Whether indoors or out, in a residential or commercial space, design inspiration can be found anywhere. For this family of four who scored themselves a four-bedroom unit in the new Coco Palms development, the source of inspiration for their home renovation project was gathered from the public spaces of the apartment complex they now call home.
“This unit opens up into a large section of the blue lagoon pool sprinkled with sunken lounge chairs and ‘palm islands’, and the owners wanted the same ‘cool and breezy’ atmosphere to be translated into their own apartment,” says Goy Zhenru, the designer-in-charge of the project. But while the design team – comprising Kulap Loetman and Dessy Anggadewiv along with Zhenru – was given a relative free-hand over the home’s new design, one specific request the owners had was that the home’s new design should be integrated with the original layout and structure as much as possible. “This was because they wanted to fully utilise the brand new interior fixtures that came along with the apartment,” the founder and lead architect of Goy Architects elaborates.
As such, the design team decided to focus on using a combination of choice materials to transform the home into a tropical oasis. Along the vertical surfaces of the communal zones, the dark walnut finishing in the living room is contrasted with a marble feature wall in the dining zone, which creates an interesting interplay of dark and light planes on each side of the room.
Material palette aside, furniture pieces were also essential in enhancing the resort-like vibe of the home. This can be seen through the custom-made rattan armchair, where its distinctively modern yet bucolic look perfectly complements the adjoining cream-coloured sofa and the dark-toned feature wall.
Meanwhile for storage purposes, an expansive television feature wall takes centrestage in the living room. With the intent of creating a subtle display shelf that seamlessly integrates with the television set, the feature wall was constructed using dark metallic laminates. However, for an interesting design twist, several wood panels were tilted in varying degrees.
Where the bedrooms were concerned, their original design saw them fitted out with reinforced concrete ledges against the window. A design fixture that would have been classified as an under-utilised space if left alone, the owners had also specifically requested for these ledges to be converted into usable spaces and cosy corners. In the master bedroom for example, they were converted into a cosy bay window and accompanying television feature wall. Noting the abundance of straight and rigid surfaces in the bedroom, the designers then felt it necessary to incorporate a soft headboard wall into the design. From there, grey upholstery was selected and made into seven equal panels, which was then mounted on to the wall with velcro strips.
The study room’s original configuration came with a bulky storage compartment that the family uses to store bulky items like their luggages. To fully maximise the available space, the owners asked the designers to convert the above space into a usable zone. Covered in a grey cushioned mat, the space is now used as a daybed.
“Having a client who trusts in your process, and who are also very receptive to our design ideas, we felt very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with them,” Zhenru says about the overall design process, “In the end, it’s all about the special connection forged between the two parties that truly motivates and inspires our team to create beautiful and unique spaces for our clients.”
This was adapted from an article originally published in the October 2018 issue of SquareRooms. Photo credits: Goy Architects
