It’s a first, but it seems so logical we wonder what took them so long. The lifestyle stores at Paragon are banding together this weekend (August 15-16) for Craft + Design Fest – a weekend of workshops, food, art, fine craft and great design. Here, 5 reasons why you should put it on your to-do list:
1. Experience one of the largest home decor belts on Orchard Road
Level 4, Paragon, has seven stores – a combined retail space of 25,000 sq ft – dedicated to decking out the home. At Baker, Commune, Heng Artland, Images of China, Bo Concept, Lladro and Liuligongfang, you’ll find furniture, tableware, linens, objets d’arts, and art pieces. Quite an efficient one-stop destination if you’re looking to redecorate.
2. Combine your love of tea and sake
Have your fill of both in a single afternoon. American furniture purveyors Baker collaborates with the Gryphon Tea Company to host a tea workshop – join them at the Baker furniture gallery (#04-42, top of page) and create your very own tea blend. Then trot over to Liuligongfang (#04-47) for a sake appreciation session, where you’ll sip different sakes from the brand’s handmade crystal sake cups.
3. Learn floral-arrangement and plating skills to impress dinner-party guests
Any hostess worth her salt knows that the food and the flowers have to be just so – tasteful and not too try-hard. At Baker, gourmet caterer Jeremy Nguee (above) will teach you how to plate a salad like a pro. Then learn flower-arrangement techniques with local florist Triceratops in workshops at Danish lifestyle store Bo Concept (#04-01).
4. Catch two art exhibitions – and watch an artist in action
Drop by Heng Artland (#04-08) to see Senses: Raison, an exhibition of works by French artists such as Claude Fauchere, Yves Pallies and Olivier Suire Verley.
The must-see: Pallies’s paintings of toys and collectibles (above) – so life-like they look like they’re popping out of the “boxes”. Local artist Aaron Gan’s watercolours (below) are the highlight at Images of China (#04-49) – Gan will be conducting demonstrations at the gallery too.
5. It’s all free – and there are discounts to take advantage of
All the workshops are free – pretty amazing. (Consider this: a floral arrangement workshop will typically set you back $150 on average.) Baker is offering a 35 per cent discount on the Barbara Barry collection, and Bo Concept is offering up to 35 per cent off its display pieces. And if you’re shopping for furniture, the Grotto sofa by local sofa expert Abitex is going for 20 per cent less (below, usual price: $3,039) at furniture store Commune (#04-50).
Register for the workshops here.
Like this? Check out Robinsons’ new range of chic tableware
