In this Farrer Road apartment, spaces flow from one to the next in a pleasing manner, and a harmonious medley of wood tones and stone surfaces elevate the rituals of domestic life.
6 September 2023
Home Type: 4-bedroom condominium
Floor Area: 2,530sqft approx
Text by Janice Seow
One of the first impressions one has of this four-bedroom apartment is the pleasing manner in which the natural finishes come together to give the home an aura of quiet sophistication.
The project was a close collaboration between the homeowners and the designers at JOW Architects. This was particularly so when it came to establishing the visual direction based on the clients’ preference for certain types of stone and tonality of wood finishes.
The occupants are a married couple with a young daughter. “The wife enjoys design and was highly invested in the design process. She worked closely with us when it came to selecting the materials, furniture pieces and decorative light fixtures,” say the designers.
There were several key functional requirements laid out in the brief. The husband needed the apartment to be able to accommodate a built-in wine cabinet for his wine collection. The family also desired an oval dining table large enough for eight people, and wished to redesign the kitchen, bathrooms and wardrobe to better meet their needs. Since their parents stay over occasionally, the study had to have the ability to convert into a guest room on demand.
In realising the clients’ vision for their home, the designers paid close attention to both the functional and aesthetic requirements. In the design process, too, they identified several considerations that were ultimately beautifully resolved through layout adjustments that helped to improve the spatial flow.
For example, fitting the desired wine cellar proved to be a challenge due to space constraints. The designers’ response was to take down the wall between the private lift lobby and the dining area to make room for a built-in wine fridge and storage cabinet that could properly support the dining activities. “This also allowed for the opportunity to insert a curved glass partition that created visual openness at the lift lobby yet enhanced the sense of arrival,” the designers share.
The entrance to bedroom 4 (study/guest room) has been shifted to face the living area, and collapsible bi-fold doors can be pulled back across the now widened entryway. Soft curtains also drape across the sliding doors leading out to the patio. Such moves were intended to expand the living space further to allow different activities to happen concurrently while entertaining, and to extend the visual connection and integration of the indoors and outdoors.
Within the study/guest room itself, the new configuration has allowed for a wall-to-wall cabinet to provide more storage, with a built-in Murphy bed for the flexible use of the space.
The dining area is an elegant space and designed for intimate dinners and entertaining. The designers have built a pantry into the original bay window area, and chosen a luxurious stone surface and cabinetry in light wood tones that’s repeated in the design of the kitchen counters further in. Also to the left, the built-in wine-fridge is seamlessly integrated with the joinery.
The metal framed glass door that separates the kitchen follows the same design language as the wine-fridge doors and the curved glass partition at the foyer, and as a whole, such consistent gestures go a long way in generating a calming quality in the apartment.
Unlike the largely calming palette found throughout the rest of the home, the powder room is clad in dark wood finishes that envelops you the minute you step in. A gleaming marble vanity stands handsomely in the midst of it. The designers say: “The intention here was to create an interesting space for an enhanced guest experience.”
A pivot door has been introduced in the corridor, next to the powder room, so that the owners can close off the front of house areas (living/dining) when they entertain, for privacy.
Further in, the master bedroom is a serene space. A low headboard, curved details, gentle uplight and soft day drapes evoke a sense of tranquility in honour of downtime.
By reconfiguring the entrance to the en-suite bathroom, the designers have been able to insert a larger wardrobe. The bathroom itself is reorganised where the existing bathtub has been removed to make way for a generous vanity counter with his and her sinks. The walls have also been adjusted to create usable storage space.
As a whole, this four-bedroom apartment radiates luxury, but it does so gently, and quietly, such that its occupants get to enjoy the warmth of home – which is the ultimate goal.
JOW Architects
www.jowarchitects.com
www.instagram.com/jowarchitects
www.facebook.com/jowarchitects
Photography by Studio Periphery
Shop the Look
Living room sofa from King Living
Living room armchair from Fredercia
Customised dining table from Tsuri Custom Concrete
Dining chairs from HAY
Dining pendant lamps from Nuura Lighting
Wine fridge from Ventco
Kitchen appliances from Bertazzoni
Powder room and master bathroom fittings from Grohe
Powder room and master bathroom stone counters from K-stone
Bed in master bedroom from King Living
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