INDUSTRIAL WARMTH

The interiors of this home are as impressive as its amazing views of surrounding greenery.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

The interiors of this home are as impressive as its amazing views of surrounding greenery.

My Reading Room

A combination of industrial elements, such as the interlocking frames, concrete screed walls and concrete ornaments from The Half Half Studio satisfy the homeowners' initial idea for their home. 

Newlyweds Royce Fam and Irene Li fell in love with their new flat in Dawson Skyville, for the great views they enjoy from their 23rd-floor unit. For its interiors, the couple had approached long-time friend Cynthia Liau, director of interior design firm The Inside Job, to create an industrial-style home for them, with elements such as concrete screed finishes. “I like designs that are timeless and endearing,” says Cynthia, who advised the couple not to go for a full-on industrial look, which may be overbearing, but adopt some elements from their preferred style instead. Utilising her architectural background, Cynthia’s strategy was to utilise simple forms to express construction aesthetics. The renovation (excluding furnishings), came up to $50,000. The living and dining areas are kept open to make the home look spacious and bright. To add warmth to the spaces, cabinetry designed to resemble wooden rectangular boxes are clad in wood-look laminates from Lamitak. The cabinets help hide clutter and audiovisual equipment, as well as power points, routers, and gaming consoles. Cynthia added a pattern of cut-outs to some of the cabinet door panels to ensure that the sound from the speakers within would not be obstructed, as with remote control signals to the cable boxes. The dark wood-look vinyl flooring in the living room complements the home’s lighterhued furniture, such as the coffee table from CB2, and the grey sofa from Etch and Bolt. For visual impact, and to zone the areas in the home, Cynthia designed full-height towering black frames for the space, which also hint at an industrial influence. Art pieces depicting animals showcase the homeowners’ love for creatures – they have a dog and a kitten as pets! The most decorative element of the home is hidden in the master bedroom. Cynthia incorporated a glass light feature into the structure of the builtin wardrobe – when lit from inside, floral artworks appear, acting as unique night lights. When not lit, the surface appears to be a plain mirror.

My Reading Room

The “divider” between the living and dining areas is also a work desk, and includes storage cabinets.

My Reading Room

The homeowners’ favourite parts of the home are the living and dining areas, where they have space to entertain guests.

My Reading Room
My Reading Room

Cynthia painted the living room walls, and kitchen and bathroom doors white, so that when all the doors are closed, the surfaces would appear seamless.

My Reading Room

A circular rug and round coffee tables contrast with the proliferation of straight lines in the design of the home.

My Reading Room

The bench that runs the length of the dining table accommodates more guests than individual chairs can.

My Reading Room

The look of the outside areas extends to the kitchen. Cynthia kept the flooring dark and the cabinets in a similar laminate.

My Reading Room

Cynthia designed a full-height wardrobe next to the platform bed so the couple have sufficient storage space.

My Reading Room

The floral patterns in the night light add a soft touch to the bedroom .