
CANVAS HOUSE
Ministry of Design
像是街屋之類的歷史悠久的住宅是記憶的倉庫,擁有前世和專屬的過去。設計部透過Blair Road帆布屋中的分層概念探索歷史以及我們與過去,現在和未來的關係。
我們模糊化了空間與物體之間的界限,從概念上講,Canvas House覆蓋有一層白色,為將來提供了畫布,同時揭示了集中地點的歷史保存。這座房子有節奏地展現了過去的一部分,有舊木材的陰影,露出的磚層以及經過重新利用和升級的家具的複雜細節。
Historic dwellings like conservation shophouses are repositories of memories, with previous lives and a past of their own. Ministry of Design explores history and our relationship with the past, present and future through the concept of layers in Canvas House at Blair Road.
Blurring the boundaries between space and object, MOD conceptually blanketed Canvas House with a layer of white that provides a canvas for the future, whilst revealing historical preservation in concentrated spots. The house rhythmically reveals parts of its past, with Shadows of old timber as well as Layers of revealed brick and intricate details of re-purposed and upcycled furniture.
同時,MOD邀請來訪者用工作室創作的基於文本的霓虹燈作品Dream(夢幻)來想像未來,並引用了Thomas Jefferson的話,其中包含了MOD對Canvas House的做法。語錄總結了房子的態度。柯林解釋說:“這是對未來有夢想的中性白畫布,而不是對過去的全面致敬。”
At the same time, MOD invites visitors to imagine a future with Dream, a text-based neon piece that the studio created, with a quote by Thomas Jefferson that encapsulates MOD’s approach to Canvas House. The quote summarizes the attitude of the house; Colin explains, “it is a neutral white canvas for the future to be dreamt upon, rather than a wholesale homage to the past.”

1. 簡介以及問答
MOD新近完成了一幢全白色的帆布房,用於共同生活,坐落在新加坡布萊爾路沿線的一家文物商店內。
開發商(Figment)給了我們固定的預算和4個月的時間(設計,採購和裝修)以重新構想室內設計,目的是將套房出租給外籍人士住3-12個月。 租金每月3300新元起。 簡短的目的是做一些絕對吸引長期租房者的事情,並為這種共同生活的商店脫穎而出。
面對緊張的預算和緊迫的時間表,同時又希望有一個總體概念來支持這一舉措,Colin和他的團隊將“ Canvas House”概念化:
MOD將整個房子塗成白色,以為將來提供畫布,MOD決定專注於“升級”以解決這兩個限制。
大部分的桌子,椅子,胸部,鏡子,屏幕和梳妝台都經過了重新設計,重新煥發了生命。
為了向過去致敬,但又賦予了未來特色,MOD將這些作品全部塗成白色,但在裝飾龍或長壽花瓶上刻出了一些小玩意兒的“俏皮窺視”,牆上還掛著陶瓷板, 和木製屏幕,梳妝台和椅子。
這不僅在升級方面具有高度的可持續性,而且在預算,時間約束和概念上都十分出色。
1. The Brief and how MOD answered it
MOD has newly completed an all-white Canvas House for co-living, set in a heritage shophouse in Singapore along Blair Road.
The developer (Figment) gave us a fixed budget and 4 months (design, sourcing & fitout) to re- imagine the interiors, with the aim of renting out the suites to expats for 3-12 month stays. Rentals start from S$3300 a month. The brief was to do something absolutely appealing to long-stay renters, and a way for this co-living shophouse to stand out.
Faced with a tight budget and a tight timeline, alongside the desire for an overarching concept to underpin the moves, Colin and his team conceptualised the “Canvas House”:
Painting the entire house in white, to provide a canvas for the future, MOD decided to focus on “upcycling” to meet both constraints.
Majority of the tables, chairs, chests, mirrors, screens and vanity desks, were repurposed and given a new lease of life.
To pay homage to the past, yet give it character for the future, MOD painted these pieces all white but carved out “playful peek-a-boo reveals” of vignettes on the decorative dragon or longevity vases, ceramic plates hung on the wall, and wooden screens, vanity dressers and chairs.
Not only is this highly sustainable in terms of upcycling, it is also budget friendly, time-constraint friendly, and conceptually striking.

2. “我比過去的歷史更喜歡未來的夢想”
MOD模糊化了空間與物體之間的界限,從概念上講,Canvas House覆蓋有一層白色,為將來提供了畫布,同時揭示了集中地點的歷史保存。
Colin解釋說:“在自適應重用項目中,問題始終是相同的,我們如何在過去與現在之間劃清界限?如果一個人選擇該項目只是為了保存,那和停滯不前一樣好……這可能會癱瘓和抑制。但是與此同時,我們也不希望通過創造過於陌生或新穎的事物來完全無視歷史。我們的反應是用一塊空白的空白畫布覆蓋現有歷史,同時保留編排的瞥見過去,遮蓋住空間和其中的家具,使我們能夠模糊過去與現在,物體和空間之間的固有界限。”
為了對此進行空間展示,MOD創建了基於文本的霓虹燈藝術作品,其中引用了Thomas Jefferson的報價,其中包含了MOD對Canvas House的處理方法。總結了這所房子的態度,並引用Colin的話說:“這是中性的白色帆布,是對未來的夢想,而不是對過去的全面致敬。”報價由The Signmakers製造,報價單筆書寫在白色和紅色玻璃霓虹燈中,並裝在尺寸為1.4m x 2.2m x 0.1m的鋁盒中。
2. “I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past”
Blurring the boundaries between space and object, MOD conceptually blanketed Canvas House with a layer of white that provides a canvas for the future, whilst revealing historical preservation in concentrated spots.
Colin explains, “When it comes to adaptive reuse projects, the question is always the same, how do we tread the line between the past and the present? If one opts for the project to be just about preservation, it's as good as time standing still… which could be paralysing and inhibiting. But at the same time, neither do we want to disregard history completely by creating something too foreign or novel. Our response was to layer over the existing history with a proverbial blank canvas whilst leaving choreographed glimpses into the past, blanketing both space and the furniture in it - allowing us to blur the inherent boundaries between past and present, object and space."
To present this spatially, MOD created a text-based neon art piece, featuring a quote by Thomas Jefferson that encapsulates MOD’s approach to Canvas House. The quote summarizes the attitude of the house, quoting Colin, “it is a neutral white canvas for the future to be dreamt upon, rather than a wholesale homage to the past.” Fabricated by The Signmakers, the quote is penned in a single-stroke white and red glass neon, and encased in an aluminum box measuring 1.4m x 2.2m x 0.1m.