Cover The tantalisingly moody living space in an all-dark material palette reveals itself through slivers of light
The tantalisingly moody living space in an all-dark material palette reveals itself through slivers of light
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Designer Dennis Cheok of Upstrs_ drew upon the Japanese craft of kintsugi to create a dark, visceral apartment in Singapore
In this apartment designed by Upstrs_, kintsugi was the theme that directed a dark shell, lit by moments of gilt and shine. The Japanese craft that repairs ceramics by sealing fragmented pottery pieces with lacquer and then beautifying the cracks with gold or silver gives new emotional value to old objects.
The concept emerged when the homeowner showed his mood board with 80 per cent monochromatic tones to the firm’s founder, Dennis Cheok. Also in the images were dark, clay-like textures struck with slight gestures of light.
Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s tome In Praise of Shadows became key to realising the key concept. The home thus features many, as Cheok puts it, “nuanced moments where the faint passing glow of a glazed tile in tangent-lit outhouses can become moments of peace and repose.”
Above A handsome Poltrona Frau Archibald armchair turns this corner of the Japanese-inspired home into a cosy sitting area
A handsome Poltrona Frau Archibald armchair turns this corner of the Japanese-inspired home into a cosy sitting area
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The apartment is in MeyerHouse in the east of Singapore. “The architectural shell by Woha Architects and interior strokes of Yabu Pushelberg make for an incredible privilege to work within,” says Cheok.
The four-bedroom unit was spacious and had a good layout, with a long common space fronting a balcony and the development’s lush courtyard. But work was needed to tailor the spaces and mood to the owner’s preference.
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Above The sheen of leather and gloss of the marble speak of the quality of the interior
Above Slivers of light become a poetic brush that paints the all-dark Japanese-inspired home into reality
The sheen of leather and gloss of the marble speak of the quality of the interior
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Cheok crafted a trajectory with framed features amid a predominantly dark shell. One enters the private lift lobby into a long vestibule wrapped with a leather-like laminate, marked at the end with a custom artwork by Singaporean artist Wyn-Lyn Tan called Opalescence VIII. Cheok had first seen this series of artworks at Fost Gallery during the pandemic when Tan produced a solo show.
“It is a three-dimensional meditation of Wyn-Lyn’s masterful brush strokes of alchemised minerals and pigments across all three surfaces of a circular disc, painting the daylight that streaks through the window [behind it] on a good day,” describes Cheok.
“We wanted this piece to visually ‘float’ against the window, and eschewed the idea of a physical plinth. Instead, we customised a floor-to-ceiling metal clasp that allows for the work to be rotated—almost like a ‘reading lens’ of sorts.”
Above A custom artwork with rotatable mount by Wyn-Lyn Tan titled 'Opalescence VIII' is installed at the end of the elevator vestibule
A custom artwork with rotatable mount by Wyn-Lyn Tan titled 'Opalescence VIII' is installed at the end of the elevator vestibule
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This impression made, one then turns to enter the lounge, or the “heart of the home”, through a symmetrical portal. In the lounge, Cheok sourced for the original dark laminates that finished some of the original walls to fill in white surfaces.
These were matched with textured clay and raw burnished metal panels on the walls and doors, which catch the light entering through ample glass windows.
Above The kitchen island hovers above the dining table, their shapes were inspired by Yabu Pushelberg’s design language for MeyerHouse
The kitchen island hovers above the dining table, their shapes were inspired by Yabu Pushelberg’s design language for MeyerHouse
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The parquet, stained a dark tone almost as black as coal, also showcases its textures and patterns from the same light. “Overhead, a strong line of light draws across the longitudes of the space, softened by and carving light with its curved edges of clay,” Cheok highlights of the false ceiling. Beneath this feature, he choreographed functions and objects into a fluid layout.
Above The detail of the kitchen island’s sculptural base
Above The walk-in bar nestled in the corridor leading to the entertainment room is revealed through illuminated smoked glass walls
The detail of the kitchen island’s sculptural base
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An angular sofa set from the walls dialogues with a custom table, whose skewed form reads as an extended limb from the original dry kitchen island counter.
“Amalgamating the island counter and dining table into a singular design gesture allows for much larger seating groups,” Cheok shares. This also removes a potential walkway between the dining table and island counter for more fluid movement through the long space.
The island counter inspired the skewed form of the dining table. “It was exciting to borrow from Yabu Pushelberg’s distinct lines, and draw an organic extension of stone planes, one hovering above the other. Below the planes are dark metal plinths, each one dancing to its own rhythm, and also forming its own mise en scène, which now anchors the new space,” Cheok elaborates.
Above Amid this dark material palette, the TV screen at this Japanese-inspired home only becomes visible when it’s turned on
Amid this dark material palette, the TV screen at this Japanese-inspired home only becomes visible when it’s turned on
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A new back wall hides a TV screen behind smoked one-way mirrors. “With light, the screen illuminates and becomes visible. We loved the idea of function becoming apparent only upon use and activation,” says Cheok.
Likewise, a walk-in bar in the corridor leading into the entertainment room appears through smoked glass walls when it’s illuminated.
Read more: 5 profound Japanese design principles that are very demure and very mindful
Above A peek at the screening room from the whiskey bar
Above Textural wall lends a distinct counterpoint to the sleek material palette
A peek at the screening room from the whiskey bar
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Above Tone-on-tone finishes and softly lit fluted glass create a subtle yet rich spatial experience
Tone-on-tone finishes and softly lit fluted glass create a subtle yet rich spatial experience
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For the master bedroom, the homeowner wanted “a rock-like cave”, which Cheok expressed with the wall behind the bed.
“We explored with materiality and realised that spray-coating moulded fibreglass sheets with black quartzite-like textural paint could evoke volcanic lava that appears frozen in time. We let this form the centre backdrop of the bedroom, and framed it in the same vocabulary of the other spaces—planes, curved edges, outlines of light; and the dialogue among these mediums,” he explains.
Above The bedroom is a rock-like cave— a hushed, tranquil space that promotes rest and relaxation
The bedroom is a rock-like cave— a hushed, tranquil space that promotes rest and relaxation
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Beside the bed, custom bedside tables are like blockish sculptures whose elegance counterpoints the rawness of the rough backdrop.
“We detailed mitre-jointed black onyx plinths that show no hint of the function until one pushes the front panel for the storage drawer to emerge,” says Cheok of these secret drawers—another example of light that emerges in subtle moments.
Above The screening room is hidden behind the whiskey bar, on the wall is an untitled Superman logo artwork by French graffiti artist Ceet Fouad commissioned by the homeowner via Gallery Reis
The screening room is hidden behind the whiskey bar, on the wall is an untitled Superman logo artwork by French graffiti artist Ceet Fouad commissioned by the homeowner via Gallery Reis
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Known for creating spaces that impact through bold volumetric and spatial interventions, Cheok shares that this apartment’s design pushed him toward a more playful, narrative-based approach.
“What sets this project apart from earlier works was that we felt compelled to first gather the pragmatics, then set that aside once established so that we can conceive in terms of moments, stories and emotions.”
Above Smoke-hued curtains filter in natural light while moody downlights illuminate the various textures in this bedroom
Smoke-hued curtains filter in natural light while moody downlights illuminate the various textures in this bedroom
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Credits
Photography: Wong Weiliang
