Making the decision to purchase the first home after renting is a big step. For these owners – an expatriate and his Singaporean wife – their hearts were set on this resale four-bedroom condominium apartment. Not only is it located in the convenient location that is Robertson Quay, but it also provides the space they need for their lifestyle. Life for the couple involves frequent travels, plenty of entertaining at home and collecting treasured objects of art and antiques that they love to mix up with contemporary pieces.
“The new apartment must provide a setting for the existing furniture. They consist of pieces from different eras and genre of styles – antique, mid-century, such as Eames and String, and contemporary ones such as Ikea and Hay,” shares Wiliam Ng, the principal architect of Studio Wills + Architects.
Given that it’s a home for two, William and fellow architect Kho Keguang looked into transforming the interior layout to provide more living room space. One of the things they did was to open up the original master bedroom, located next to the living area. Following that, two common bedrooms away from the living area, one with an attached bathroom, were combined to become the master bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe. This reconfiguration has made possible a lounge area connected to the living area and a guest bedroom with attached bathroom as well. “The open plan facilitates home entertaining of between eight to 10 persons each time,” explains William.
That said, opening up the original master bedroom resulted in a structural wall left standing in the centre of the open-plan living area. The team decided to transform it into a feature. Awash in bold black, it serves to anchor the living area. As a result, too, the dining area, on the other side of the wall, enjoys an intimate setting. The team also optimised recessed areas by incorporating built-in storage units and bookshelves.
Accommodating the couple’s possessions from their 2,400-square foot rented apartment to the 1,733-square foot one was another challenge. William and Kheguang also strove to strike a balance between doing too little and too much. The latter would give the owners little room to restyle the home in the future.
William adds, “The challenge we set for the project was to create a duality; an expansive, open-plan apartment to facilitate home entertaining and yet intimate at times when it is just the couple alone.” The result is a spacious home, with pockets of space to relax, made dynamic with visual displays and a sense of liberty to change things up as and when the owners wish.
This was adapted from an article originally written by Rossara Jamil published in the November 2018 issue of SquareRooms. Photo credits: Studio Wills
