Homes featuring European designs tend to bring with them a unique air of elegance and beauty – one that is usually conveyed with the help of an eclectic interior filled with classy-looking, vintage-style furnishings. However, things are slightly different at this three-bedroom Executive Condominium located along Fernvale Lane, thanks to a streamlined look that sets it apart from the archetypical image of highly-elaborate Victorian-style interiors.
“As per the request of the owners, we sought to create a home that is both clean, yet capable of conveying a distinct sense of elegance with the help of vintage elements,” says Landren Lim, who is the creative director at local design firm Mesh Werk Studio.
Clad in monochromatic shades for a consistent appearance, each and every room in the unit features a similar colour palette of ebony black and porcelain white. Likewise, a trio of textures, fixtures and construction materials plays a role in creating visual consistency throughout the entire space.
Drawing upon European sensibilities, the living room shows off a relatively austere, yet trim interior, which impresses with its collection of carefully-chosen accessories and vintage-looking pieces that stand out against one another. For instance, a suspended TV console makes for a distinctive addition with its smooth, off-white marble top when backed by a feature wall dressed in sable laminates.
In similar fashion, a shoe cabinet shrouded in black stands out against a foreground composed of pearly white homogeneous floor tiles. Reminiscent of a classic armoire wardrobe with its cornice top, the cabinet also serves as a display for various ornaments comprising an old-fashioned typewriter as well as a vase of dried flowers – both of which add a pleasant yesteryear charm to the surroundings.
Meanwhile, a combination of eclectic furniture pieces help convey the masculine charisma of the living room with their sophisticated shapes. Hanging from the ceiling, a metallic atom-shaped chandelier adds an industrial touch to the space with its spherical frame. The brown shades of a calf-leather Chesterfield sofa creates a sense of warmth, which stands in contrast to the cold grey surfaces of a modern coffee-table-cum-storage-trunk.
“This sofa is a special piece as it sparked off the initial concept behind the entire home,” says homeowner Cindy who shares the space with her husband, Teng Siang. “We both feel that the sofa blends well with the overall decor as it resembles those you can find in a gentleman’s club.”
The furnishings that accompany the adjacent dining area likewise form a consistent panorama with the living room as well. Here, rows of wainscoting painted in solid black, as well as an identical spherical pendant lamp create visible symmetry between the two zones. Commonalities aside, the dining area also plays host to a pair of gleaming mirrors that were designed to resemble vintage European-style windows as well as various pieces of dining furniture dressed in wooden shades and black leather.
Adding a touch of contemporary design, the hallway shows off a carpented sliding door, which was created by removing the existing entrance. Stretching from floor-to-ceiling, the door shows off glass windows wrapped in a laminated black frame that slides open to reveal the apartment’s kitchen.
Further into the apartment, the master bedroom beckons with a classy yet tranquil allure. A sense of depth is created within the space, thanks to the layers of timber dividers that stand out against a flat black background. Additionally, a light oak bed frame and matching dressers were chosen as a way of adding wood accents to an otherwise monochromatic interior.
An additional walk-in wardrobe was created within the master bedroom as a way of supplementing the storage space provided by an elegant chest of black drawers. Bounded on both sides by flushed cabinets, a taller version of the window-style mirrors found in the living room allows the homeowners to check themselves before setting off to work.
Looking back, both homeowners are satisfied with the entire process that led to the final look of the apartment. “I felt that Landren did an excellent job as he not only managed to help us narrow down the desired look of our home but also helped us to successfully pull off its English-inspired theme,” says Cindy.
This was adapted from an article originally published in the February issue of SquareRooms. Photo credits: Mesh Werk Studio
