The Standard is famed for its irreverent and immersive take on the hospitality experience. From its roots in West Hollywood to New York’s Meatpacking District and most recently to London’s King Cross, no two Standard hotels are exactly alike, yet all share an unmistakable sensibility, incredible attention to detail and unforgettable moments.
The Standard makes its debut in Singapore, in a lush green enclave, minutes from Singapore’s renowned Orchard Road. The interior design of the property’s 143 rooms & suites, and public spaces, have been designed by Ministry of Design in collaboration with The Standard’s in-house design team to celebrate The Standard’s DNA, with a local twist that reflects its context. (Architectural and Landscape design are by DPA and DPG respectively).
Moments of discovery, quirkiness and delight exist throughout the property from the moment a visitor walks through the signature timber doors at the reception and music-driven “Cafe Standard”, to the vibrant second-floor restaurant “Kaya at The Standard” or swim-up pool bar.
Each space is designed to be disarmingly inviting, like being in the home of a good friend: your coolest and slightly cheeky friend. Guests are immediately put at ease in the reception and lobby cafe which overlooks the stepped garden courtyard. It’s the perfect urban oasis in the heart of the city, with guests enveloped by colourful potted plants, eclectic mid-century modern inspired furniture, and a host of natural and textured materials.
The lush greenery both inside-and-out pays homage to Singapore as a “City in a Garden”. Any preconceived notion of a hip hotel being cold and impersonal is laid immediately to rest.
One notable feature is the reception counter conceived by MOD: resembling an oversized terrarium, it showcases a delightful tongue-in-cheek botanically-inspired installation by artist Eric Tobua. This unique glass fronted display of the reception counter’s design is also a nod to “The Box”, the glass enclosure art installation made famous in the original Standard Hollywood for posing the live models in themed environments. MOD’s design revives this by showcasing an entire tongue-in-cheek tropical ecosystem replete with palm trees, giant snails and psychedelic flora!
Curving walls adorned with warm timber battens sweep through the double-heighted space, and draw you from the playful reception to the Cafe Standard, where plant-filled nooks with an inviting bar, quirky couches and cocktails await. The MOD custom-designed light installation floats lightly above head: a colour-filled anti-chandelier channelling a distinctive mid-century modern vibe.
The abundant greenery continues through to the Destination Restaurant “Kaya At The Standard” on the floor above, where nature playfully takes over the entire space enveloping guests into the heart of an oasis. The space features lush creepers draping from the ceilings and nestled amongst this sea of green, are a host of quirky pendant lights of varying designs. Along the perimeter walls, a custom-designed botanically-inspired wallpaper mural by artist Saran Yen Panya, adds both humour and a contextual nod to Kaya being a restaurant in a garden space. This piece includes 3D tapestry and brocade elements, making this piece come to life in the space. As day becomes night, Kaya transforms too, as the lights dim, the candles are lit and the full wall bar reveals itself, creating a lively vibe. This is undoubtedly the place to be in town.
The rooftop swim-up pool bar is an extension of Kaya's immersive botanically-inspired experience, as guests enjoy perfectly made cocktails under hanging creepers and lush plants. Steps from the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road, but yet being here, you experience something a world apart.
The 143 rooms reflect the Standard’s design approach to its rooms throughout the globe: simple, timeless interior design re-interpreted and refreshed to utilize local materials and mid-century modern sensibilities. In the Standard King & Twin Rooms, this is epitomised by the sweeping timber ribbed canopy running the width of the bed onto the ceiling, grounding the over experience to create a sense of cozy intimacy. These canopies are also a nod to an iconic Standard room feature (found in properties like The Standard, Highline NYC).
Other quirky custom-designed furniture pieces include the playful "best buds" minibar comprising of 2 distinctive but complementary abutting halves, and the sculptural 3D-milled timber hanger/clothing rack. Bright and punchy, the bathrooms are invigorating spaces lined with checkered yellow and white tiles which wrap seamlessly across the walls and floor. The interiors of each room enjoy full-height glass facade walls which overlook the pool, its surrounding greenery, or the bustling glamour of Orchard Road. Also, the Standard Twin Room celebrates the social aspect of traveling with a friend, cleverly incorporating a sizable couch and table in between each of the twin beds.
The Standard Suite Room and Suite Spot Room features corner glass and double-height living room areas which provide unmatched views to the city beyond. The Standard Suite Room features a generous living and dining space to really live it up, and an attached bedroom for quieter moments. The larger Suite Spot Room comes with 2 bedrooms and a party-ready living and dining area, anchored by a generous bar counter space so it’s always entertainment-ready. The lift lobbies and corridors leading to the rooms feature a custom carpet pattern, inspired by local terrazzo patterns writ large.
Colin Seah adds, “One design feature that isn’t so obvious but is one of my favourites: the electric blue hyper-scaled-up terrazzo pattern we used for the typical room corridor carpets. I became obsessed with terrazzo during our research on mid-century design as part of its relevance to The Standard’s DNA. Terrazzo was applied extensively in Singapore during that period and I wanted to playfully celebrate it somewhere unexpected in the hotel.”
