Angela Lim: Raising the stakes in showflat design

/ EdgeProp Singapore |

October 12, 2023 7:10 AM SGT

Lim: As more investment and resources are poured into sustainability, it will be easier for interior designers. (Picture: Samuel Isaac Chua/The Edge Singapore)

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Angela Lim, director and co-founder of interior design firm SuMisura, has been a judge on the EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards for five consecutive years.

This year’s awards introduced a kaleidoscope of projects. Besides mainstream condos and mixed-use developments, this year’s awards marked the debut of two new categories: hospitality and co-living.

For Lim, the project that stood out for its novelty was the Garden Pod at Gardens by the Bay. The pods are repurposed from 40-ft shipping containers. “It scored high marks for sustainability and concept,” she says.

UOL Group’s 347-room Pan Pacific Orchard on Claymore Road, which opened in June, was another property that stood out for its innovation, according to Lim. Designed by architectural firm Woha, the standout feature were the sky terraces, one of which has a “lagoon pool and urban beach”.

To Lim, The Tre Ver’s architectural and landscape designs were the most cohesive, down to the signages for the condo’s shared facilities. The 729-unit Tre Ver was developed jointly by UOL Group and Singapore Land Group and completed last year. The project at Potong Pasir fronting the Kallang River, was designed by Woha.

The cohesiveness of the architectural and landscape designs at The Tre Ver stood out for Lim this year. (Picture: UOL)

Blossoms by the Park was memorable for Lim as SuMisura designed the sales gallery and the two showflats for the 275-unit private condo at Slim Barracks Rise in one-north. The project was launched two days after the April 27 property cooling measures and nearly 75% of the units were snapped up on the first day of sales.

EL Development, the developer of Blossoms by the Park, had taken over the sales gallery of the neighbouring project, One-North Eden. Since SuMisura’s Lim had designed One-North Eden’s sales gallery and showflats with great success, the interior designer was a natural choice for EL Development.

The 165-unit One-North Eden was launched in April 2021 and 100% sold 12 months later. “It was more sustainable and efficient to take over the existing sales gallery,” says Lim. “Since I was already familiar with the floorplate of the sales gallery, it was just a matter of refreshing the interiors and designing the two new showflats. The turnaround time is also shorter than tearing down and rebuilding a new sales gallery.”

The 372-unit AMO Residence by UOL Group, Singapore Land and Kheng Leong is almost fully sold just over a year after its launch. The show flats at the project’s sales gallery featured different interior designers. “Each show flat was distinctively designed to appeal to the target audience,” says Lim.

Whistler Grand by City Developments scored high across the board among the judges. For Lim, an added allure was a feature wall of black forest stone with a matte leather finish at the arrival and drop-off point.

Another noteworthy project was Riviere, a 455-unit luxury condo by Frasers Property on the site of the former Zouk nightclub on Jiak Kim Street. The main attraction was its prominent riverfront location, the waterfront promenade and the bridge across the Singapore River to Robertson Quay.

Frasers Property capitalised on the location of Riviere with its prominent riverfront location, the waterfront promenade and the bridge across the Singapore River to Robertson Quay. (Picture: Samuel Isaac Chua/ The Edge Singapore)

SuMisura had redesigned some of the show units at Rivière when the project was relaunched. The development was designed by SCDA Architects with P&T Consultants as the project architect. “RIviere’s units are luxurious and larger than the average condo in the prime districts,” she says.

In recent years, Lim has seen a remarkable improvement in the design standards of showflats. “In the past, only mainstream developers would invest significantly in the design of their sales galleries and showflats,” she remarks. “Boutique developers’ showflat designs used to be rather simple. However, now they are catching up and raising the bar, competing on a level playing field with their larger counterparts.”

Advancements in technology have ushered in a new era of material innovation. For instance, reconstituted timber and recycled plastic composites which are not only highly sustainable but resistant to stains.

Despite these developments, interior designers still face challenges when sourcing sustainable or eco-friendly materials and finishes. “With greater investments and resources dedicated to sustainability, I am confident we will find it increasingly convenient to work with eco-friendly materials,” says Lim.

Read also: Sumisura’s golden touch

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