The brief was for a modern home that’s bright and spacious. And having lived there for ten years, the owner and her family knew that the home needed to change along with them. The five-room flat that she shares with her two children will be her retirement home. Therefore, the new space must cater to her future needs. Among other things, the owner wanted plenty of practical storage. “The client is very neat and she is not one who likes clutter. So, storage solutions we designed mostly cater for future use,” says Elden Lim, director of interior design firm Minimo & Minimology.
One of the features of this home is the abundance of natural light coming in through the full-height windows in the living area. So the design team enhanced visual space with a full-wall living area feature. To the side, cabinets and open shelves in light woodgrains blend and fade into the space. Against the muted colours of the furniture, the section of the feature wall that’s clad in natural woodgrain laminates stands out. “The laminate is nothing too heavy, yet it balances out the overall colour scheme for the floor tile and fixtures,” Elden explains.
Step into the dining area behind the living area and the mood is a lot more jovial. Colourful stools lined up behind the sofa hold up a display shelf. These stools can be deployed as extra seating when needed. Here, there’s an island counter, which Elden and the design team made possible by reworking the bathrooms. “The two bathrooms are resized within HDB regulations to allow more space in the dining area,” he says.
This allowed them to customise a long island that also functions as a dining table. With one end at dining table height and the other surface raised to counter height, it optimises space in this 1,300-square foot apartment. White and wood finishes for the streamlined design convey the modern Scandinavian look the owner wanted.
Where there are large windows in the living area to bring in daylight, it’s not the case in the bedrooms. Woodgrain laminates feature heavily in each space. In one bedroom, and a bathroom, the design team introduced red brick veneers for a casual, lived-in look. So, instead of challenging the lack of light, the design team enhanced the characteristics of the bedrooms with these strategies for a warm and cosy ambience.
This was adapted from an article originally written by Rossara Jamil published in the November 2016 issue of SquareRooms.
