Ministry of Design was created by Coli Seah to Question, Disturb & Redefine the spaces, forms & experiences tht surround us and give meaning to our world. An integrated spatial-design practise, MOD´s explorations are created amidst a dramatic ‘studio-like’ atmosphere and progress seamlessly between form, site, object and space.
Headquartered in Singapore and with offices in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur, MOD was declared a “Rising Star of Arquitecture” by the Monocle Singapore Survey 2010 and “Designer of the Year” by the International Design Awards, USA 2010. Our recent portfolio includes Vanke Qingdao Plaza, Ascendas Guangzhou Knowledge City, award-winning Vanke Triple V Gallery (World Arquitecture Festival 2012), Tangs Flagship Store and Macalister Mansion hotel (Best Luxury Hotel at HDF Luxurious Asia Awards 2013 & Best Small Hotel at Asia Pacific Property Awards 2013).
The MOD team is passionate about lyrical Johnny Cash musci, cups of caffeinated coffe or coke, defying gravity rock climbing, anything Muji, sweating throwgh hot yoga, cruising on winding back roads, partying all night & trough the morning, ping pong face-offs, celebrating birthdays with way too much cake, absolutely everything Apple, their families who are close by or far away but in their hearts, calming macha tea, enigmatic Peter Greenwaway movies, taking pseudo family portraits, globetrotting anywhere & everywhere, monochromatic dressing, polka dots, installation art they ca n only dream of owning, and yes, a life-long addiction to Design…
These are the real scenes of a singular team who wants to make the difference in a whole process of design with all the details…
Restaurants that are well designed are not merely places to eat one’s fill, but are environments that mirror the fine cuisine served, thus heightening the sensations enjoyed by the palate. For the Singapore franchise of the famed London-based Royal China restaurant, situated in the colonial Raffles Hotel, MOD has endeavored to create just such an environment.
MOD´s design calls for 2 interventions. The first is a choreographed transition between the whitewashed arcade of the historic hotel without and MOD´s contemporary dining hall within. Once inside the main restaurant hall, the second intervention, a dramatic 6m vaulted ceiling commands a strong visual axis, along which a line of table are ceremoniously set. Drawing form Chinese Brocade, dining nooks and private embroidery. Blending both traditional and modern aesthetics, MOD has also designed custom furniture, all collateral + identity including the menu + signage and art-directed the uniform design.
This restaurant has benn named a Finalist in the Gold Key Awards New York 2008, and Best Interior Design New York 2008.
