Cover The resort-style boutique
The resort-style boutique
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Kapten Batik’s new boutique in Penang’s Gurney Paragon melds heritage with urban luxury
Gurney Paragon is a mall with a unique back story boasting a combination of heritage and modernity. The project was built around and inspired by the former St. Joseph’s Novitiate, a majestic colonial building dating back to the early 20th century.
It seems an appropriate home for Kapten Batik, a local fashion label that celebrates this handicraft’s tradition while adapting it for the modern lifestyle. To encapsulate these values while offering a unique shopping experience, award-winning design firm Matthew Lim Associates transformed the 1,488 sq ft lot into an amalgamation of art and functionality.
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Urban outfitters
A rocky landscape in the storefront
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An overall concept of urban luxury was decided on, and the designers set out to create a space that vividly embodies Malaysian artistry—art lovingly crafted by Malaysians for Malaysians.
The entrance is discreet, featuring a pivoting door and exterior walls sport wooden cladding reminiscent of vernacular vocabulary. In place of the traditional window display, rocky landscaping backdropped by wooden screens intrigues passersby.
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The store has a cosy ambience
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Upon entering the store, a sense of warm familiarity permeates abetted by the open-concept space and artisanal elements like wooden crafts, bamboo ceilings, and rattan pendant lamps.
Curated by landscape artist Tze Chin from Stardust Trinket, the handcrafted elements across the boutique reflect the motifs found in Kapten Batik’s pieces.
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Above Shopping here is a relaxing experience
Above Vernacular design details
Shopping here is a relaxing experience
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Shopping takes on a leisurely quality here as seating nooks are dotted throughout the space, populated with crafted wooden and rattan furniture.
The boutique also boasts a sizeable fitting room with artificial daylight to view the outfits in the best light.
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Tree of life
Poh Sin Studio's batik tree has a practical use
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The store’s centrepiece is a Batik Tree, which artist and architectural designer Pamela Tan of Poh Sin Studio was commissioned to design.
Crafted from steel, the tree pays homage to the nautical adventures of Kapten Batik’s founders and their passion for revolutionising Malaysian traditional textiles.
See also: Inside 6 artistic cafes in Penang’s historic buildings
Above Soft lighting
Above Pebbles and wood
Soft lighting
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Inspired by custom-cultured batik designs primarily crafted into copper blocks by metal artisans before the print process, the sculpture features delicate batik-like patterns that elegantly intertwine with the brand’s monogram. Its ‘branches’ serve as functional displays for fabrics while the display table, with its petal-like shape, cradles the batik fabrics like precious blooms.
Consistent with the narrative of the store design and Kapten Batik’s brand, the tree blends batik heritage and contemporary design to a beguiling effect.
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Credits
Photography: TWJPTO
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Jennifer Choo is Regional Managing Editor of Tatler Homes, covering architecture, interior design, and art across Asia. Based in Malaysia, she oversees regional content on luxury residential design and contemporary art collections. Legally trained but choosing to pursue her passion for design, she previously led notable design publications and worked as an interior stylist and art consultant for property developers, design firms, and private clients.
