Wining and dining at Sunset Way

Text by Janice Seow

When the owner of this old Sunset Way resale condo first purchased the unit, it had many walls, and the spaces were mostly dark and enclosed. “The client, a doctor, enjoys wining and dining. He’s really into cooking too. His brief was pretty straightforward. He wanted to update the unit and to create a home to entertain. It had to have a show kitchen and a walk-in cellar, and the spaces had to be bright and airy,” says Mikael Teh, founder of MONOCOT, who worked on this project with his colleague Dan Chan.

In essence, MONOCOT’s task was to create a social home that would be hospitable and welcoming to guests. Noting the age of the unit, Mikael and Dan knew that all the finishes and fixtures had to be redone, and the spaces had to be completely reworked to improve functionality, meet lifestyle needs, and accommodate the requirements laid out by their client. That being said, the designers were keen to retain the unit’s authentic character where possible, and so decided to keep the decorative window grilles of the 30-year-old development.

It was important to the designers to establish an inviting atmosphere right at the point of entry. This they did with a careful selection of warm and earthy surfaces, including the design of a hollow brick wall that successfully emphasised the distinction between the public and private.

The opening up of the kitchen has a dramatic effect on the apartment, bringing natural light into far corners of the unit and encouraging cross ventilation. The kitchen is spacious enough to comfortably house an island decked in luxurious quartz, and allows parties to spill over from the main living space.

It looks out onto the stylish dining area and the living room beyond. Beautiful engineered oak flooring extends throughout the common areas, warming the apartment. Against this backdrop, the homeowner’s collection of mid-century modern and vintage Scandinavian furniture pieces take pride of place, evoking a sense of understated and timeless elegance.

To address the brief and the client’s needs, the helper’s room/storeroom at the back of the kitchen has been converted into cellar. One bedroom has also been redesigned into two separate but connecting rooms (a study leading into a guest bedroom), and the original en-suite bathroom has been redone as a separate common bathroom.

The second bedroom furthest from the common areas has been designated the master suite. The point of entry has been relocated and enlarged, and the dark coloured threshold accentuates the transition into the homeowner’s private world. The room is generous in size and is well segmented into the sleeping area and a more private walk-in wardrobe and study corner further in.

The tasteful material and colour choices both here and throughout this Sunset Way apartment convey quiet luxury. It’s a welcoming apartment made for entertaining, but also a home to enjoy solo life in style.

MONOCOT
www.monocotstudio.com
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Photography by Studio Periphery