Pulling together diverse elements to make up a great home can be highly challenging. Global, tropical, modern or contemporary – whatever you call it. A successful interior design project, to us, is one which reflects the personalities and tastes of its occupants. It should also draw on the strong points of the unit, be it capturing the beautiful city landscape on the outside, or making clever use of the given floor area to meet all the practical requirements of the occupants on the inside.
The essence of a well-designed space should have a wonderful energy, apart from just looking good. It is with that belief that we wanted to create a look that will delight anyone the moment he or she steps into this 25th storey DBSS (Design, Build and Sell Scheme) apartment located at Bishan's Natura Loft.
The original living space is one uninspiring oblong room with an awkward corner near the main door. It wouldn't take long for one to think of using the corner as a dining area. However, after considering the needs of the owners during preliminary discussions, it's clear to us that a dedicated study room, carved out of whatever little space there may be here, would be a far better use of space.
In the end, we created a massive timber/ glass structure which provides partitioning and storage functions right next to the main entrance, effectively carving out a fully functional private study out of nowhere - perfect for the female owner, who often needs to attend to overseas conference calls and work late into the wee hours. Shoes are stored on the entrance side of the structure behind mirrored doors while the other side serves as a book cabinet.
The rest of the planning falls into place with ease. The 'regularized' living space can now be demarcated into 2 separate spaces - the entertainment/ communication area and the dining hall. Making use of the owners' furniture and collectables from their previous home, the space displays a very personal trait since the owners picked out those pieces almost all by themselves. All it takes is a little curtailing of the numerous pieces on our end so that the house doesn't turn into a furnishing store! The decor is decidedly eclectic, drawing from traverse cultures and design styles.
We always believe in making the bedroom fit for royalty. It is a much more important space in a home than one may realize. In the master bedroom, wall panelling fill one long wall, resulting in a sleek headboard feature. The TV sits on the opposite side of the bed. In the child's bedroom, sleek furniture coupled with the bright contrasting tones make it feel fun and playful. The floating shelves and open storage are a great way to display favorite toys, yet there is still adequate closed storage to hide any clutter (the headboard comes fitted with a storage compartment behind it and is accessible from the top).
