Letter from the Editor
When I was growing up in Penang, nature and history always felt very close. The sea was just part of the everyday landscape, and old buildings fluidly inter-mingled with new additions so naturally that it was imperceptible to my child-like perspective. But this changed when Penang was inscribed as a UNESCO Heritage Site in 2008. Penangites suddenly woke up to things they previously took for granted, such as preserving heritage buildings and striving for sustainability.
Both those aspects have since played a huge part in honing Penang’s allure as a travel destination for the new millennium. Foreign investors started to sit up and take notice. Discerning travellers with a fervour for flânerie arrived. Locals discovered facets of their past that eluded them previously. And the face of tourism in this previously sleepy island has been transformed ever since. For this issue of Tatler Homes, we chose the themes of heritage and sustainability. Apart from both these topics being very close to my heart, their importance has never seemed more urgent when we contemplate the state our world is at. Both these aspects are also inexorably intertwined, particularly in terms of sustainable development, because if we are able to meet the world’s current needs by using what we already have, we will not be compromising resources that future generations need. To this end, we’re celebrating the work of pioneers in this field like Laurence Loh, the Penang-based heritage architect who brought the magnificent Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion back to life. In an interview, this passionate conservationist candidly talks to us about how his life has changed forever since embarking on this path. Also featured is hotelier Chris Ong, whose artistic nous and chic manifestations of Straits Chinese culture have gifted Penang some of its most splendid new hotels, carefully rooted in the past as well as the present. With characteristic graciousness, Ong opens the doors of his home in Georgetown to reveal what happens when obsession and creativity intersect.
Beyond Penang, we also travel far and wide to discover local and regional designers whose work references context and history while simultaneously being relevant for a modern audience. We had the privilege of interviewing the singular Donatella Versace and designers extraordinaire, Ludovica and Roberto Palombas, about how their new collaboration balances the fashion house’s iconic stylistic codes with schematic design rigour.
We’ve also put the spotlight on a number of projects with stunningly realised sustainable ambitions. From Marra + Yeh’s reinterpreted “kampung” house in Ipoh to Eleena Jamil’s deft transformation of a Bangsar terrace all through to Design Collective Architect’s award-winning lush pavilion home, it is incredibly gratifying to dive into the minds of architects who treat sustainability as a driving philosophy rather than an after-thought.
The Penang of my childhood is gone. But what it is today is perhaps a truer representation of what it was, as the island and those that live there embrace its history and environment as a pathway to a sustainable tomorrow.
May we continue to live lives that are respectful of our past and mindful of our future.
Lin is an accomplished professional photographer who has specialised in the architecture and interiors genre over the last 20+ years. He has collaborated with renowned international and local architects, interior designers and reputable property developers and is a frequent contributor to international architecture publications. One of the homes from his most recent book, Terrace Transformation in the Tropics, is showcased on ( page 136).