fantasy island Four firms turn a hotel into an adult playground By Jana Schiowitz Photography courtesy of Wanderlust Singaporean boutique hotelier Loh Lik Peng (of New Majestic and 1929 fame) recently gave the city another eclectic hotel in a very unlikely location: the 29-room Wanderlust in the old ethnic enclave of Little India. Housed in the former Hong Wen School built in the 1920s, the adventurous and playful interiors are a collaboration between four local firms, where each designed one floor around a specific theme, and no two rooms are alike. Asylum infused an “industrial glam” concept in the lobby (the firm also designed restaurant Cocotte); 11 capsule-like rooms by :phunk studio follow the idea of “eccentricity”; the third floor corridor and nine guestrooms by DP Architects have a “is it just black and white?” look; and nine loft rooms by fFurious set on the top floor explore the notion of “creature comforts”. And the design fits the name: Wanderlust is defined as a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about. “It sounded like an interesting project and it’s also something that we have never done before so we were very excited,” says Asylum’s design director Cara Ang, referring to the fact that this is the first hotel project for her firm, as well as fFurious and :phunk studio. This and opposite page: Juxtaposed design elements like Tom Dixon light fixtures, stools made from recycled signs by Trent Jansen, and customized wallpaper created by design firm Asylum fill the lobby at Wanderlust to satisfy an “industrial glam” look. www.hospitalitydesign.com January/February 2011 95http://www.hospitalitydesign.com