Floorish, a new design concept by Journey East, weaves the vibrant perspectives of three Singapore design studios into Persian rugs.
Curated by Creative Director Rafiq Mohamad of branding and design agency Feral, Floorish reimagines the familiar sights, smells and tastes of Singapore through the nostalgic lens and thoughtful rigour of two homegrown design studios (Studio Hafi and Studio Ensemble), combined with the uplifting philosophical reflections of Studio Grain.
Familiar yet reimagined, grounded in reality yet elevated in approach, Floorish provides a curated yet experimental platform for Singapore-based designers to push the limits in creative expression. Each unique design tests the limits of what is quintessentially Journey East, underpinned by qualities for which our furniture collections are known: an emphasis on function and aesthetic appeal.
About Rafiq Mohamad
A self-professed “logical creative”, Rafiq expresses rationality for detail with an intuitive feel for aesthetics in his creations. Compelled by an insatiable appetite for the arts and culture, he believes in design’s ability to elevate and even immortalise what it supports, and that it should connect on a deeper human-centred design methodology. His approach is never merely prescriptive, and the works produced are hardly just novel. After spending 8 years honing his craft in the graphic design and branding industry, Rafiq founded creative agency Feral in 2015, and now serves as Creative Director.
About Feral
A branding and graphic design studio, we work closely with businesses to articulate their brand narrative and direction through design that is specific to their needs. The dialogue between the client and us helps craft a holistic approach in building an identity that would further strengthen their business. Every design challenge is an opportunity for us to expand and push ourselves further in developing ideas and solutions for the client.
Kenduri by Studio Hafi
Kenduri (Banquet) is inspired by the warmth of going to your grandparent’s house, known affectionately to designer Hafizah (Hafi) as “rumah nenek”. Kenduri combines elements that map memories of communal eating, home-cooked meals and conversations shared between an intergenerational family.
The only way to accommodate a huge family whenever Hafi turned up at rumah nenek was to move the furniture in the modest flat aside and get everyone to eat together, children and adults alike, comfortably on the floor. Nenek would serve her delicious lauk-pauk (dishes) on multiple plates spread out on the tikar (woven floor mats).
Hafi wants the rugs to tell her family’s story and represent the warmth of Malay hospitality. Most importantly, she wants them to hold the memories of the time she spent with her grandparents.
(Above: The designer's grandparents, whom the rugs were named after: Mr. Hashim and Ms. Mok Chik)
About Studio Hafi
hahahafi.com
Hafizal Jainal, also known as Hafi, is an illustrator, designer and visual artist. She makes visual interpretations through drawings that are rooted in ancestral memories.
Her works dissect themes of identity and cultural narratives via image making, most notably seen in SEASONINGS magazine which she co-founded to explore Singapore’s food culture.
Her clients include Malay Heritage Centre, Asian Civilisations Museum, AWARE and National Gallery of Singapore.
She has been featured in multiple publications like L’officiel, Men’s Folio, Vogue Singapore, TimeOut Singapore, Berita Harian and The Straits Times. Her past exhibitions include ‘Veneer and Visage’ at Supper House (2022), ‘Happy House’ at Singapore Art Week (2022), ‘Good Dates Bad Dates’ (solo) at Practice Practice, Singapore (2020) and ‘Multiple Identities of a Face’, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (2019).
She was a recipient of the Goh Chok Tong Youth Promise Award in 2007. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) in Visual Communication at School of Art, Design and Media in NTU and has a minor in Art History (Southeast Asian Art).
Anew by Studio Grain
The Anew collection draws inspiration from Return to Tipasa, a short essay by French author Albert Camus, in which he depicts the search for hope and meaning during a tough and difficult period in his life. The journey in search of hope is a universal language for all, and one that Creative Director/Founder Jerry Goh relates deeply to. Through this collection, he seeks to convey the pursuit of hope through imaginary and symbolic visuals that serve as a point of reflection, and at the same time uplift and complement any living space.
About Studio Grain
with-grain.com
Jerry Goh runs Studio Grain, a brand consultancy focusing on discovering and amplifying the voices of businesses big and small. He thinks deeply about people, processes, and encounters, all of which inform his design approach, which he believes should be honest, timeless and, above all, human. Before Grain, he founded Underscore Magazine, The U Press, and Hjgher, and organised The U Symposium. He has since garnered multiple local and international awards including D&AD, The One Show, ADC, AIGA and President*s Design Award Singapore.
Fruitfool by Studio Ensemble
From afar, a rug looks like an artistic painting that one can admire. Up-close, it creates an intimacy with touch and intricate visual details.
With this is mind, Studio Ensemble created Fruitfool, which aims to fool the eyes of the observer by displaying the full visual seen from afar, and a mosaic of subtle abstract and intricate patterns up-close. Designers Junyao Lin and April Chen wanted to introduce an element of fun steeped in Singapore’s customs with the auspicious pineapple, majestic durian and mesmerizing watermelon.
A rug is usually created by knots. Studio Ensemble has translated knots into pixels and combined them to form different shades, which come together to form an abstract visual of fruit's texture. Enjoying the therapeutic process of drawing with pixels, the designers have unconsciously created more than 50 patterns, hoping to mesmerize the observer with the countless patterns combined.
About Studio Ensemble
studioensemble.com
(Junyao Lin and April Chen)
Read: 10 Questions with...Studio Ensemble
From design-led corporate identity design, strategy-driven brand communications and digital contents to spatial design, Studio Ensemble’s ideas and creativity help brands live across different platforms — re-branding, graphic design, website, illustration, retail interior, social media and so on - all driven by values and led by emotions. All spoken for the right audiences.
From the initial phase of brand strategy and design direction to production, Studio Ensemble’s process is driven by deeper conversations with their clients. They believe the best-spoken project lives at the intersection of clarity and freshness. Their process provides value to end-users and differentiates brands by bringing the story, emotion, and aesthetics that connect through shared values. They value connections with people and constantly strive to deepen their passion for the craft and their client’s growth.
Deep down, they know they are taking a small step a time to make the world more lovable through design.