Sacha Leong: A designer’s Christmas list

SITTING INSIDE THE COCONUT CLUB at New Bahru, one of several eateries designed by Sacha Leong, the interior designer is waxing lyrical about a recent exhibition he was at. Kim Lim: The Space Between. A Retrospective at the National Gallery Singapore, he says, is one not to be missed.

His love for design isn’t limited to just iconic artists and places. It is also clear from his Instagram account that he is inspired by galleries, museums, craft workshops, his travels, and London – where he is based.  

While not many in Singapore may know about Nice Projects – the studio that he co-founded with business partner Simone McEwan – several have probably dined in one of the spaces he designed. The Coconut Club eateries, Fico, Claudine, Bar Bon Funk, Somma and Odem are among the most-talked-about F&B spots in town.

He also designed the Lo & Behold Group’s New Bahru lifestyle enclave, in collaboration with architecture firm Farm. The seeds for Leong’s collaboration with Wee Teng Wen, co-founder of the Lo & Behold Group, were sown many years ago when a mutual friend introduced them to each other in London.

Leong has spent most of his life abroad, led by his hunger for the kind of creative input he felt was lacking in Singapore when he was growing up. He left the city-state at age 17 to attend Carnegie Mellon University in the US, and at 23 moved to London to pursue his masters at the Bartlett School of Architecture.

“For me, London has the best culture and diversity of design thinking. The art and design scene is incredible and always inspiring,” says Leong, who is now 45.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 2 pm

Lifestyle

Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself.

Sign Up

Sign Up

After graduating, he honed his skills at renowned firms such as Studioilse and Universal Design Studio. At the latter, he worked on Ace Hotel in London and the award-winning fine-dining restaurant Odette in Singapore.

Regarding his design approach, Leong says he does not have a defining aesthetic. “I think it’s crucial that each restaurant interior has its own identity. For me, materiality is very important and our goal is to create intriguing spaces with memorable moments. I am also obsessed with furniture, so I love finding pieces that are unique to each space.”    

At Somma, chef Mirko Febbrile’s new Puglian fine-dining restaurant, Leong’s aim was to celebrate the Modernist architecture of the locale and its 8-m-high arched ceilings. Cream-coloured walls, red marble, soft curtains, ceramic surfaces and bespoke furniture bring an artful sensibility to the lofty space.

SEE ALSO

Andre Chiang: From chef to hotelier

“We had to fulfil a very complex brief and make it appear simple and effortless. We wanted the space to evoke the essence of Puglia and reflect Mirko’s cooking philosophy, which is elegant and minimal but full of surprising details,” Leong recalls.

Aside from works in London and Singapore, the designer also has several exciting projects around the world, including an old teahouse in Kyoto and a small restaurant in Paris.

Given his incredibly attuned design sensibility and in line with the festive season, what would he want for Christmas, and why? He offers an inspiring list.

Annual membership to a museum

“An annual membership to a museum is always a great gift. Pretty much every weekend for me in London includes a visit to one of these great cultural spaces that are a constant source of inspiration. I would say the Victoria & Albert Museum, Barbican Centre, or Tate Modern are good ones to get.”

Corner Bench from Lehni

“A piece of furniture I would like to have is the Corner Chair or Corner Bench in green, designed by American artist and architect Donald Judd for Swiss furniture manufacturer Lehni.” (Made in 1984, the collection comprises 15 types of furniture in sheet metal and finished in monochrome coloured powder coating based on the RAL colour standard, clear anodised aluminium or solid copper.)

Prototype lamp by Max Lamb

“There’s a very cool extruded aluminium table lamp by my friend, the designer Max Lamb, which he showed at Milan Design Week this year for industrial manufacturer Hydro that I would love to have. I love lights in general, but the process of making this light is so genius, and the form is so clever and playful. Unfortunately, it’s not in production yet, but I wouldn’t mind a prototype.”

Japanese crafts

“I love crafts, especially studio pottery and textile pieces – so anything from a ‘mingei’ (arts and crafts made by ordinary people) stop in Japan would go down well. My friend Terry Ellis has a brilliant showroom called Mogi Folk Art Shop, which is always worth stopping by when in Tokyo.”

Dinner at Singburi

“I’d love a reservation at Singburi. It’s a very simple, down-to-earth, authentic Thai restaurant in Leytonstone in East London. It’s famously impossible to get a booking, but my chef friends rave about it so I definitely need to check it out.”

Sacha armchair by Philippe Malouin

“My friend Philippe Malouin designed a chair for the New Zealand brand Resident a few years ago and named it after me, which was very sweet and a huge honour. It’s a great upholstered chair but since then, the Sacha armchair and sofa have been developed. I’d love to have the red armchair for my home.”

Kuba chair by Rei Kawakubo

“Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons (CDG) designed a range of furniture between 1983 and 1993. CDG re-issued this chair last year. I would like it in metal. It’s obviously not comfortable at all, but Rei is a hero so it will be nice to own a piece of her thought process.”

Ticket to a contemporary dance concert

“I love contemporary dance so I would be very happy to have tickets to anything at Sadler’s Wells by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Pina Bausch, Wayne McGregor, or Michael Clark at the Barbican Centre. A pair of tickets, so that I can take a friend, and then we would have dinner at Morito in Exmouth Market – a perfect evening!”