FEAST FOR THE SENSES

Accent colours, varied textures and interesting details are just the right ingredients for a sleek home design. LYNN TAN talks to the homeowner to find out more.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

The wall beside the dining table, directly facing the entrance, is given a matte cement-effect finish, in order to add texture and depth. 

Joey replaced
the original
floor tiles with
wooden tiles in
a colour similar
to American
Walnut, which
complements
the dark blue
laminates of the
kitchen cabinets.
Joey replaced the original floor tiles with wooden tiles in a colour similar to American Walnut, which complements the dark blue laminates of the kitchen cabinets.
Instead of one
large piece of art,
Joey deliberately
selected a pair of
smaller paintings
for the living room.
They are hung
off -centre to create
visual interest, and
the colours liven up
the predominantly
grey scheme.
Instead of one large piece of art, Joey deliberately selected a pair of smaller paintings for the living room. They are hung off -centre to create visual interest, and the colours liven up the predominantly grey scheme.
The television
console was kept
simple so that the
focus is on the
King’s Living sofa
centrepiece in the
living room, where
the couple spend
most of their time.
The television console was kept simple so that the focus is on the King’s Living sofa centrepiece in the living room, where the couple spend most of their time.

WHO LIVES HERE

A couple in their late 20s

HOME A two-bedroom condominium apartment in Shelford Road

SIZE 1,200sqf

This apartment was tenanted when the homeowner, Daniel Kong, was working in Hong Kong. Upon his return to Singapore, he decided to renovate it before moving in. “I like to cook, so I wanted a functional kitchen. As my fiancee and I have friends over at least once or twice a week, we thought that an open-concept kitchen would be nice, so that we can still interact with our guests while going about the food preparation,” says the banker.

FRAMING VIEWS, LAYERING SPACES

In response to the client’s brief, an existing wall was hacked to open up the kitchen. “However, due to the atypical layout of the apartment, where the rooms are tucked around the corner beyond the kitchen, I felt that the spaces needed to be better defined, especially with the removal of the kitchen wall,” says interior designer Joey Khu.

He designed a timber portal that extends vertically up the wall and wraps under the beam. A kitchen counter built to one side visually anchors the whole structure. From the living room, this portal frames views of the kitchen and study beyond, to create a layering of spaces. “This also gives the apartment a warm feeling,” comments Joey. Looking back out from the kitchen, the vista is reversed and you get a picture-frame perspective of the living room and further, beyond the floor to-ceiling windows.

JUXTAPOSING MATERIALS, TEXTURES AND COLOURS
Joey took every opportunity to play with contrasting materials, textures and colours. The kitchen island alone is a carefully conceived composition of a light-coloured quartz top, matte and polished grey tiles on the side facing the living room, and edges cladded in wood laminate. A panel mounted on the kitchen island partially screens the kitchen and Joey deliberately expressed the joints between laminate panels by outlining them in a royal blue. He also integrated an open shelf with the kitchen counter; it is situated below the countertop in a matching shade of blue. Its location just beside the main entrance makes it the perfect nook for placing keys and other small items.
The original built-in wardrobes in the master bedroom were reconfigured into a walk-in wardrobe, made possible partly by reducing the size of the master bathroom. Here, Joey used slim, vertical red handles that stand out against the timber doors of the wardrobes and the timber flooring. The red element makes its appearance again in the master bathroom, this time contrasting with different shades of grey – from the textured wall tiles, to the wallhung cabinet whose sliding doors serve as a vanity mirror reflecting those tiles, and the cabinet with a laminate that has a metallic sheen.
Full-height cabinets have been built into two of the study room walls. Light grey, verging on white, textured laminate cabinet doors are teamed with turquoise-coloured open shelves, a slight deviation from the blue hues in the living room and kitchen, with wood inserts that echo the custom-built timber desk for two. 
Separating the sleeping area and walk-in wardrobe are specially detailed sliding doors with a gap in between that lets in light. The peekaboo effect accentuates the layering of spaces – from the bedroom to the walk-in wardrobe and the master bath beyond.
Separating the sleeping area and walk-in wardrobe are specially detailed sliding doors with a gap in between that lets in light. The peekaboo effect accentuates the layering of spaces – from the bedroom to the walk-in wardrobe and the master bath beyond.
The study is a
perfect blend
of function and
aesthetics.
The study is a perfect blend of function and aesthetics.

A SPLASH OF COLOUR HERE, A DAB OF DETAIL THERE

“I have a preference for warm colours. Joey was able to pick up on that and came up with proposals that we were happy with,” shares Daniel. Joey incorporated various warm blue and turquoise shades as accent colours within the home, from walls and doors, to carpentry and furniture. Colour was also introduced into the home through art. One example is the pair of abstract paintings on the living room wall that add a pop of colour to the predominantly grey and brown interior.

Joey combed the entire apartment with his keen eye for detail. Even the placement of the ceiling lights in the study room went through much thought. Instead of placing the lighting fixture in the centre, he decided to mount two, at diagonal corners of the ceiling. “If I had placed one light directly over the desk in the centre of the room, it would cast a shadow when the homeowners are doing their work. With one light at each corner, the lighting will be more uniform,” Joey explains. He also varied the lengths of the two lights. “In this way, they are visually less obtrusive when looking in from the corridor,” he elaborates. 

photography FRENCHESCAR LIM art direction KAFFY TAN

 The existing bathtub was replaced with a shower, according to Daniel's preference.
The existing bathtub was replaced with a shower, according to Daniel's preference.