Space Out

A clever design and smart choice of materials helped to make this small apartment appear more spacious than it actually is.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

A clever design and smart choice of materials helped to make this small apartment appear more spacious than it actually is.

The homeowners
chose furniture
with wood tones,
such as the William 
sofa from Castlery 
and Ikea bar stools,
to complement the
home’s palette.
The homeowners chose furniture with wood tones, such as the William sofa from Castlery and Ikea bar stools, to complement the home’s palette.

Homeowners today are increasingly savvy in exploring design ideas. For newlyweds Robertson and Joanne Tay, they were sure of the look they wanted for their matrimonial home, which led to them meeting Ivan O, creative director of IDISID, through a friend’s recommendation.

Much to the designer’s delight, the couple came prepared with a digital library of ideas, which they had collated from websites like Pinterest. This helped to move the discussion along and provided the designer with a good reference of the style they wanted. “We wanted a bright and airy home, with a good combination of materials like wood and concrete against a backdrop of white,” shares Robertson.

To achieve the look, they broke down the walls of two bedrooms, creating a large, open dining room that sits in the centre of the home, where they enjoy the luxury of natural light and ventilation. The dining table sits on a raised platform, framed by a suspended swing bench and dining chairs. Designed as an answer to a safety concern – they were worried a regular bench would topple over due to the narrow space – the swing bench serves both function and aesthetics. 

The living room,
kitchen and dining
areas connect
seamlessly in this
open-concept
home, providing a
generous amount
of space for the
homeowners and
their guests.
The living room, kitchen and dining areas connect seamlessly in this open-concept home, providing a generous amount of space for the homeowners and their guests.
A nook in the home
was transformed
into a mini garden,
which will serve
as the perfect
play area for the
couple’s future
children.
A nook in the home was transformed into a mini garden, which will serve as the perfect play area for the couple’s future children.
With a clear brief
in mind, the couple
were able to easily
convey their design
ideas to Ivan.
With a clear brief in mind, the couple were able to easily convey their design ideas to Ivan.
Black pendant
lamps from Ikea
hang above the
dining table and
add a subtle
industrial feel.
Black pendant lamps from Ikea hang above the dining table and add a subtle industrial feel.

The kitchen and living room connect seamlessly with this space. “I really like the open-concept kitchen and island, because I can cook and still stay connected with others around the home,” Joanne explains.

White subway tiles were used for the backsplash to add texture and frame the space, while maintaining an overall unified look with the rest of the home. The kitchen island doubles as a bar where guests can gather around, too. In the living room, the couple chose sleek and simple furniture to pair with the minimalist concrete-look feature wall, which was cladded using Panaplast laminates.

A mini pebbled garden path was added to bring nature into the home. The path leads to a bedroom, which will eventually be a child’s room. Wooden framed windows and doors create visual continuity, furthering the illusion of space beyond the front of the home. The look of the master bedroom, too, was kept pared-down, making it easier for the homeowners to maintain. Concrete screed was used in the main bathroom to match the look of the rest of the home. “One of the main challenges when designing this home was the extensive rewiring required, as many of the original switches sat on the walls which had been hacked,” explains Ivan.

The efforts paid off handsomely; with an extremely spacious home that is everything the homeowners asked for and more, with a renovation budget of $47,000. 

IDISID, TEL: 9876-5485, www.idisid-interiors.com

Light woodframed
foldable

windows
and a

glass
door prevent

their
future
kid’s

room
from
feeling

claustrophobic.
Light woodframed foldable windows and a glass door prevent their future kid’s room from feeling claustrophobic.
A light wood and
white palette gives
the kitchen a
clutter-free look.
A light wood and white palette gives the kitchen a clutter-free look.
My Reading Room
Decor accessories
and home
essentials such
as vases and
containers were
chosen to match
the colour palette
in the home.
Decor accessories and home essentials such as vases and containers were chosen to match the colour palette in the home.
The homeowners
enjoy unobstructed
views of the
surrounding
landscape, with
Bukit Timah Hill
in the distance.
The homeowners enjoy unobstructed views of the surrounding landscape, with Bukit Timah Hill in the distance.
The couple wanted
a raw look in the
bathroom, and
requested the walls
to be cladded with
concrete screed.
The couple wanted a raw look in the bathroom, and requested the walls to be cladded with concrete screed.

Text Domenica Tan Photography Vernon Wong Art Direction Lim Yi Ling