Cover In the bungalow's living room, subtle touches of pink on the soft furnishings and furniture lend sweetness to the overall look
In the bungalow's living room, subtle touches of pink on the soft furnishings and furniture lend sweetness to the overall look
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Designworx Interior Consultant gives this sprawling Johor Bahru bungalow a joyful sense of grandeur by pairing two delightful hues
As a colour that exudes joy and zest, pink is often associated with romance and innocence. When designing this abode for a client who loves pink and gold, Designworx Interior Consultant strove to utilise both hues in a manner that would lend them gravitas, thus transforming the residence into an infinitely elegant home.
“When paired with gold or metallic colours, pink is sophisticated,” says Terri Tan, design director of the award-winning studio. “There is a long history of pink and gold in interior design, from the Victorian era and the Jazz Age in the 1920s to the groovy years of the 1970s and, more recently, the millennial pink and rose gold of the 2010s.”
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Above The house stands on a leafy street in Johor Bahru’s Leisure Farm development
The house stands on a leafy street in Johor Bahru’s Leisure Farm development
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This 9,903 sq ft bungalow, sited on a 17,227 sq ft plot of land at Leisure Farm in Johor Bahru, is home to a couple with three young sons and three helpers. They decided to purchase a larger property shortly after Designworx had completed their penthouse at Glentrees in Singapore.
The couple had just welcomed their third son, and they realised during the circuit breaker period that they needed more space for the kids. Moving to Johor Bahru would also bring them closer to the boys’ school and the husband’s work there.
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Above Pink flooring imbues this corridor with a rosy hue
Above A sculptural fountain presides over the sun-kissed courtyard
Pink flooring imbues this corridor with a rosy hue
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They roped in Tan and her team to design their new house: a sprawling four-bedroom, single-storey bungalow, with three bedrooms facing a large pool. A courtyard also sits close to the living area. Although pink and gold were the design concept’s starting point, the team first addressed the couple’s other concerns. The homeowners wanted extensions to enlarge the car porch to accommodate six vehicles. Other items on their wish list included a guest room, a formal study, and a yoga gym.
To achieve this, addition and alteration works were done, such as creating a new wing to house the husband’s study and gym facing the pool. A slight expansion to the dining area was also made to incorporate a guest room and a bathroom. The team also added a changing room and a storage room next to the pool.
These additions, which came up to a total of 2,325 sq ft, were possible thanks to the ample land surrounding the original structure. “Another small weakness was that a secondary courtyard separated the living and dining zones. So, we enclosed this exterior space and created an informal living area to link the formal living zone with the dining space,” Tan reveals.
Above Pink flooring imbues this corridor with a rosy hue
Above A glass-flower installation brings a romantic air to the dining area
Pink flooring imbues this corridor with a rosy hue
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Having improved the spaces and layouts, the clients and the designers moved to further articulate the design concept—how does one incorporate pink and gold into an interior design scheme to amplify the beauty and uniqueness of the colours and colour combination? The answer lay in selecting the appropriate shades and finishes.
Varying tones of soft pink were introduced in small and big ways. Touches of pink can be seen on the exterior walls. In the double-volume formal living room, subtle hints of pink are present on the soft furnishings; these hues complement the champagne gold-effect paint on the walls. In the passageway beside the courtyard, the design team boldly replaced the flooring with rose-pink quartz tiles so that pink shines proudly in the sun.
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Pink and gold accents come together harmoniously to create a restful ambience in the master bedroom
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“We also reworked the existing wardrobe doors and gave them a matte pink finish to match Caselio’s Fleurs Des Champs wallpaper,” says Tan, referring to the wallcovering depicting colourful wildflowers such as nigella, poppy and sweetpeas. Gold handles complement the matte wardrobe doors, strengthening the pink-and-gold theme.
The mouldings, furniture and finishes were chosen to depict the transitional interior design style, which combines the best of traditional design and modern style. The overall look conveys comfort, with sleek furnishings and a restrained approach to embellishments and fabrics. The shades of pink and gold not only serve to elevate this typically neutral scheme, but also make it personal to the client. For example, a gold coffee table straddles the line between subtle and ornate, while paying homage to the Art Deco era.
Gold inlays in the guest room give it a sumptuous and inviting feel, which is sure to make the grandparents feel at home if they decide to stay overnight when they visit. Design features such as fluted panels, tinted mirror panels, the metallic finish of the display unit and wall sconces give this home a dynamism that lifts the transitional style.
The three children’s themed bedrooms each reflects its occupant’s passions and personality
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The private spaces, too, have been given unique design treatments. The formal study in blue was inspired by a Korean drama that the wife loves. This rich hue contrasts against the warm brown Chesterfield sofas they brought over from their previous home. There are also dedicated shelves for the collectible comics the client had acquired over the years. Two artworks purchased from auction house Christie’s also take pride of place in the study.
As for the three children’s rooms, fun is at their centre with thematic concepts: pirates, sea creatures, and farm animals. Adding bookshelves to the playroom turns it into a dedicated space for the kids to learn and play.
Every project comes with obstacles. In this case, Designworx faced challenges in the implementation of the design. “Some of the materials and finishes we specified in the design-detail drawings were unavailable in Johor Bahru. We worked closely with the appointed main contractor to reselect suitable alternatives from the available supplies,” says Tan. Transportation across the Causeway also had to be arranged for the smaller items for the children’s bedrooms and playroom, as well as the wallcoverings and loose furniture.
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Above Panelled walls in blue make the gilded painting and classic Chesterfield sofa pop
Panelled walls in blue make the gilded painting and classic Chesterfield sofa pop
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The homeowners were invested in the design process, revealing the things they had come across and liked. Tan shares: “We would discuss the possibility of incorporating [these] into the design. For instance, the inspiration for the blue study came from a Korean drama series the wife was following. We dissected the image she sent, selected elements that we could apply to the room, and created a design that worked for their spatial requirements.”
She adds: “The husband is known as Bee, so the wife, in a moment of jest, said we should call the home ‘The UnBeelievable House’. Taking her cue, we incorporated a bee feature into the gate design.” A successful collaboration is often the result of nurturing a relationship. In this case, working with the client on an earlier project has resulted in a home that feels even more intimately personal to the family.
Credits
Photography: MarcusL Photography
