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4/16/13 Handcrafted Merriment | Privy

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HOME » THE METWORK » HANDCRAFTED MERRIMENT

P R I V YF I N D Y O U R P E R S P E C T I V E

by Natalie Koh on 22 Jan 2013

Handcrafted Merriment

While most students on the cusp of graduating are more concerned with finding employment than anything else, Chen Weiyan and Joyce Li, both25, were busy pushing name cards and looking for potential clients for their then swanky new business, In Merry Motion. True to its name, thisquirky business, which kicked off in 2011, strives to make merriment in, well, any event that has celebratory cause, by creating the right ambiencewith handcrafted decorations that speak the hosts’ unique tastes.

Natalie: You girls started the business even before you graduated. What inspired youto take the plunge?

Weiyan: It’s one of those things we felt very strongly about but never talked about. Joyce had gone with her sister, who was getting married, tothe printer for wedding decorations and was shocked by how mass-produced and how lacking in personality the wedding items were.

Joyce: Every couple is very different and every event is different, so I felt it was sad that you’d have to subject yourself to templates.

Weiyan: We started questioning things like why Ang Pow Boxes had to be boxes or why Ring Pillows had to look like pillows, and we werethinking up ideas – and we got really excited. So we thought: “Why not try creating our own designs after graduation?” So that was the first day theidea was planted and it just continued over the months.

N: So tell me more about In Merry Motion.

J: Right now, people associate us mostly with weddings, so that’s what we do mostly… We do the designing part of the events – where the colours,the mood, and the ideas come in, mainly the decorations, stationery, props, favours etc… But eventually we hope to design event spaces - that’swhere installations come in - or visual merchandising, like decorations on storefronts.

N: Back to what you were saying about how each event is unique, how do you makethat happen for each couple?

W: We don’t really look at themes because we don’t want clichés. For instance, if you ask for a nautical theme you’re likely to have stripes andropes. Instead, we go for the mood, the atmosphere and look that the couple wants. If they say they want their wedding to feel like a fun day at thebeach, we’ll create the mood for that, starting with colours and textures.

FASHION EXPLORE LIFESTYLE EPICURE CHILLOUT STREETSNAP DESIRE METWORK



J: We had a wedding once where the bride wanted the idea of feasting and abundance. So we helped put her vision of that wedding together, withvery warm colours like yellow hues and slight browns and, of course, we couldn’t be stingy with the material.

N: What were some of the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

J: When we entered this, we didn’t realise the whole business end of it would be such a struggle, like creating a business plan, marketing, or evenhiring people. But I think for us, more than trying to own a business, it’s about doing something that you really love.

W: It’s a struggle trying to make ends meet so we rely on word-of-mouth and social media to get word out there and, thankfully, we get a referralfor every event that we do. It’s like a ripple effect and it just gets bigger. And we’re so flattered when people call us entrepreneurs because that’snot how we started out. We’re just these two people who are really passionate about this realm of celebrating, crafting and creating this wholeexperience for people.

Photo Credit | Brandon & Shiao Yin's wedding at Food For Thought, by Perfect Light Photography

Photo Credit | Brandon & Shiao Yin's wedding at Food For Thought, by Perfect Light Photography



Photo Credit | Donn & Meihua's wedding at Vineyard@Hortpark, by The Peeping Thom Photography

4/16/13 Boutique Living | Privy

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HOME » DISCOVER SINGAPORE » BOUTIQUE LIVING


by Natalie Koh on 05 Feb 2013

Boutique Living

It is said that when one door closes, another opens – as is the case for Hind Group, which closed the doors of their debut luxury hotel, Naumi

Hotel, for remodelling just in time to raise the curtain for the latest boutique hotel in Chinatown: Naumi Liora.

Whether you’re in Singapore for business or simply looking for a weekend away from your constantly buzzing Blackberry, here are our picks of

boutique hotels in Singapore, as we look at how they compare with Hind Group’s latest offering.

Naumi Liora

If the bustling heart of Chinatown doesn’t hit you with its rich cultural heritage, the old post-colonial buildings of Keong Saik Road, where Naumi

Liora resides, certainly will.

While the exterior boasts the typical old-school charms of 1920s Pernakan-styled shophouses, the interior offers a warm, homely ambience fused

with contemporary touches – designed by Gaurang Khemka, founder of award-winning design firm URBNarc.

Take your pick of 79 rooms, which come in three designs. First up is the 25 square metre-large Liora Quaint that offers a cosy space with bold

colours against artsy wall patterns. Next, you have the Liora Heritage, which comes with either single or double beds in rooms up to 28 square-

metres large. And finally, there is the Liora Porch of up to 60 square metres, offering guests an attached garden porch overlooking the serene




landscape of Duxton Plains.

Liora Heritage Single Room

Liora Porch Room

Liora Quaint Room

Naumi Liora

Price: $380++ onwards



Address: 55 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089158Tel: +65 6922 9000Email: [email protected]: www.naumiliora.com

Matchbox The Concept Hostel

For those who are on a budget, here’s a hostel that offers comfortable beds in an aesthetically pleasing environment, at a fraction of the cost of aboutique hotel room – plus it comes with free WIFI.

We’re talking about Matchbox, a boutique flashpacker hostel. Think exclusive, custom-made pod-style dormitories – one with a warm Sunkisstheme, another in the pastel yellows and greens of Spring Mist, and one just for the ladies with the Flamingo theme.

Matchbox Loft



Matchbox Spring Mist Queen Sized Pods

Matchbox

Price: $45 nett

Address: 39 Ann Siang Road, Singapore 069 716

Tel: +65 6423 0237

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.matchbox.sg

New Majestic Hotel

Touted as Singapore’s first Design Hotel, New Majestic boasts 30 unique rooms designed by local artists and adorned with a rich mix of vintage

and designer furniture.



Spend a night in one of their Mirror Rooms, where a continuous strip of mirrors stretches across the walls and ceiling to form a bedhead, or revel

in the large murals behind beds that are supported by vertical beams fastened from the ceiling in their Hanging Bed Rooms.

Alternatively, you could enjoy lounging in a glass-encased bathtub in the middle of the Aquarium Rooms, or breathe in the architectural genius of

the Loft Rooms, where twin vintage tubs are the centrepiece and your sleeping chamber floats above the sitting area in a quaint attic space.

New Majestic Lifestyle Wayang

New Majestic Attic Ceshire Suite



New Majestic Outdoor Baths

New Majestic Premier Room



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New Majestic Hotel

Price: $268++ onwards

Address: 31–37 Bukit Pasoh Road Singapore 089845

Tel: +65 6511 4700

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.newmajestichotel.com

1/11/13 Celebration Of Creatives | Privy

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HOME » THE METWORK » CELEBRATION OF CREATIVES


by Natalie Koh on 09 Nov 2012

Celebration Of Creatives

In a time when user-generated content seems to be the must-have for all successful online businesses, here comes OuterEdit (www.outeredit.com),

an online store that instead celebrates established, or at least up-and-coming, designers. Co-founder, Ryan Tan shares more about the unique T-

shirt store, which brings 5 professional-level designers together each month to create single, eclectic designs that encompass all 5 styles under 1

umbrella theme.


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NAT: How did you come up with the idea?

RYAN: It’s actually something that had been in my sketchbooks for a while. We were intrigued by the human capability of being creative, which is

often taken for granted. Instead of starting a company that churns out t-shirt after t-shirt, we wanted to celebrate who designers are as creative

people. We want to show the skills, talents and stories behind each design, and we do that through collaborations.

N: So OuterEdit is more about the process than it is on the product?

R: We package both the process and product together. It’s a very different way to look at it. We get 5 designers each time from all over the world.

They meet, they jam and they take each other’s files to create a whole new design. Essentially, they create stuff together that only the 5 can create.

Throughout the process, people can get involved, comment and share votes on the site.

N:What do you look out for when approaching designers?

R: What we did was search out names that we wanted to work with. We built up a database of about 5000 to 7000, then we engaged every single

one. Reaching out to them isn’t the easiest thing: plenty will say no;; some will not even reply. But for those who said yes, we are very privileged to

have some really great names that attract quite a big audience and following. We’re booked up until the end of next year in terms of project line-

ups. And we’re in 7 major cities, with designers from Singapore, KL, Tokyo, London, Berlin, Paris and Barcelona.

N: How does OuterEdit stand out from user-generated t-shirt stores such as, say, Threadless?

R: Our designer base is different. We have designers who have done work for Lamborghini, Absolut Vodka, Redbull, Nike, Adidas - creative

professionals who do this for a living. They’re pretty high level. I think the value you get from that when you put them all together is quite special.

Also, we have different ways of engaging these artists. We want to tell their story and be able to create more value out of who they are, which really

trickles down to their product.

1/11/13 Modern Spin On Reflexology | Privy

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HOME » THE METWORK » MODERN SPIN ON REFLEXOLOGY


by Natalie Koh on 20 Sep 2012

Modern Spin On Reflexology

A lover of words and beautifully-crafted works of writing, Natalie toppled into journalism at the age of 19 and has never looked back since. Now afull-time freelance writer, she spends what little free time she has sourcing out the latest lifestyle trends and delights in meeting new people. Hereshe meets Tom Lapping, co-founder of Sole Service, and has a little chat about this novel start-up that aspires to reinvent traditional footreflexology.

Think “foot reflexology”, and “modern” isn’t exactly the word that springs tomind. “Traditional” might be a better fit, or even, perhaps, “old-fashioned”.Entrepreneur, Tom Lapping, however, aims to break the mold by taking amodern spin on the centuries-old therapy. Enter his latest venture, Sole Service,a luxury mobile service that offers massage and foot reflexology services in thecomfort of your own home.

NAT: What inspired you for the idea of Sole

Service?

LAPPING: I'm a big believer in doing businesses that you are passionate about;; I have, for many years, loved massages and foot reflexology, andhave tried many spas all over the world. Having been to most of the best spas in Singapore, I realised that the ultimate pampering service would bea luxury service in your own home. Hence, the beginning of Sole Service!

N: Did the stigma of foot reflexology being rather traditional daunt you?

L: Although I very much enjoy shoulder, neck and full body massages, I am quite intrigued by foot reflexology. It can be very telling in exposingyour ailments and offers many long-lasting benefits: greatly improved sleep and improved blood circulation. The stigma didn’t worry me at all. Isaw this as a great opportunity to introduce this therapeutic practice to a whole new market segment. That’s why we went about delivering thisservice in a modern and contemporary manner.

N: How does Sole Service stand out from other foot reflexology services?

L: Sole Service therapists are all certified, highly experienced and, most importantly, multi-skilled. Our signature services are our mix-and-matchsessions, allowing customers to pick and choose a combination of foot reflexology or massages in their 90-minute session. We deliver this to theirchoice location, armed with all the products and equipment for a luxurious session, leaving them completely relaxed.

N: Why did you opt for a mobile service, rather than having a brick-and-mortar

spa/salon?

L: We can avoid very costly rents, which in turn gives us the flexibility to hire the industry’s best. We are only as good as our therapists andtherefore invest a lot into recruiting the right people and using the best products.

N: Ultimately, what do you hope to achieve with Sole Service?

L: I believe Sole Service provides a truly unique and accessible service that brings joy and relaxation to our customers. My aim is to provide theultimate pampering island wide! As we already have a great infrastructure to do this, we now look to introduce new services and take pampering toa new level.


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