Apartment in Joo Chiat
Interior design of a 79 sqm apartment
2010 | Completed
This 79 sqm (850 sqft) apartment was redesigned to cater to a young couple and their housemate, with a socially active lifestyle that includes regular hosting of friends for dinners and parties. The original layout packed in 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and an enclosed kitchen within the 79 square metres. To respond to the brief of a “party house”, continuity of space and maximum visual connectivity were essential. The unnecessary kitchen wall and the substandard bedroom of 6 sqm were demolished, creating a single continuous T-shape space for kitchen, dining and lounging.
With space being scarce in this apartment, overlapping of uses was the key design concept. The intersection of the T-shape space was naturally the shared centre of the apartment, multi-tasking as a distinct dining and working space, an extension of the kitchen, and part of the larger living space. A long table of 3.2m acts as a centrepiece to bring the 3 spaces together. Near the kitchen, the table functions as a dining table, a desk (with power points underneath), and a kitchen work top. The farther end of the table acts as a buffet table for dinners, bar top during parties, or part of the 3m long working space. The long table, reinforced by the bespoke matching lamp - the Long White Cloud - also helps to unify the otherwise isolated corner space of the vestibule with the rest of the apartment.
Line of sight from kitchen, through dining area, and living room, by demolishing unnecessary partitions.
Central living space with lounge area, piano, and dining table
Simple rows of shelves for casual display
The TV is strategically placed on the bay window, tucked away from the main lines of sight so as to avoid it being the centre of life in the apartment. Visual connectivity from the lounge area to the kitchen and yard is achieved through the use of a L-shape bespoke sofa set, ensuring maximum social interaction in all situations. Between the lounge area and the long table, an empty space is safeguarded for flexible use. The electric piano placed by the window is sometimes used for informal recitals, with guests sitting both at the lounge and the dining areas. A mahjong table could also be placed there, and a few drunk friends have been known to "perform" in the central space to everyone's amusement.
The long table aligned with the vestibule mirror. The vestibule mirror serves as an articulation between the narrow cabinets at the entrance corridor and deeper side on the right.
Given the small size of the space, floor, wall and furniture finishes are kept monochrome, to reduce the confining effect of the walls, while bringing out the residents' collection of artworks, books and objects. Walls are kept white, while the floor is in black cement screed. Built-in cabinets are in white glossy laminate for easy maintenance. The carpentry for the long dining table is allowed some discreet texture, finished in ash veneer spray painted black.
Ash veneer spray painted black for subtle texture
