A small interior is no hindrance to incorporating a smart, stylish design, as seen in this bachelor pad.
Creativity need not be hampered by the lack of space. The lush, “rural” backdrop that is Dairy Farm Estate inspired Dan Wu, founder of Dan’s Workshop, to introduce a cottage feel to this small condo unit.
The result? A Scandinavian-style country home that’s chic yet cosy. Another draw is the interior’s 4.6m-high ceiling, which makes the home feel bright and airy.
“Every space counts in this condo, so we needed to plan very carefully,” says Dan, who was given free rein to renovate and design the bachelor pad with a budget of around $40,000.
At the entrance foyer is a shoe and display cabinet with triangle roof patterns reminiscent of cottage roofs – the distinct triangular motif repeats itself in the living room and master bedroom. While the shoe cabinet gets a warm woody shade, the cabinets at the TV console area are clad in ash grey – both the light hues give the space a cottage-cosy and roomy feel.
Taking advantage of the lofty ceiling, Dan designed the console above the television and transformed that section of the living room into an eye-catching showpiece. Playing around with various shapes, he fitted a combination of square, rectangular and triangular shapes into the full-height storage cabinets, with the intention of making the structure resemble the facade of a cottage.
A spare small room was converted into an open-concept walk-in wardrobe and a mirror was placed on one end for practical reasons, and also to create the illusion of space. With a dedicated wardrobe area in place, Dan did away with the one in the master bedroom to accommodate a cool, industrial-chic mezzanine level bed – designed in a strong masculine style to break away from the warm, “softer” look that pervades the living room.
With limited space for a dining area, he designed a sleek extension table that is connected to the kitchen countertop and doubles as a dining table. The resin backing above the counter top lends the kitchen a modish feel.
