The approach to this five room BTO flat’s design is simple enough; it’s all about improving the lives of its homeowners – young working couple Bonnie and Weixiong – through good design. With personal friend and architect Leong Wei Lin helming the conceptualisation of the design, and Jason Lee from ELPIS Interior taking charge of the project management and design execution, the look of every nook and cranny in this apartment was well thought-out, where great care was taken to create a varied yet complementary visual flow throughout the various rooms.
Stylish in appearance yet filled with comfort, this delightfully contemporary home is incorporated with plenty of up-to-date decor elements that highlight and communicate its owners’ sense of individuality. Meanwhile, the overlaying of large format marble-lookalike tiles on the floor further enhances the hotel-esque ambience of the home, while making the space appear larger thanks to the reduced number of visible grout lines.
In terms of furnishings, the living room is grounded by a plush, deep-seated sofa from King Living; while the eating zone plays host to a wood-accented circular dining table and accompanying chairs from Commune. Bonnie explains, “With quite a number of straight, hard lines in the communal zones, we opted for the circular dining table as its organic form helps in softening up the space.” Additionally, the minimalist profile of these low-slung furniture pieces allows the spotlight to be focused on the premium materials utilised in the home.
Particularly of note is dark wood laminates, which have been lavishly used as wall coverings on the carpentry works throughout. Besides just bringing an understated beauty to its surroundings, these wood-like surfaces also conceal unsightly fixtures like the entrance to the kitchen, effectively injecting the home with a seamless order of well-defined woodgrains.
As the homeowners don’t cook often, it was not necessary to have a showpiece kitchen. Instead, the utilitarian zone was simply fitted with just the essentials. Retaining the original homogeneous wall and floor tiles that came with the unit, renovation works done to the kitchen only entailed the installation of new quartz countertops and base cabinets in a bright blue-laminated finish for a more updated and contemporary look and feel.
Moving on, the configuration of the original bedrooms has been altered, where the master bedroom was merged with a common bedroom to form an expanded master suite. Comfort and cosiness were then chosen as key decor themes here to create a hotel-like interior, where the homeowners can retreat into following a hectic day out. Against a backdrop of wood tones on the floor as well as the custom built-in fixtures, the barn door-inspired feature wall – made out of alternating strips of plywood and painted over in a deep turquoise hue – behind the bed is a visually arresting showpiece in the room.
Similarly to the kitchen, the entrance to the en suite bathroom was integrated into the surrounding wardrobe units and finished with the same dark wood laminates for a seamless profile. Inside, the dry zone has been fitted with a large mirror that stretches the entire length of the wall, helping to create the illusion of a larger private sanctuary. Then, with the quartz sink countertop sitting atop a storage cabinet clad in fabric-textured laminates, the bathroom setup is complete, streamlined and highly functional.
Good design can emerge in many forms, and with this home, it’s all about the polished details and understated material pairings. And by fully understanding Bonnie and Weixiong’s lifestyle habits, both Wei Lin and Jason managed to carve out a bespoke living space that delivers a spacious and timeless appeal, allowing the house to truly feel like a home for its inhabitants.
This was adapted from an article originally written by Germaine Cheah published in the October 2019 issue of SquareRooms. Photo credits: ELPIS Interior
