Le Pristine Singapore by Sergio Herman just won best Best Interior Design by Tatlerasia.
Sergio Herman’s culinary dreamscape at Le Pristine Singapore will take you on an escapade of atmospheric spaces and private dining rooms crafted by Japanese design firm Nao Taniyama & Associates
In Stanley Kubrick’s seminal work, 2001: A Space Odyssey, there’s a scene where Dave traverses the Logic Memory Center, lit in an incandescent red-orange hue that’s now among the film’s most iconic scenes. While you thankfully won’t encounter a rogue AI here, the wine cellar at Le Pristine Singapore feels similarly atmospheric with its burnt umber tones, creating a sense of suspense and intrigue with its cavernous interior.
This wine tunnel offers a tantalising glimpse of more that you can expect at Le Pristine Singapore, a dining establishment helmed by acclaimed chef Sergio Herman. Situated within the newly renovated Grand Hyatt Singapore, the Dutch chef’s first Southeast Asia outpost contains enthralling interiors masterminded by Japanese design firm Nao Taniyama & Associates.
Described as “New Italian” cuisine, Herman blends Italian flavours with a touch of his Zeeland heritage with the goal of “creat(ing) restaurants that people love for their quality, atmosphere, and the overall experience”. That sentiment is keenly felt in its interior design. It’s tailored to its Singapore context, while subtly echoing shared creative elements found in the sister restaurants in Antwerp and Tokyo. Here, we take a closer look at how this 120-seater restaurant was designed to create a feast for the senses.
A creative journey
A sweeping staircase marks the start of your journey at Le Pristine Singapore. Listen to an upbeat mix of disco, rock and dance hits by David Bowie, Grace Jones and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, as you ascend the steps to the main dining room.
At Le Pristine Singapore, Nao Taniyama & Associates has achieved a beautiful play of contrasts. A mirror-clad ceiling would catch the eye, floating above a large 12-seater table and its herringbone wood flooring in the Sergio Suite, one of the restaurant’s five private rooms. In the main dining room, a wood-clad ceiling creates a cocooning environment while Quelle Fête, a Rotganzen-designed sculpture glimmers on a concrete wall, dazzling diners with its disco ball-like facets.
This 650 sqm restaurant in Singapore subtly references the colour and material palette of Le Pristine Antwerp and Le Pristine Tokyo, both designed by Space Copenhagen. The curving leather banquettes in Le Pristine Singapore carry a similar olive green hue to the seats in the Antwerp location. The Rotganzen artwork is among the common artistic elements also seen in the restaurants in Japan and Belgium. The open kitchen is another shared element throughout all three restaurants, where diners get to witness culinary action up-close.
The overall effect creates a space that Le Pristine regulars will find familiar, while acquainting newcomers to the “casual fine dining” experience that Sergio Herman espouses—one that is fun, immersive and dynamic, integrating the restaurant group’s signature mix of art, food, music and design.
Wine not?
There are more tantalising surprises to be found at the top of the stairs, for guests seeking to extend their dining experience here. A bar at the top floor offers classic cocktails ranging from the classic Spritz, Bellini and Gin & Tonic to the zesty Italian Sour and Truffle Negroni.
To the left of the bar is the restaurant’s visual pièce de résistance: a wine tunnel containing 150 labels hand-picked by the team. An arresting mirrored lamp is its focal point—Mirage by Dutch artist-designer Sabine Marcelis leads the eye to the end of the tunnel, accompanied by a series of red stripe lighting that creates an enigmatic effect.
Where art meets design
This dramatically lit passageway also leads to three private dining rooms that can seat between six to 13 diners each. Every private dining room has its own unique look. In the Moon, for instance, this airy private room features a window that looks out onto Scotts Road, seating up to ten guests. Named after Herman’s only daughter, the room is lit with a golden glow by Tol, a lighting piece by Dutch designer Dirk van der Kooij crafted with repurposed chocolate moulds. Spanning the length of the dining table here, the Clay Lights chandelier by Maarten Baas adds another playful touch to the room.
Another Tol chandelier is also installed in Le Fête, a ten-seater private room, contributing to the restaurant’s design continuity. A larger version of Rotganzen’s Quelle Fête appears here as well, playfully sparking that “Friday feeling” that embodies the Le Pristine ethos. The Jasper private room is named after the Amsterdam-based artist Jasper Krabbé, a friend of the chef, and will soon be adorned with a selection of Krabbé’s artworks in time to come.
The most impressive of the five private rooms is Sergio’s Suite, which appears almost like the living and dining area of a capacious presidential suite. It also features a show kitchen for extra pizazz. Here, a circle of three vintage Soriana sofas face Walking so Close Together in This Dense Jungle, a charcoal painting on canvas by Belgian artist Rinus Van De Velde that was specially commissioned for Le Pristine Singapore to represent the country’s lush greenery. The living area is completed with In Hale, a coffee table with a marble top that seemingly floats above an inflated metal sheet.
Altogether, the spaces have been crafted to astound while creating a refined environment for its diners. As the chef would say, “it’s about crafting a dining experience that lingers long after the last bite”. It’s clear that this has been achieved here, as represented equally in every meticulously crafted dish as well as the restaurant’s thoughtful interior design.
Artworks by Sabine Marcelis, Rotganzen, Dirk van der Kooij & Rinus Van De Velde
By Tatlerasia
