Whether for business or pleasure, for anyone who travels often, it is necessary for their home to have a soothing and cosy ambience that would serve as a natural relief to the stresses of a hectic schedule. But for this couple, the original layout and colour scheme of this three-bedroom condominium was not providing them with any of those things. As such, a renovation was in order. With a very good sense of how they wanted their dream home to look like and having created a mood board with images sourced from Pinterest, the couple then engaged local interior design firm Minimo & Minimology for their home’s overhaul.
Once the couple agreed on a minimalist-meets-classical design concept, it was then decided that the newly renovated home would boast a predominantly white colour scheme that would be accompanied by standout gold accents to keep the space bright and airy. In the living room, this meant that the original dark walnut colour on the floor and walls had to be stripped away. The walls were later splashed in an off-white colour palette, while the floors were re-tiled with wood-effect tiles – partially to provide contrast to the white walls, and partially to help imbue a warm and cosy ambience into the living room. Originally walled-up from the rest of the home, the private lift lobby was then encased in glass walls framed with gold trimmings, opening up the space and keeping it bright and airy.
Meanwhile, flanking the television set, a towering floor-to-ceiling series of cabinets serve as storage units for the homeowners’ household appliances. One of the more difficult parts of the overhaul, the design team had to construct huge pieces of the cabinet doors as they wanted to prevent any grout lines from cutting up the design. For added interest, classic Victorian trims were embedded into the walls and the cabinet doors – an effect that can be seen throughout the home.
Based on their experiences from living in other countries, the couple did not see the need for an enclosed kitchen, but they improved the flow of the space with a kitchen island. Topped with a marble quartz countertop, it is used for food prep and also doubles up as a bar counter for pre-dinner drinks and casual conversation whenever the couple have guests over. Besides keeping a wine cooler and storage units hidden from sight on one end, and encompassing an indentation that keeps bar stools tucked into when not in use, the island unit also has a small sink that is fitted with a water filter underneath, providing fresh drinking water for the occupants daily.
The private living spaces were the area of the apartment that needed the most work to make it suitable for the new owners. Under the original layout, the partition wall separating the master bedroom and the master en suite made the space feel claustrophobic. As a countermeasure, the wall was demolished, thus creating a spacious and expanded private chamber. In addition to the classic Victorian trimming on the walls and cabinet doors, the design team embedded beading into the headboard’s trim, upping the amount of visual interest in an otherwise low-profile space.
For the master en suite, original fittings had to be relocated to better serve its purpose. For instance, the sink was previously placed opposite the shower and WC. But as the homeowners had requested for a vanity area, the Minimo & Minimology team shifted the sink to the adjacent wall and constructed a marble-topped dressing table lined with gold trimmings to adhere to the home’s luxe design concept. Instead of overcrowding the new sink area with bulky cabinets, the team instead installed a sizeable mirror on the wall above the countertop.
Despite the apartment’s unconventional floor plan, every inch of this home is truly something to talk about. With the combination of different textures and materials that adhere to the white colour palette, coupled with luxe gold accents, this project proves that it is possible to create a sophisticated but snug abode that balances functionality and personal taste in equal measure.
This was adapted from an article originally published in the April 2018 issue of SquareRooms. Photo credits: Minimo & Minimology
