STORY conjures up tastes and smells, light and darkness, a whole spectrum of emotions. In the same way, design makes a space tell its own story.
A dining concept in the Duxton area of Singapore mirrors Joseph Conrad’s collection of travel tales to take you on a journey. It took a whole year of conceptualisation as interior designer and founder of Hot Design Folks, Evgeniya Lazareva and head chef Gonzalo Landin worked together to harmonise space with culinary and mixology fare.
Set of Six is a collection of stories set in six different countries with Conrad capturing experiences at sea on the sailboat Vidar captained by James Craig – the same Captain who gave the name to Craig Road, where the cocktail lounge is situated. Unique decorations and found antiques convey the aesthetic of the colonial era of the 1880s as the journey begins in Italy, and sails on through to France, South America, Britain and Spain.
Velvet curtains, traditional spice jars and a vintage apothecary cabinet dominate a front room that disguises the entrance to the lounge. Through a concealed door, a hidden private room allows you, if you’re lucky, to indulge in a bespoke cocktail and champagne order by calling a quirky “Call For Champagne” button.
Blue green hues reminiscent of rolling ocean waves and lush palms inspire a tropical atmosphere as the design language captures elements of a ship with circular mirrors hinting at porthole windows and rounded detailing of woodwork, curved bar and sinuous floor patterns alluding to naval architecture swollen with exotic cargo.
At the centre of the lounge is an antique map of IndoChine, a reproduction of the original which dates back to the 18th Century and was created by Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville, a cartographer to the king of France.
Hot Design Folks founder Evgeniya has woven everything together into one whole balanced concept as her spatial awareness of 1880s colonial era travel comes alive with every detail from the unique decor and textures to the bespoke furniture design, lighting and colour palette.