TYGA (Interior)
Strategy, Branding, Collateral, Interior
BRIEF
Tyga is a new dining venue located on Koornang Road, Carnegie, designed as a retro-inspired yet modern neighbourhood destination. The client requested a warm, character-rich hospitality space that integrates an open kitchen, a vibrant cocktail bar, and flexible dining zones. The functional brief included maximising the narrow site, creating high-impact frontage, integrating memorabilia and music culture, and balancing comfort with operational efficiency.
APPROACH
The design approach embraces the spirit of “Stylo Milo!”—a playful expression of cool, stylish flair. The interior blends retro Southeast Asian counter-culture nostalgia with contemporary materiality, creating a living-room-like atmosphere that feels familiar yet elevated. Warm cherrywood, curated décor, vintage Hi-Fi elements, and lush greenery combine to form a welcoming, personality-driven venue. The design strategy focuses on harmonising old and new, creating a space that feels both effortlessly cool and deeply local.
CHALLENGES
The project presented several site-specific challenges, including a long and narrow tenancy that required careful planning to achieve smooth guest flow and efficient back-of-house operations. Existing structural elements, such as street poles, signages, precast concrete walls, and façade setbacks, influenced the spatial layout and external expression. Integrating the open kitchen, DJ booth, bar, and dining zones within tight boundaries required thoughtful zoning, acoustic considerations, and bespoke joinery to maintain both functionality and atmosphere. Achieving the desired retro-modern aesthetic within a defined budget also required strategic material selections and value-engineered alternatives.
OUTCOME
The final design for Tyga celebrates a richly layered retro-modern atmosphere, achieved through a thoughtful mix of materiality, custom joinery, and curated styling. Warm cherrywood elements—including lining boards, vintage-inspired credenzas, and laminated ceiling panels—provide a unifying architectural backdrop that evokes a nostalgic living-room comfort. This is complemented by the signature scalloped and straight banquette seating, upholstered in olive vinyl and aged velvet, which adds both softness and character while maximising seating density along the narrow corridor-style layout. At the centre of the venue, the bar becomes a defining showpiece, integrating smoked mirror surfaces, a warm glow lightbox, curated memorabilia, and a recessed Hi-Fi system that reinforces the Stylo Milo identity. Textural accents such as tiger glass screens, round glass bricks, dark emperador marble, and crazy-pave surfaces enrich the tactile experience and elevate the retro aesthetic. The open kitchen—paired with timber counter tables and cantilever stools—introduces culinary theatre into the space, energising the dining room and supporting a communal, neighbourhood-driven dining culture.
