How This Apartment In The East Was Transformed Into A Quiet Luxurious Home

Living with parents can result in some space restrictions, so a careful balance comes into play: you want enough personal room for yourself and your work, without losing the interaction or family bonding. This week, we looked at a four-bedder condo designed by Hock Hoon which comes with a dual-purpose lounge and personal space. Here’s how it was done:

Maxing out the spaciousness of a four-bedder

The four-bedder is intended for a family of four: the owner who will be living with both parents, as well as a helper. He wanted his mother and father to have their own rooms (an improvement over the previous home, where his mother had to share a room with the helper), and a separate lounge space for winding down. 

The designer thus set aside three rooms for the owner and each parent, while the fourth room was opened into a dual-purpose area: the aforementioned lounge, which also has enough room to accommodate the family’s helper. The lounge also provides space to display a travel collection.

In the bedroom, bay windows are often considered a drawback as they take up room – but in this setup it connects with a long-dresser table, and also holds the owner’s watch collection. 

The overall design theme

The owner is a frequent traveller, and wanted the sense of exclusivity and efficiency found in many hotels he’d visited.

The designer sought to connect the living and dining area as a single large visual space – the dining bench is designed to integrate with the wall cladding, and light, neutral colours are used to create an inviting atmosphere for this communal area. It’s expected that the owner and his parents will spend most of their time here.

Also influencing the design was the difference in colour preference with the owner’s parents. While his parents prefer brighter spaces, he feels more comfortable in darker areas. As such, there is a dimmer transition point along the corridor leading to the lounge. The designer picked a “lighter grey, cement textured paint for the central niche” in the lounge. This allows for the collection to stand out, and be the centre of attention.

Some significant changes were also made to the layout: three of the bedrooms were retained, while the fourth was replaced with the open area for the lounge (this area also has a concealed door to the helper’s room). This layout ensures the owner’s mother and the helper have their own rooms, while also providing a quiet corner for himself. 

Areas that stand out

The designer feels the most notable area is the transition to the lounge, and the use of elements and colours. These create a sightline leading down the corridor, and draws the eye to the lounge display.

A particularly bold move was the transition to the black-coloured tiles; the family did find it interesting in concept, but were concerned with the actual execution. Upon completion though, they did feel happy with the decision, and could feel the cohesiveness of the lounge area.  

A satisfying design journey

The designer and clients enjoyed the renovation process, in particular observing different craftsmen apply different techniques for each feature; one example of this was creating the intricate details in the arched frame of the dining and living areas. 

The homeowners added a commissioned calligraphy piece by Lim Tze Ping, simply denoting “Jia.” The renovations promise better opportunities for bonding time, which the owner prizes as he’s often away.

Advice for other homeowners when renovating

The designer says that constant communication is key, and an ongoing conversation helps to streamline the process. The Fittings, Furnishings, and Equipment (FF&E) element is also important, and part of the design journey – beyond the basic renovations, these are the elements that shape the experience of the place. 

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