Save the Date! Wabi-Sabi Pattern Making Workshop, Singapore.

by Arnaud | May 2, 2026 | Events

5 min read

Save the Date
Wabi-Sabi Pattern Making Workshop, Singapore.

This May, I’ll be in Singapore, and for the first time, I’m opening up a small workshop at Tanglin.
It’s an intimate session, about two and a half hours, where we go back to the beginning. No screens, no perfection, no pressure. Just paper, pen, and the process of creating something from scratch.

LISETTE

SHARE

The workshop is built around the idea of Wabi-Sabi. Not perfect patterns, but honest ones. Patterns that come from instinct, from repetition, from small “mistakes” that turn into something unexpectedly beautiful. I’ll guide you through how I approach pattern making, how I start, how I build, and how I repeat. You’ll leave with your own designs, and more importantly, a way of thinking about pattern that you can carry with you.
This is not a technical class. It’s a creative reset.

🗓 19 & 20 May
⏰ 2.5 hours (morning sessions)
📍 Tanglin, Singapore

Spaces will be limited to 10 pax, as I want to keep it personal and hands-on.
If this speaks to you, I would love to have you join me.
More details and sign-ups coming shortly.

Please email me lisette@naladesigns.com

Peace Be Quiet Cafe

by Arnaud | May 2, 2026 | Food

5 min read

Peace Be Quiet Cafe

We did plan to go to PS.Cafe at Dempsey Hill, but not only for lunch. It was one of those combined missions. Eat, look around, understand the area, and quietly ask ourselves if Nala could ever belong here.

LISETTE

SHARE

Dempsey Hill, during the day, is surprisingly quiet. Almost too quiet. You walk through beautiful spaces, but many feel a little empty, waiting for the evening to come alive.

And then there is PS.Cafe.

By far the best place to sit on the entire hill. It has that rare quality where everything just works. The greenery, the layout, the light, but more importantly, the people. Everyone looks good. Relaxed. Happy. And that changes everything. You feel it the moment you sit down.

We had lunch, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Simple, well done, comforting. The lemon yoghurt cake deserves its reputation. Light, fresh, and very easy to justify ordering.

But what stayed with me was not just the food. It is the kind of place where you realise, halfway through, that you could stay the whole day. Work a little, think a little, watch people, reset. No pressure to leave, no rush, just a very easy rhythm.

We also stepped into Dover Street Market Singapore, and that alone is worth the trip. It is not just a store, it feels like a gallery. Everything is so carefully curated that you find yourself wanting to take everything home. It is rare to walk into a retail space where every single piece feels considered, and yet nothing feels heavy.

Together, these two places create a reason to go.

And it made me think. Why do we not have something like this in Kuala Lumpur? Imagine this exact energy in the Lake Gardens. The space is there. The greenery is there. The city needs it. A place where you can sit all day, where people come with their dogs, their laptops, their children, where business and leisure blur naturally. It would work. It would do extremely well.

So here is a simple suggestion.
Open a PS.Cafe in the Lake Gardens in KL(and a fashion store).

I would be there all the time.

The Nice Skirt. The Sexy Boss Shirt. And Something to Carry It All.

by Arnaud | May 2, 2026 | Design

5 min read

The Nice Skirt. The Sexy Boss Shirt. And Something to Carry It All.

This Friday, three pieces come together.
Not because they were planned as a set, but because they found their way into the same moment.

LISETTE

SHARE

The Nice Dress became the Nice Skirt. We went back into our own work, looked at it again, and realised what we really wanted was something more flexible. Something you reach for more often. So we reshaped it. Same ease, same movement, just more freedom.

Then comes the Sexy Boss Shirt.
Structured, but soft. Confident without trying too hard. It frames the body, ties where it matters, and carries a certain attitude. The kind that does not ask for attention, but gets it anyway.

And then, the finishing piece.

The Half Moon Bag, in pink Bunga Raya. Part of our Estate Carry-On collection. It sits easily, moves with you, and carries just enough. Inspired by our national flower, but seen through our own lens. Familiar, but not obvious.

Three pieces. Three intentions.

The Nice Skirt and Sexy Boss Shirt belong to the Banale Deluxe collection. The bag to Estate Carry-On. Different worlds, but somehow they work together.

What Stopped Me Was a Man on a Toilet

by Arnaud | Apr 28, 2026 | Culture

5 min read

What Stopped Me Was a Man on a Toilet

Not something you expect to say in the middle of REX, but there it was.

LISETTE

SHARE

Unapologetic in burgundy, with his private parts neatly covered by a flower. And somewhere in that same world, a book titled How to Be Rich, which he’s reading… while sitting there.

You have to respect that level of confidence.

Summation doesn’t try too hard. It just gets it right. The humour is slightly inappropriate, slightly uncomfortable, and exactly where it needs to be. You laugh first, and then you realise how well everything is actually put together.

The colours are great. The compositions are clean. Nothing feels off. And that’s rare, because work like this often leans too far into chaos. This doesn’t. It’s controlled, considered, and very deliberate.

The text underneath the man on the toilet : To a Better Year. I love the dry humour.

What I like even more, once you look past the first laugh, is that this isn’t random. It’s part of something bigger. Summation sits alongside their sister brand Summorie, where they make notebooks, paper goods, and everyday objects with the same level of care. It’s not just humour for the sake of it. It’s design thinking, applied to everything, even the smallest piece.

Every book is hand-stitched. Clean, precise, no cutting corners. And somehow still affordable, which makes it even better, because usually this kind of detail comes with a heavy price tag.

The space reflects that mindset. Not just books on a shelf, but a mix of studio, indie publishing, and a bit of café energy. It’s not polished in the traditional sense, but it feels alive, and that’s the point.

They’re still at REXKL for now, but not for long.

So if this speaks to you, don’t wait. It’s not trying to please everyone. And that’s exactly why it does.

If Your Landlord Increases Your Rent, Do This

by Arnaud | Apr 27, 2026 | Food

5 min read

If Your Landlord Increases Your Rent, Do This

I’m on keto.
Or at least, that’s what I tell myself until something like this shows up and all discipline quietly exits the room.

LISETTE

SHARE

The fish and chips here is worth breaking every rule for. Not in a dramatic way, just in a very clear, very certain way. You sit down, you order it, and you don’t negotiate with yourself.

I first had Battered at a Chinese New Year open house at Lightcraft, thanks to Shireen, who always seems to know where the good stuff is. The owner was there himself, quietly frying, no theatrics, just focus. And it shows.

This is comfort food in its purest form. The kind you need when your landlord decides to increase your rent, when people you’ve invested in suddenly resign, or when you realise you’re not always as right as you thought you were. It doesn’t solve anything, but it does make everything feel manageable again.

The batter is light, crisp, and not oily. Exactly what you want, nothing extra. The set is around RM32.

Now, REXKL. Not my favourite place to sit. It’s loud, slightly chaotic, and not particularly comfortable. But I’ll forgive all of that, because this is best eaten on the spot. Some food needs to travel, this one doesn’t.

There’s also a sambal prawn sandwich I haven’t tried yet, but will. And then deep fried Mars and Snickers, which is either a terrible idea or a very good one. I’ll find out.

Go when your day needs adjusting. Or when you do.