Else in Kuala Lumpur is a hotel brimming with Malaysian design details

Restored, repurposed and adorned by the cream of Malaysian talents, Else is an urban haven in the heart of Petaling Street

Petaling Street was once the neighbourhood of choice for wealthy Chinese immigrants to build their homes and shophouses. In 1931, Booty Edwards & Partners designed an art deco building on the site of Kapitan Yap Kwan Seng’s former holiday home and the tallest building in Kuala Lumpur when it was first completed.

Known as the Lee Rubber Building, it has seen the area’s evolution to its current incarnation as Else hotel. Else is the first property of a mindful hospitality brand of the same name founded by Justin Chen and Javier Perez. Both based in Singapore, they were deliberate in their decision to work with local designers, artists, and partners to create their vision of conscious hospitality.

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Above The renewed facade of the Lee Rubber Building

Malaysian design firm Studio Bikin was tasked with conceptualising the design and overseeing the restoration, which was executed by Faizah Architect, another celebrated Malaysian partner.

The 49-room property sprawls over 56,000 sq ft across seven levels. Its lovingly restored facade sets the tone for the atmospheric spaces within.

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Photo 1 of 3 Raw Kitchen Hall

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With a design language that sensitively balances the new and the old, the raw and the refined, the ground floor hosts the lobby and all-day dining restaurant Raw Kitchen Hall, outfitted with sculptural wood furniture, retro banquette seating, and a backdrop of Roman columns.

In addition, a series of multi-levelled atrium spaces were punched through the floors of the existing building to expand the spread of natural light and ventilation into the corridor spaces leading to the rooms.

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Above The pool is a breezy outdoor space

One floor up is where guests check in, and facilities such as the Library Den and floatation pods inside the state-of-the-art gym are intriguing corners for guests to discover. Antiquities and cultural artwork can be found throughout the property, each piece handpicked from Gilded Lions, a curator of rare antiques and cultural curiosities.

Four categories of rooms are available, with the larger ones located on the three-storey modern extension over the existing building. All are elegantly appointed with art from locally sourced artists and custom-made bedhead textiles and rugs by Singapore-born, KL-based Omar Khan.

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Photo 1 of 5 Rooms feature a soothing colour palette

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Complex, thought-provoking, and inspiring art pieces were acquired from award-winning Malaysian artists, including Fauzul Yusri, Fendy Zakri, Fawwaz Sukri and Nathan Fikri. In addition, art by Canada’s Joe Fleming, who has exhibited internationally for over two decades, including at the Holocaust Museum in LA and FIAC Paris, and raw, free-spirited pieces by celebrated Argie Bandoy from the Philippines are also showcased.

Yet to open is The Yellow Fin Horse, which shares the fourth floor with the pool area, a serene space where indoor and outdoor merge seamlessly. When the restaurant, helmed by Chef Jun Wong, does open, Else will add another attraction to what has been this year’s most impressive hotel opening.

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Credits

Photography

David Yeow

Topics

else petaling street malaysian hotel malaysian design malaysian art boutique hotel designinspo

Tatler Asia

This beautiful Kuala Lumpur hotel brims with touches of Malaysian talents