Artistic Intent
A family’s growing art collection livens up the sleek and streamlined look of their apartment
What are the elements that make up a dream home? For this couple, it meant a nurturing environment for their three young children, and an interior space tailor-made for their personal passions. The couple were junior college sweethearts, and have been married for over a decade; the wife works as a trader and the husband is an economist.
But as their family steadily grew, the couple felt it was time to move out of their previous home of seven years to a bigger abode. They found a three-bedroom unit at St. Regis Residences Singapore which came furnished with cabinetry from Poliform, an Italian brand favoured by the couple.
FIRM FOUNDATION
The owners had a clear idea of what they wanted: a modern aesthetic, an open kitchen and quality fittings from their favourite European brands. These include bathroom fittings from Duravit and Hansgrohe, as well as kitchen appliances from Gaggenau and Liebherr. The couple also wanted a living room with a TV that could be discreetly concealed when it was not in use. Admiring the work that Architology Interiors had accomplished in their friend’s apartment, the couple tasked the firm to transform their house into a home furnished with the things they love.
“Beyond that, the design was quite collaborative; we gave several ideas, some stuck, some didn’t,” shares Terrence Quah, co-founder of the firm and the lead designer for this project. “Ultimately, we settled on a clean aesthetic with features such as the travertine wall in the living room and a black laminate wall that wraps across the kitchen, dining space and hallway.”
EASY DOES IT
Subtle changes to the f loor plan helped to increase the sense of space in the apartment. The firm expanded the living area by reducing the size of one of the bedrooms and opened up the previously enclosed kitchen to fit an island. “We wanted to add more depth to the living area and break up the rectangular shape of the front of the home,” explains Quah. The firm also raised the ceiling height of the apartment by re-routing the air-conditioning to create a more voluminous area.
The living room is furnished with pieces from various European brands, which include armchairs, a sofa and a bench from Flou, a coffee table from Meridiani, a pair of Giorgetti armchairs, and a wall-hung Beovision 14 TV from Bang & Olufsen. “The TV blends into the background, creating the effect of a sitting room, but still allowing for movie nights for the whole family,” says Quah.
To add to the streamlined look of the home, the existing doors were removed and converted to frameless f loor-to-ceiling options, which proved to be a logistical challenge. “We ended up going with hidden hinges (for the doors), and had to carry the doors up the stairs because they were too tall to fit in the lift,” recalls the designer.