Edition Hotels has arrived in Southeast Asia, bringing its sophisticated hospitality offer to Singapore through a striking development designed by Safdie Architects – led by Moshe Safdie – and local studio DP Architects.
Masterminded and conceived by Ian Schrager, in collaboration with interior design firm Cap Atelier, the 204-room hotel is located just off the west end of Singapore’s upper Orchard Road. The once bucolic country lane, lined with fruit orchards and pepper and nutmeg plantations, has been transformed into a bustling stretch of restaurants, tree-shaded boulevards and marbled emporia.
Accessed from Cuscaden Road, the property’s main entrance – with its cobbled stone driveway – opens into a private, white-hued oasis. Schrager shares: “It was a thrill for us to develop a hotel in Singapore and come up with a project as sophisticated and beautiful as the city itself.”
At the core of the architecture and interior design scheme is access to nature, with sweeping vistas and greenery integrated throughout, including a skypark and lushly planted sunken garden that offers a tranquil escape from Singapore’s shopping district.
Guests step through the hotel’s bronze and glass facade into the white marble lobby, where simple purity is contrasted by a domed ceiling covered with gold leaf. Here, floor-to-ceiling windows are sheathed with the broad planes of plantation louvres, their broad slats gently evocative of the tropics.
The eye is immediately drawn towards the towering windows in the far wall that features a long, light-filled conservatory, complete with a biophilic green wall. A long curvaceous glass roof brings in views of the sky and outdoor greenery – a subtle nod to the commitment of the hotel’s designers and architect to blur the line between interior and exterior spaces.
Unfolding like a theatrical play, every level of The Singapore Edition takes on a different personality. The Lobby Bar, for instance, is covered in sharp pink velvet where a rose-colored pool table of Calacutta marble and oversized pink backlit bar display hold centre stage. Christian Liaigre doe leather chairs and lamps accent the space, while the bar itself is styled with Lalique-inspired crystal decanters and sculptures.
Flanking the soaring white aerie of the lobby and reception is a high vaulted-ceilinged, timber-lined restaurant spearheaded by Josh Niland. Aptly named Fysh at Edition, the lofty space is the Australian restaurateur, chef and author’s first restaurant outside of Australia, and features a sustainable seafood-focused steakhouse menu alongside responsibly sourced vegetables and meats.
Anchored by a custom-made marble bar in green scalloped Antico Verde marble, the main dining room seats 80 across intimate jade-coloured velvet banquettes and booths with Calacutta white marble tables. Art works frame the space, with 14-carat gold leaf etching greeting diners at the entrance, while a custom piece titled Arrival by artist Christian Furr sits over the bar.
A leafy conservatory meanwhile has capacity for 22; the indoor garden is home to over 300 plants and 162 suspended preserved fern spheres, all born in Southeast Asia. A Luna Alabaster sculpture by Jan Vanderlaan finishes the room. An outdoor pergola provides a perch for a further 44 diners when the cooler Singapore evening arrives.
From the lobby, a sculpted, white Venetian plaster staircase spirals elegantly down to the garden courtyard level to a dramatic bar lounge. An inconspicuous side-door leads to the adjoining Punch Room – Edition’s signature bar concept. Swathed in a shade of Yves Klein blue, the intimate bar is lined with oak panels on the walls and ceilings, a sculptural blue ceiling pendant designed by Parisian artist Eric Schmitt, and a stone fan-shaped floor mosaic. The cosmopolitan vibe is enhanced by a handsome bronze bar, behind which the mixologist shakes up a unique punch cocktail menu inspired by Southeast Asian spices and imaginative bar snacks.
The guestrooms meanwhile unfold over six light-filled floors. In every guestroom, warm white rugs clad the customised white oak-planked floors while decorative pots of orchids and thick drapes frame the broad bay windows. The rooms also feature deep-seated sofas and hand-sewn damask throws that swathe the beds. Temperatures are kept cool, literally, with layers of curtain sheers, black-out shades, and white exterior louvres that can be electronically adjusted to filter the sun while providing both views and privacy.
Elsewhere, the second-floor spa features a mood-lit reception that leads to seven treatment rooms, his-and-her changing suites with sunken vitality thermal pools, as well as an ice fountain, relaxation lounge, sauna and steam room, and gym.
At the heart of the hotel’s elongated rectangular shape is an expansive timber-decked garden courtyard reminiscent of an ancient Chinese temple or Roman Villa. Framed by a perimeter of shallow, black-tiled pools and a lush green garden that brims with tropical foliage, the courtyard leads into the event spaces.
Remarkably, the building wraps around the garden courtyard on all four of its internal sides, which allows not just light to flood into the corridors and public spaces, but also provides Eden-esque vantage points from inside the lobby, restaurant and bars on the first floor; guestrooms on the upper levels; and events spaces and bar lounge on the courtyard’s level.
Also on this level is an 81m2 boardroom, set adjacent to a 340-guest events space whose sprawling 600m2 pillar-less gallery can be divided into three smaller areas. Lit with diffused natural light, the spaces are equipped with multi-media technology and floor-to-ceiling glass.
The Singapore Edition saves its bravura moment for the swimming pool and rooftop terrace. Dressed in terracotta and shades of blue, The Roof – with its semi-al fresco setting – is enveloped on all sides by greenery. Accessible via The Roof bar, the pool is framed with languid day beds and stretches a full 43m from tip-to-tip, seemingly floating like an all-white space vessel over the garden courtyard nine floors below.
Here, vast swathes of stone and landscaping create an outdoor oasis in the sky. A further surprise awaits swimmers as they dive in and discover that the pool’s white-tiled base is embedded with a transparent acrylic oculus, providing them with views into the garden courtyard far below.
