EASY LIVING
DESIGN REBIRTH TURNS A MODERN APARTMENT INTO A CHILD-FRIENDLY HAVEN FOR A YOUNG FAMILY
Having recently moved into this apartment with two young children, the homeowners’ top priorities were very pragmatic—to make their new home a cosy and conducive environment for the little ones. Happily for the couple, finding the right interior designers for their home turned out to be as simple. The couple had received a glowing recommendation for Design Rebirth from their friends, who had enjoyed working with the local studio.
“The owners were referred to me by another client; we did their home and we became friends,” quips Yap Khoon Wah, design director of Design Rebirth. “This owner said to us, ‘just do up my place, I have full trust in you’.” Thus the brief given to Yap was straightforward. “It’s got to be child-friendly and there shouldn’t be fragile things like mirrors that we might do for showflats,” shares Yap. “They want everything to look bright, light and uncluttered, and they expect a lot of storage.” With that in mind, Yap led the team to craft a home attentive to these needs while harnessing the firm’s ability to design timeless interiors.
SAFE AND SOUND
Situated within the UE Square Residences condominium, the four-bedroom apartment enjoys the benefits of its central location in the lush Robertson Quay residential enclave. Its original floor plan, however, was not as ideal; the studio had to reconfigure its layout to improve the spatial flow of this 2,000sqft apartment. “The home is designed to be spacious and modern and convey effortless style. We had to do a major overhaul as the apartment is in an odd shape, with lots of beams,” says Yap, who led the design process on this project. “The dry kitchen was formerly a bedroom; we changed the kitchen entrance and removed the walls.”
The studio also created another room hidden behind the wall panelling in the living area. Besides contributing to the interior’s seamless look, this wall feature serves multiple functions: it houses the built-in TV console as well as storage space, while functioning as a sliding door that leads to the other bedrooms. “The wooden strips add visual interest and texture to the living area with their threedimensional effect,” explains the designer.
LIGHTNESS OF BEING
To complement the streamlined look, the team selected an off-white palette with black detailing; a colour scheme that’s applied throughout the apartment, except for the master suite. “The palette is darker for the master bedroom as the owners wanted it to be more cosy,” says Yap.
Metallic trimmings complement the polished look of the home, particularly in the dry kitchen and dining area. Bronze-mirrored walls expand the sense of space in the dining room and are paired with gold-plated shelves that float above the bar counter. The Random suspension lights by Chia-ying Lee for Studio Italia Design will soon be added to the home, serving as the focal point of the dining area.
PERSONAL ATTENTION
While the owners entrusted the firm with the furniture selection, the designers wanted to ensure that every piece was to their liking. “Most of the furniture is from Xtra and we did the shopping together with the owners,” shares the designer. The comfort factor was key: “I got the couple to visit the store to try the sofa and to look at the furniture.”
The final selection includes dining chairs from Andreu World, a dining table from Miniforms, a sofa from Montis, the Eames lounge chair from Herman Miller as well as an armchair from Bensen; these were supplemented with the coffee table, accent cushions and vases from Crate & Barrel. Abstract artworks complete the minimalist look of the home. “The interesting part about these artworks are their three-dimensional elements, which give them texture,” he adds.
Completed within four months, the firm looks back at the project with pride. “We enjoyed having the full trust of the clients and having a free hand in designing the place,” shares Yap.
“THE WOODEN STRIPS ADD VISUAL INTEREST AND TEXTURE TO THE LIVING AREA WITH THEIR THREEDIMENSIONAL EFFECT”