When Principal Designer Adrian Heng from SpaceOne Interior Design Consultancy first came across the floor plan of this 22-year old condominium unit, he was honestly stumped. “I had never encountered so many 45-degree angles in a floor plan before, and to the extent where there is only one regular-shaped room in this condo unit,” he says. As the initial disbelief wore off, his strong design instinct soon kicked in.
“The homeowners really placed their trust and faith in me that I could completely turn this home around,” he says of the married couple who desired a family home to cater to their growing needs. As he worked hard on tackling the poky corners of the space through custom carpentry, he realised there was much more to the overhaul. “We completely ripped this place apart and replaced almost everything from the flooring, electrical and wiring works.”
Hacking the walls of redundant spaces like a common bathroom and changing the configurations of the kitchen and master bedroom also helped in regulating the odd-shaped layout. It is a brand new and exciting experience entering the refreshed living space which sports an extended wall for the living zone. “Having this wall not only creates a visual balance to elongate the living area, it accommodates the three-seater sofa properly,” he remarks of the wall which conceals the shoe cabinetry. This full-height fixture spans across the front entrance in an L-shaped arrangement where it also hides the common bathroom-now-turned-storeroom.
“With the previous storeroom in the kitchen removed, it helped to expand and alter the master bedroom into a regular-shaped room. We then turned the otherwise underutilised third bathroom into a storeroom,” reveals Adrian. The entrance of the storeroom is clad with a laminate finish similar to the storage fixture and therefore conceals the storeroom door seamlessly.
Another hideaway entrance was then created for the kitchen. Adrian installed sliding doors clad with a similar laminate finish as the walls to establish seamless design continuity. Inside the confines, the kitchen is well-equipped to take on heavy cooking. Blum fittings have been installed within the cabinetry to facilitate a smooth working experience. For easy maintenance, the sleek and dark ensemble of a coloured glass backsplash and quartz countertops proves to stand up well to daily grime, and wear and tear.
Resembling a boutique hotel suite, the overhauled master bedroom no longer sports poky corners, but a more conventional layout. The walls are now clad in custom cabinetry, chevron-patterned laminate finishes and textured wallpaper. This lavish treatment of the wood-effect accents draws out opulence and tranquillity for the sleeping quarters. Adrian also maximised the space underneath the windows by designing a dresser to add to the wardrobe storage.
In the master bathroom, dealing with the odd-shaped layout was another uphill task for him. The application of marble-effect tiles hides all these oddities to good effect and he also implemented a gorgeous black Marquina marble countertop as a strong focal point. This works as a visual distraction to downplay the tight corners of the bath suite.
Sleek aesthetics aside, it is evident that thoughtful amenities have been introduced into this home. It instils a good balance of design flair and practicality to put together a well-run living space. Adrian adds: “I’m glad we managed to turn the odd-shaped corners into pockets of usable space.”
This was adapted from an article originally written by Disa Tan published in the October 2019 issue of SquareRooms. Photo credits: Spaceone Interior Design Consultancy
