Cover The Orchard Road apartment has been designed with minimalist sensibility and keen eye for style
The Orchard Road apartment has been designed with minimalist sensibility and keen eye for style
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Hidden nooks and multipurpose lighting in this Orchard Road apartment designed by Studio If cater to both family time and this couple’s different needs
Studio If has designed an Orchard Road apartment that melds a sense of home with multipurpose functional living. A couple from Hong Kong had engaged the firm to create spaces supporting their fluid lifestyles—be it answering emails on the laptop while at the dining table or hosting small, intimate gatherings over whiskey and cigars.
Gwen Tan, the firm’s founder and principal designer, introduced some changes into the 2,206 sq ft apartment to suit the couple’s needs. For instance, she replaced the original door leading from the private lift lobby into the living area with tinted patterned glass doors so that guests can glimpse the vastness of the interior upon entry and the couple can easily tell when guests have arrived.
In case you missed it: Home Tour: How Studio If merged two penthouses near Orchard Road into a super one
Above Tan replaced the original door leading from the private lift lobby into the living area with tinted patterned glass doors
Tan replaced the original door leading from the private lift lobby into the living area with tinted patterned glass doors
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Sometimes, these gatherings stretch late into the night so Tan added a door separating the common spaces from the corridor leading into the bedrooms. This ensures that their daughter, who is now studying abroad, has privacy when she is home.
Being in the hospitality industry means that the couple are attuned to good and functional design. They wanted a home that had a minimalist sensibility but also felt luxurious.
The response was “a controlled colour palette and tone-on-tone layering with different materials to subtly infuse detail and differentiation between pockets that are enjoyed separately but form a larger collection of interrelated spaces.” Tan adds, “This way, when viewed together, they coexist harmoniously.”
Above An ergonomic sofa featuring patented memory foam with adjustable backrests from Edra presides over the living area
An ergonomic sofa featuring patented memory foam with adjustable backrests from Edra presides over the living area
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Pale timber flooring and taupe walls juxtapose with accents of dark-toned surfaces serve as a clean backdrop for the couple’s art collection that they display on rotation. Fluted articulation at the household shelter wall creates visual interest.
This also serves as the backdrop to a new bar counter at the kitchen, where a bronze-tinted mirror backsplash lets the person sitting at the bar counter glimpse the spectacular skyline outside the balcony window through the reflection.
Above The living-dining area provides a variety of spaces to mingle
The living-dining area provides a variety of spaces to mingle
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As the wife wanted an Asian kitchen for heavy cooking, Tan demarcated wet and dry kitchen areas from the formerly single space, separated by a new door. Making the best use of space, a corner at the Orchard Road apartment's living area was transformed into a dedicated space for enjoying whisky.
“I would say that given the wide range of whiskeys, we wanted a backdrop that is both subtle and exquisite. We contrasted the lightweight aesthetic of vertical bronze metal fins with the weighted [feel] of marble shelves and marble-clad storage doors below,” describes Tan. Curved details and ambient lighting bring a sense of exuberance to this part of the home.
Above A corner of the Orchard Road apartment's living area was transformed into a dedicated space for enjoying whisky
Above Fluted articulation at the household shelter wall creates visual interest
A corner of the Orchard Road apartment's living area was transformed into a dedicated space for enjoying whisky
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Catering for plentiful concealed storage was pertinent for uncluttered and calm living. Some of these were designed for very specific uses.
An example is a nook at the whiskey display accessed by opening a sliding panel to quickly keep away documents or a laptop when the husband is working at the dining table and it is time to set the surface for mealtimes.
“The husband wanted to work anywhere at home but the wife wasn’t comfortable with the potential mess that could be caused with his working documents everywhere. So they needed a space that could accommodate working and living needs, or somewhere they could [keep things away] easily,” explains Tan.
She elaborates, “We wanted to encourage the family to spend quality time together, even as they get busy with their individual commitments.
With this in mind, we also handpicked an ergonomic sofa featuring patented memory foam with highly adjustable backrests from Edra—perfect for the family members to lounge or take a cat nap on.”
Above Both working in the hospitality industry, the homeowners wanted to bring the luxury experience to their abode
Both working in the hospitality industry, the homeowners wanted to bring the luxury experience to their abode
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At the Orchard Road apartment's balcony, comfortable Husk armchairs from B&B Italia look beautiful even when unused and are comfortable for sitting in for long periods while smoking cigars.
Even the apartment’s lights were selected with this multi-functionality in mind. Tan found the perfect piece for the dining room in the Luce Orizzontale from Flos. “It has three different light settings that can be activated with the touch of the finger at the side,” she says, on the lamp that facilitates a range of activities, from intimate meetings and working at the laptop to mealtimes.
Also read: Lighting designer Michael Anastassiades’ bold-as-brass philosophy in life and design
Above The Orchard Road apartment enjoys a sweeping view that includes the Pan Pacific Orchard
The Orchard Road apartment enjoys a sweeping view that includes the Pan Pacific Orchard
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The lighting design was important in creating a cosy and inviting ambience in this Orchard Road apartment. “Given that this apartment enjoys an abundance of daylight from the huge expanses of glass facades, it was important to moderate the potentially harsh daylight coming through to achieve a soft and relaxed atmosphere within the home [whenever necessary],” says Tan.
Above The wife's impeccably-lit walk-in wardrobe artfully displays her bag collection
The wife's impeccably-lit walk-in wardrobe artfully displays her bag collection
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This natural light becomes a boon in the wife’s dedicated walk-in wardrobe, created from a spare en-suite, and that is completed with a generous vanity table, an island counter from Rimadesio, and bespoke shelving for displaying bags and other objects. “The space is bathed delightfully in light during the day so the suspended feature shelves receive a naturally backlit effect,” explains Tan.
Above The Orchard Road apartment's powder room conceals an unsightly ventilation window with a stylish stainless steel curved mirror
The Orchard Road apartment's powder room conceals an unsightly ventilation window with a stylish stainless steel curved mirror
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In designing the apartment, she thought about the experience of both the couple and guests. In the powder room, an unsightly ventilation window was concealed with a stainless steel curved mirror that allows for indirect ventilation but looks pleasant. A large tray basin, served by a tap with a glass spout, adds a dose of drama.
“To complete the look, we added the discreet and minimalist Fulcrum lamp from Lee Broom to be paired with a fresh flower or leafy arrangement that would bring about the right amount of softness into the space,” Tan elaborates, on leaving no detail unconsidered.
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Credits
Photography: Khoo Guo Jie
