Carter’s approach to design began with a stint as apprentice to sculptor Albert Guibara in San Francisco. A degree in environmental design followed at the Arts Centre College of Design in Pasadena, where she honed her ideas on bringing art into space. Further engagements with furniture luminaries Bernhardt and Dutch design guru Marcel Wanders followed, before Carter launched out on her own.
“For me, it’s always about form, it’s always about space,” she explains. “It’s not just about putting a beautiful object there, there and there, sometimes it’s about the negative space. A lot of my design is very sculptural, and takes more of a compositional approach.”
At Mondrian Singapore Duxton, this manifests throughout the hotel. Carter was taken with the big idea of the deconstructed shophouse.
“Rather than a direct translation, we took its parts and deconstructed it into contemporary forms. We wanted to recognise it but also reinvent it, that Singapore silhouette. To rediscover old details in contemporary and unexpected touches.”
This approach comes to life in the distinctive Shophouse Suites, where the traditional features have a modern twist with vaulted ceilings and arched wooden shutters. With Murphy-style beds, the suites have been designed to transform from bedroom to meeting or entertaining space.
In the hotel rooms, inspiration abounds. “We love the idea of a slick glass box of the shower protruding through the rough plaster walls. The minibar we call the cloud bar, I was inspired by flying in and out of Singapore. We brought in some warm timber accents, some beautiful lighting options, arches coated in copper or steel, and contemporary custom furniture which is very iconic to Mondrian.”
