Design News: Raffles Place hangout Rasa by Studio Karhard; Martell’s CNY cognac
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Hall in Rasa has a cocktail bar and restaurant lounge, serving drinks and artisanal ice cream inspired by South-east Asia’s tapestry of colours, scents and tastes.
PHOTO: THE BOBO STUDIO
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New Raffles Place hangout Rasa designed by Studio Karhard
A new hangout for lovers of music and the arts, Rasa at Republic Plaza in Raffles Place is designed for creativity, connection and collaboration between artists and urban communities.
Rasa means “essence” or “taste” in ancient Sanskrit, and is regarded as one of the basic qualities of classical music, dance and poetry.
The 6,000 sq ft space opens on Jan 10 with live shows, performing arts and curated music programming.
It comprises two rooms, Hall and Floor. Hall has a cocktail bar and restaurant lounge, serving drinks and artisanal ice cream inspired by South-east Asia’s tapestry of colours, scents and tastes.
The bar, which features sweeping curves and is illuminated with a steel mesh, is designed as a centrepiece.
Over at Floor, clubbers walk through an imposing 4.5m-high central saloon-style door into an intimate lounge.
Rasa is designed by one of Berlin’s top studios, Studio Karhard, and is its first project in South-east Asia.
Studio Karhard was founded in 2003 by the award-winning duo of Thomas Karsten and Alexandra Erhard, who are sought after for their unusual and atmospheric interiors. In 2021, they were awarded the Special Mention for Outstanding Design in the Excellent Architecture - Interior Architecture category at the prestigious German Design Awards.
The studio is renowned for its edgy designs for Berlin club Berghain, an institution of techno and culture since opening in 2004.
Rasa is designed by Berlin-based Karhard Studio.
PHOTO: THE BOBO STUDIO
The design duo describe their concept for Rasa as “modern to futuristic, offering a retreat and communication opportunities”.
Mr Kavan Spruyt, a Singaporean Eurasian whose grandfather was Dutch, founded Rasa in 2023. The 44-year-old has been in the music business since 1999.
He founded record label and events company Midnight Shift in 2009 and helped to launch and manage nightclubs Kyo and La Maison; restaurants with in-house bars The Vault and Kinki; and steakhouse Fat Cow.
In 2016, he moved to Berlin with his family, returning to Singapore in 2023 to launch Rasa.
He is assisted at the helm in Rasa by marketing manager Cindy Tan, 36, an advocate for the creative and electronic music scenes.
Mr Spruyt says this is his first collaboration with Studio Karhard. He had seen the atelier’s work when he was a booking agent and production manager at Ostgut Booking, an agency under Berghain.
“Studio Karhard is globally recognised for its harnessing of an interior’s spatial flow, while ensuring the space is ideal for the interplay of sound and light,” Mr Spruyt tells The Straits Times.
He plans to help elevate the rich yet often under-represented works of South-east Asian artists who are “brimming with diversity and artistic expression”. He says that, based on his nightlife experience over about two decades, he wanted to create a space with three elements that draw clubbers back.
First, the hangout should allow people to chat and move around freely. It should also be acoustically designed to ensure sound from one room does not bleed into the other. Finally, the niche should be comfortable and make people want to linger.
He adds: “With Rasa, I hope to bridge the talent gap in the region through an inclusive space where emerging and established artists from various fields such as the visual arts, music, dance and multimedia are able to converge and present their works here.”
Where: 02-01 Republic Plaza Tower 1, 9 Raffles Place rasaspace.com
Open: Wednesdays, 5pm to midnight; Thursdays and Fridays, 5pm to 3am; Saturdays, 6pm to 4am; closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Info: Cover charge is between $25 and $30. Go to
Martell’s Year of the Snake-inspired cognac and pop-up
Cognac brand Martell has unveiled a Year of the Snake blend, which will be showcased at a pop-up event this weekend.
PHOTOS: MARTELL
For Chinese New Year, cognac brand Martell has unveiled a Year of the Snake blend, which has been bottled in a decanter designed by French crystal house Baccarat.
The decanter for the L’Or de Jean Martell Zodiac Edition – Assemblage du Serpent festive cognac carries a drop-like shape and is made of mouth-blown crystal.
It comes with a gold-toned pedestal engraved with scales, and a red stopper shaped like a snake’s head. Only 500 numbered bottles will be released globally, priced at $14,888 each.
Timed for the release of the festive cognac, the brand is hosting a pop-up event at Mohamed Sultan Road this weekend. Visitors can learn more about the brand and the making of the festive cognac through interactive displays.
Admission costs $30 a person, and includes a glass of Martell Noblige or a Martell Cordon Bleu cocktail.
Info: The pop-up runs from Jan 10 to 12, 10am to 11pm. Registration is required at mar.tl/serpentsg martell.com
