The understated living room
Cover The understated living room

This luxurious Penang penthouse combines a sense of scale with perfectly-chosen details

For Mixy Ooi, managing director of Vault Design, this project was all about sculpting the space to match the personas and lifestyle of its owners, a married couple who travel widely and who have a predilection for classic designer brands. The residence had to live up, for instance, to the wife’s extensive collection of designer scarves (including pieces by Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Hermes). It became clear, Mixy explains, that she would have to create a home that was “intimate, elegant and sumptuous”.

The penthouse itself made for a breathtaking setting. Located in Tanjong Tokong, Penang, the 5,000 sq ft condominium is surrounded by landed property and overlooks spectacular views. The renovation itself turned out to be a massive but necessary undertaking. In its original state, the penthouse was fully furnished and had heavy teak wood veneers that just did not suit the couple’s aesthetic. The design team would have to strip this all away and start from scratch.

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Wainscotting adds textural contrast
Above Wainscotting adds textural contrast

The Big Picture

One important consideration in the redesigning process was to maximise the space. A deliberate effort was made to establish an easy flow to the layout: walls were knocked down to combine rooms, and the bathroom was extended so it would live up to its use as the en-suite to the master bedroom.

As Ooi explains, it was not just about space for its own sake: everything had to contribute to the “classical theme” and thus had to be “timeless and majestic”. Even the ratios were carefully calculated so that they there was an overall sense of balanced proportionality.

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Details add visual interest
Above Details add visual interest

The off-white shade of the walls and wainscoting plays a part in helping to create an expansive spaciousness. Ooi points out that “the pale-coloured envelope generously reflects ambient light and brightens up the whole space, maximising the visual volume.”

The choice of wainscoting is consistent with the classic theme: this wood panelling introduces a decorative element while still being elegantly understated.

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An elegant colour palette in tactile materials
Above An elegant colour palette in tactile materials

In order to increase the impression of ample verticality, the design team added a mirror to the hallway ceiling. The reflective surface elaborates Ooi, “creates the illusion of a double height volume.” As it turned out, the mirror proved to be a highly demanding challenge for the installation crew.

The length of the hallway meant that it was a complicated task to ensure that the mirror lay perfectly flush against the horizontal plane: minuscule adjustments had to be made to even out all the waves and bends. It was also no trivial task to ensure that the mirror’s edges terminated with exact precision.

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Dark cabinetry contrasts well against the shades of gray
Above Dark cabinetry contrasts well against the shades of gray

Fine Lines

The choice of materials creates a real sense of style. One highlight is the use of stainless steel in PVD coating with a bronze hairline finish. The gleaming polish of this material is used to outline rectangular shapes for the wall panels and also to terminate the edges of shelves.

These metallic outlines stand out against the muted hues of the walls and are meant to catch people’s eyes. They thus draw attention to particular pieces of furniture, design details, and are even used for handles and knobs. 

Read more: Home Tour: A Modern European Home in Penang

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The open plan living spaces
Above The open plan living spaces

The bright metallic sparkle of these geometric lines contrasts with the gentler qualities of natural marble and granite elsewhere. There is a calm, almost liquid, visual impression to the marble of the kitchen island, and there is a coherent expanse of beige marble that extends across the floors of the hall and the living areas.

Marble is employed in a more energetic fashion at the entrance foyer: here, three variants of marble are choreographed to create a vibrant first impression as guests step into the house. 

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The soothing colour palette continues in the bedroom
Above The soothing colour palette continues in the bedroom

In Harmony

The curation of the various details brings the whole design composition together. The audio features from Bang & Olufsen are works of art in themselves: Beolab pillars are regally poised in the living room, while an elegant Beosound serves as a powerful multiroom speaker.

Meanwhile, an Artemide Yanzi pendant lamp by Neri&Hu brings a touch of playfulness: the lamp and a length of brushed brass form a stylised representation of a swallow (‘yanzi’ in Chinese) perched on a black structure. Another gorgeous lighting feature is to be found in the hallway, where the main door is flanked by a pair of Bell Lamps from Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades collection.

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Marble was favoured in the master bathroom
Above Marble was favoured in the master bathroom
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The glamorous walk-in wardrobe
Above The glamorous walk-in wardrobe

As for the furniture, it was all about customising and also picking pieces that fit in seamlessly with the whole vision. The built-in cabinets received special care from carpenter craftsmen.

Furniture textile experts were called in for the upholstery. And loose pieces were mostly sourced from within the region or were exclusive from Timeless Design Sdn Bhd. These included the sofa, armchair, bar stools and dining chairs.

Read more: 10 terrace houses in Malaysia with amazing renovations

 

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A private corner for work and zoom calls
Above Marble was favoured in the master bedroom

The clients ended up loving the modern classic style of this redesign. They have been able to add their own unique touches to the elegant minimalism of the backdrop.

Mixy shares that the couple has made full use of this sumptuous space: “they have been hosting many festive events since they moved in.”

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