Have kids? This 3-room apartment shows how you can make the industrial look work

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While keeping to sound designs might make more sense for a household with children, the owner of this condominium unit decided to engage D’ Initial and take a chance with the industrial style.

To fulfil the industrial aesthetic, distressed surfaces such as the cement screed floor and lightly textured tiles shroud the open-concept kitchen. A more modern update involves the use of KompacPlus panels for the countertops and sleek grey laminates for the cabinetry. Designer Edmund Ong from D’Initial reveals: “The kitchen used to be really tiny so we had to open up the space with some hacking. Now, it hosts a half wall with a raised counter to welcome guests.”

One of the challenges that Edmund encountered with this resale condominium are the sharp angles and awkward corners of the balcony. They were neither functional nor aesthetically pleasing. The solution was to merge the two balconies, transforming it into a cosy reading nook. The homeowner’s ten-year- old son loves chilling out here on the raised platform clad with artificial grass. A full wall along the living area is decked in open shelving to house the homeowner’s extensive reading collection. Says Edmund: “The homeowner is a teacher and he requested for a lot of shelves for his books.” Besides the impressive library, he also incorporated a sliding ladder to gain better access to the books, a study desk and a smaller shelf just for CDs.

In a corner of the living room, at one end of the feature wall, is a custom-built study nook. Edmund devised a mobile desk on caster wheels that can be tucked away when not in use, or used as an extension on busy work-from- home days. Additional highlights include blackboard paint on the wall above the desk and light cement screed laminates to echo the light grey veins of the floors.

To take the distraction of jagged corners away in the son’s bedroom, Edmund painted one of the walls a deep shade of red. It not only serves as a strong focal point, the warm hue also adds a cosy vibe to the sleeping area. It also highlights the raised platform that hosts the bed. Since the son enjoys the feel of grass beneath his feet, Edmund partially clad the cement screed floor with carpet grass.

With the communal zones swathed in industrial-style elements – from the cement screed flooring to the iron wrought furniture – Edmund wanted to set the dining space apart. The solution was simple enough: a teal tone helms one of the main walls in the space. This strong colour not only defines the dining area, it ushers a sense of warmth amidst the stark-looking industrial accents.

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