At 753 square feet, this penthouse apartment is tiny. But there is much going for it. For one, it offers a gorgeous bird’s eye view of the sprawling Chestnut Nature Park, Singapore’s largest nature park. As for the apartment, it boasts double-volume living spaces and massive windows. The high ceiling mitigates the limited floor area, and natural light flows easily into the spaces.
For the couple, a two-bedroom home that comes with a study offers sufficient room for their lifestyle needs. But there were some things they wanted tweaked to maximise the space. “As this is a penthouse with an almost 4.7-metre high ceiling, the intention was to make use of the double volume and remove the study room so as to have a bigger master bedroom,” says Jake Yeoh. The director of interior design practice Z L Construction then conceptualised rooms with loft spaces.
With this concept, Jake has ensured that the spaces retain their open, airy feel while the owners get to enjoy more living space and storage options. It might not look it, but it was a complex project that took seven weeks. “The working space was a constraint,” he explains. “Staging and scaffolding had to be done. But there were also new carpentry steps and storage all over, so extremely careful planning and logistics were needed to ensure that work got done.”
To achieve the modern minimalist look, Jake concealed all cables. Even the air-conditioning system was carefully installed. There are no exposed blowers in the living area and master bedroom. The couple wanted Scandinavian influences, and these breathe personality into the home. They picked out a palette of white, blue, grey and woodgrains like dark oak, as well as matte surfaces and soft textures. It brings cosiness to all areas.
The couple were keen to contribute ideas as well. Sharing that the lady of the house even sketched preliminary ideas, Jake says, “She is very talented, and has an eye for detail. The experience and end result the clients wanted were of a high-end hotel feel with extreme comfort and functionality throughout.”
The collective effort paid off. Every area is a haven where the owners could enjoy rest and quiet in between busy workweeks in their professional lives. The couple also knew early on that they wanted a home that would stand the test of time. And with the careful attention to every aspect of the design and renovation rendered by Jake and his team, the owners got more than they dreamed of.
This was adapted from an article originally written by Rossara Jamil published in the November 2017 issue of SquareRooms. Photo credits: Z L Construction
